Ethiopia Digitalization, the Future of Work and the Teaching Profession Project
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Background report Digitalization in teaching and education in the context of COVID-19: Ethiopia Digitalization, the future of work and the teaching profession project Moges Yigezu Background report Digitalization in teaching and education in the context of COVID-19: Ethiopia Digitalization, the future of work and the teaching profession project Moges Yigezu With financial support from Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). As a federally owned enterprise, GIZ supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. International Labour Office • Geneva ii Copyright © International Labour Organization 2021 First published 2021 Publications of the International Labour Office enjoy copyright under Protocol 2 of the Universal Copyright Convention. Nevertheless, short excerpts from them may be reproduced without authorization, on condition that the source is indicated. For rights of reproduction or translation, application should be made to ILO Publishing (Rights and Licensing), International Labour Office, CH-1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland, or by email: [email protected]. The International Labour Office welcomes such applications. Libraries, institutions and other users registered with a reproduction rights organization may make copies in accordance with the licences issued to them for this purpose. Visit www.ifrro.org to find the reproduction rights organization in your country. The designations employed in ILO publications, which are in conformity with United Nations practice, and the presentation of material therein do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the International Labour Office concer- ning the legal status of any country, area or territory or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers. The responsibility for opinions expressed in signed articles, studies and other contributions rests solely with their authors, and publication does not constitute an endorsement by the International Labour Office of the opinions expressed in them. Reference to names of firms and commercial products and processes does not imply their endorsement by the International Labour Office, and any failure to mention a particular firm, commercial product or process is not a sign of disapproval. Information on ILO publications and digital products can be found at: www.ilo.org/publns. Produced by the Publications Production Unit (PRODOC) of the ILO. Graphic and typographic design, layout and composition, printing, electronic publishing and distribution. The ILO endeavours to use paper sourced from forests managed in an environmentally sustainable and socially responsible manner. Code: JMB-REP iii Contents Abbreviations iv 1. Introduction 1 2. Methodology 2 3. COVID-19 and Ethiopian education context 3 4. Education sector COVID-19 response 4 4.1 Immediate impact and responses 4 4.2 Medium-term impact and responses 5 4.3 Long-term plans and projections 6 5. Impact of COVID-19 on the teaching profession 8 6. Governance and COVID-19 response 9 References 11 iv Abbreviations X D-TEST Digital Technology for Education Sector Transformation X ESDP Education Sector Development Programme X ICT information and communication technology X UNICEF United Nations Children’s Fund X WHO World Health Organization 1. Key findings v 1 1. Introduction In Ethiopia, the use and integration of digital technologies in education has been going through transfor- mations since the announcement of the first case of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in March 2020. As in other countries, schools and universities were closed and the mobility of people and economic activities were placed on lockdown in response to the pandemic. Despite an infrastructural deficit, this was followed by an upsurge in the use of digital technologies. Private primary and secondary schools shifted to online platforms and messaging applications (such as WhatsApp and Telegram) to reach students and continue teaching and learning activities. Radio and television learning programmes were primarily used by public schools to reach secondary and primary school students. Seminars, workshops, meetings and examinations began to be conducted through videoconferencing platforms such as Zoom and Skype. Although the uptake has been ad hoc and uncoordinated, a new way of delivering education via digital technologies is taking shape. This study assesses the impact of COVID-19 on the education sector in the immediate and medium term, and its effect on long-term planning in light of the challenges presented by the pandemic. The study will also look at the impact of the crisis on the teaching profession. 2 2. Methodology The methodology applied in this study included a review and analysis of official government and non-govern- mental documents, media reports and information posted on the website of the Ministry of Education. Some of the documents reviewed included the concept note for the Education Sector COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan, the Education Development Plan 2020–2030 and the Education Sector Development Programme (ESDP) VI 2020–2025. 3 3. COVID-19 and Ethiopian education context Following the first case of COVID-19 in March 2020, the Government of Ethiopia issued a five-month state of emergency in April 2020. It ordered high-risk government employees to work from home, reduced the number of people in vehicles, closed borders, released more than 1,500 prisoners and championed hand- washing. Interregional state transportation systems were halted from the end of March to mid-April 2020. There was a complete halt of the transportation system in towns that registered COVID-19 cases early. In Addis Ababa, the country’s capital, public transportation was allowed to operate with passenger volumes at half capacity. Furthermore, bars and nightclubs were shut down. Despite these efforts, by 5 November 2020, Ethiopia had registered 98,391 cases, with 39,767 active cases and 1,508 total deaths, and had conducted over 1.5 million COVID-19 tests. All regional states, zones and woredas have reported at least one case of COVID-19, with Addis Ababa being the epicentre of the crisis. The general education system in Ethiopia includes pre-primary, primary and secondary school levels. Preschool education is mainly implemented by the private sector in urban areas, while primary and sec- ondary education are predominately delivered by the public sector. As a result, more than half of children do not have access to pre-primary education in Ethiopia (UNICEF 2019). Less than 5 per cent of the total population of primary school students attend private schools (World Bank 2020). The education sector is led by the Federal Ministry of Education at the federal government level and regional education bureaus at regional state level. There are more than 26 million students and 688,887 teachers in 86,231 schools in Ethiopia.1 In 2018–19, only 27 per cent of primary schools had access to electricity, only 38 per cent had available radios and only 27 per cent had access to water supply, most of which are located in urban areas (Government of Ethiopia 2019). The absence of electricity and infrastructure makes it difficult to introduce digital technolo- gies and competencies in the classroom and complicates remote teaching and learning. Without access to water supply, ensuring a safe and healthy return to schools during the COVID-19 pandemic is compromised. There is only one telecommunications operator in Ethiopia, the government-owned Ethio telecom, and internet coverage is low. Only 19 per cent of the total population had access to the internet as of January 2020.2 Most of the internet connectivity is via mobile phones. There were only 212,000 fixed broadband subscriptions as of June 2020 in Ethiopia (Ethio telecom 2020), a country with a population of 114,000,000 (United Nations 2019). Out of 79 countries ranked in terms of connectivity by the Global Connectivity Index, Ethiopia is ranked last.3 Due to the need for data and connectivity during the COVID-19 emergency period, Ethio telecom introduced a “stay at home” package during working hours and reduced the cost of fixed broadband connection rates. Even with this initiative, internet costs remain high, rendering the service inaccessible to the majority of households in Ethiopia. For example, broadband connections at the minimum speed per month cost close to the minimum wage of a public servant. Higher speeds are not affordable to any public servants working in government non-financial services in Ethiopia. This is especially challenging for the country’s education system, as it makes it difficult to conduct virtual teaching and learning. 1 Federal Ministry of Education statistics: http://www.moe.gov.et/en. 2 Digital 2020 Ethiopia: https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2020-ethiopia. 3 Global Connectivity Index: https://www.huawei.com/minisite/gci/en/. 4 4. Education sector COVID-19 response 4.1 Immediate impact and responses The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the COVID-19 virus a pandemic on 12 March 2020. The first case was recorded in Ethiopia on 13 March 2020 and, three days later, on 16 March 2020, the Office of the Prime Minister of Ethiopia announced that schools, sporting events and public gatherings would be suspended for 15 days. This was followed by the declaration of a state of emergency, which lasted for five months (April–August