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Students´ and guardians´ views and experiences with the Alternative Basic Education (ABE) program in the Amhara National Regional State of Ethiopia Åsa Elisabeth Linusson Master of Philosophy Comparative and International Education Institute for Educational Research UNIVERSITY OF OSLO Fall 2009 Abstract The objective of this study was to investigate how participants and guardians of participants perceive the quality and relevance of the Alternative Basic Education (ABE) program in the Amhara National Region of Ethiopia. The ABE program is a condensed version of the first cycle of Formal primary school (grades 1-4) and is a variation of Non-formal education (NFE) with features similar to the `community school´ approach to education. The interest in the program and the research focus arose from the fact that the Ethiopian educational authorities, like governments in several other developing countries have embraced this type of educational programs, apparently in an attempt to achieve Education For All. In 2005/06 the Gross Enrolment Ratio in ABE was at least 5, 5 % in Ethiopia and a steadily increasing share of the school age population is enrolled in the program. Findings on previous research on this type of NFE initiatives indicate that on one hand this type of approaches to education may be more relevant and accessible to the learners and the communities, including that it may enhance the participation of girls and marginalized populations. It may also be less costly to both the implementers and the communities than Formal education. On the other hand there were concerns expressed in the reviewed literature over that NFE in reality may be, or be perceived as being, of second rate to Formal education, and thus neither be more relevant to the communities nor enhance the demand and participation in education. In order to investigate the research problem a mainly qualitative methodology was applied. The research design has features of an instrumental multiple case study, and there are also some aspects of formative evaluation. Primary data was obtained during field studies in Ethiopia in February- March 2009. Students enrolled in the last year of the ABE program, students who had transferred from ABE and were enrolled in the 5th grade of the Formal school system and guardians of present and former students in ABE participated in Focus Groups and interviews. During the field studies information about the study area and the situation with regard to education in the area was also obtained. Relevant literature on the education sector in Ethiopia, on the contemporary history and culture of the country, in particular on Ethiopian children and literature on Non-Formal Education, quality and demand for education was reviewed. The findings are discussed in light of this literature and previous research on the ABE program and other NFE initiatives for children and young people. The findings indicated that the participants of the program and guardians of participants in ABE which were included in the study to a large extent valued the ABE program positively. The program however scored higher or lower on different quality-dimensions. In some areas, such as the infrastructure of the Alternative Basic Education Centers (ABEC), the order and discipline in the ABECs and the attendance of the facilitators, there is apparently a lot of room for improvement and these issues deserves serious attention from the implementers. In other areas, such as the organization of the education, the intended strategies on adapting to local needs seemed to be correct, but it should be ensured that intentions are followed up in practice. Some modifications of the school calendar, in order to make it more compatible with the farming seasons would possibly also signify an improvement and lower the risks of some students dropping out from school. There is also room for improvement of the curriculum, which with regards to the wide age-range of the participants in ABE, preferably should be differentiated to suit the needs of the different groups of participants. There also appeared to be an unfulfilled potential of the ABECs also serving as centers for adult education. i ii Acknowledgements I wish to thank all those who have contributed to making this study possible and supported me over the long time it has taken to go through the process of producing the present thesis. First and foremost I wish to thank my supervisor, Rosah Moonga Malambo, whom has given me indispensible support and advice on the work with the thesis, which has been an interesting process through which I have also learnt a lot, but at the same time challenging. Thanks also to Professor Wim Hoppers and Professor Eva Poluha for feedback on thesis drafts. The study grant which I was given by the Nordic Africa Institute, and included a one month stay in Uppsala Sweden, helped a lot in preparing the study. Although the time there was dedicated to reviewing literature related to the initial study which focused on education in Somaliland, it gave me access to literature which was relevant also in relation to the present study, and it helped me to in general improve my research skills and find and use relevant literature. The field studies were financially made possible through a scholarship from Save the Children Norway´s Research Fund, and I am ever thankful for the support. The field studies in Ethiopia would also not have been possible to conduct without the support of the staff of Save the Children Norway-Ethiopia. In particular I wish to thank Negusie Shenkutie, Shumiye Woldesillasie and Haregewoin Tadesse at the North Gonder field office, and also the head of their partner organization Handicap National in Ayckel town, Nurele´gne Ewnetu. The data collection process was to a great extent facilitated on the way these persons received me in Ethiopia, and did their outmost to support me during the field studies. I moreover owe much to my research assistant Eden Fenta, who not only interpreted during the sometimes long hours of focus groups and interviews, but spent late nights helping me with transcriptions and assisted me in many other ways. Thanks also to Hanna Abebe Degeffie. Both Eden and Hanna were greats friends during the stay in Ethiopia, who helped me accommodate in the for me unfamiliar environment. Thanks also to my son Ibrahim, for being the light of my life and inspiration in all my doings, and for handling so well that his mother was often busy in front of the computer or burried in books for such a long time. I in addition owe thanks to his father Mohamed A Ibrahim, to my own mother and father Ingrid Nordlander and Lasse Linusson, to Sofie Regnander and to my dear friends the Sadeghi family, in particular Sapideh Sadeghi, and Rebecca Hauge and Herman Mbamba. They all helped me to make life brighter for Ibrahim during the time I have been working on the thesis, and also made it possible for me to be away from home during the field studies. iii iv Contents ABSTRACT .......................................................................................................................................... I ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................................................................. III CONTENTS ......................................................................................................................................... V TABLES ............................................................................................................................................. XI ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ......................................................................................... XII 1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................. 1 1.1 FOCUSING ON NFE FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE ............................................................................... 1 1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY AND RESEARCH QUESTIONS ................................................................................... 3 1.3 STRUCTURE OF THE THESIS ............................................................................................................................... 4 2. CONTEXT AND BACKGROUND ................................................................................................. 6 2.1 COUNTRY CONTEXT: ETHIOPIA ......................................................................................................................... 6 2.2 THE ETHIOPIAN EDUCATION POLICY AND EDUCATION SYSTEM ......................................................................... 8 2.2.1 Early Childhood and Care ......................................................................................................................................... 11 2.2.2 Primary Education ..................................................................................................................................................... 11 2.2.2.1 Enrolment in Primary education……………………………………………………………… .12 2.2.2.2 Repetition, completion and drop out rates at primary education level………………………....12 2.2.2.3 The teacher force, PTR and PSR at primary education level…………………………………..13 2.2.2.4 Infrastructure, facilities and student-textbook ratios at primary education level……………....14 2.2.2.5 Findings of the 2007 NLAs for grade 4 and 8…………………………………………………14 2.2.3 Post-primary education .............................................................................................................................................