Educational Inequalities Among Children and Young People in Ethiopia

This paper analyses the educational inequalities among different groups of children and young people using Young Lives data

Abstract

The Ethiopian education sector has been one of the most important pro-poor sectors in the country over recent years, with public education spending accounting for 21 per cent of total government spending, and to 4 per cent of GDP, in 2012/13. As the result of this, school enrolment (Grades 1-12) doubled from about 10 million students in 2002/3 to over 20 million in 2013/14. Coupled with the public educational expenditure, the government has also made a number of policy changes in different areas of the sector.

Yet, in spite of the unprecedented enrolment at all levels, the education sector still shows varying degrees of access for different groups, with 9 out of 10 children of appropriate age enrolled in primary education, 2 out of 10 in secondary education, and only 1 out of 10 at university.

This working paper analyses the educational inequalities that may exist among different groups of children and young people in Ethiopia using Young Lives longitudinal data collected over four rounds of surveys, for 2 cohorts of children born in 2001-02 and in 1994-95.

Young Lives is an international study of childhood poverty, following the lives of 12,000 children in 4 countries (Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam) over 15 years. Young Lives is funded by the UK Department for International Development

Citation

Woldehanna, Tassew and Mesele Araya (2016), Educational Inequalities Among Children and Young People in Ethiopia, Young Lives Education Country Report. Oxford: Young Lives

Educational Inequalities Among Children and Young People in Ethiopia

Updates to this page

Published 1 November 2016