Women role in the education of Ethiopia remains progressive over time. Over the last 20 years, the national government made an effort to comfort equitable opportunities for females in public education. Many female students have limited access to education, which may cause negative economic impact in the country. In Ethiopia, women constitute 50% of the population that could contribute to subsistence production. According to World Data Atlas analysis in 2015, women enrollment in primary and secondary education was increased to 48.5% from 45.2% in 1992, growing at annual rate of 0.42%.
Gender difference and discrimination against women is prevailing in every educational level with many experiences' sexual violence and emotional harassment, combined with traditional attitude toward woman status. The government recently improved gender balance policy participating women in every facility of university and college academic staffs.
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In primary and secondary education
editThe first girls' school was opened in 1931. In 1967/1968, only 29.7% of primary schools' students, 26.7% of junior secondary students, and 18.3% of senior secondary students were girls. Of these years, 30.4% of first grade were female students. In 1982/1983, 64.5% of all students were male whereas 35.5% constitute female students. Ethiopia has made a reform on girls' education with net primary enrollment rate from 51% in 2003/2004 to 95% in 2016/2017. Meanwhile, 53% only had completed primary school, 25% of secondary, and 10% attended college.[1] In November 2018, UNICEF in cooperation with the Ministry of Education proposed a funding program for gender oriented education to assist the educational improvements and quality.[2]
| Type of beneficiary | 2016–2018 |
|---|---|
| Number of schools and students experiencing improved gender clubs | 1,090 primary schools |
| Number of schools with new mechanisms in place to improve reporting on SRGBV | 580 primary schools |
| Number of schools experiencing improved gender-sensitive sanitation facilities | 170 primary schools |
| Number of woredas participating in C4D interventions that combat harmful social norms | 42 woredas |
| Number of pastoralist girls attending UNICEF supported ABE | 124,549 pastoralist girls |
| Activity | Estimated funding gap (2018–2020) |
|---|---|
| "Upgrading" ABECs to offer the full set of primary courses | US$ 1,000,000 |
| Strengthening SRGBV prevention and response, including child marriage prevention activities | US$ 2,150,000 |
| Life skills education | US$ 350,000 |
| Teachers’ capacity building on gender responsive pedagogy | US$ 250,000 |
According to government statistics, in 2019–2020, while most female students enrolled primary school, only 53% progressed from lower primary education (Grade 1–4) to upper primary education (Grade 5–8). Accordingly, 68% of these could complete primary education. In most rural areas, boys' enrollment has been increased although this trend is lowering in Addis Ababa, Amhara and Tigray Region. This could be as a result of rural-urban migration among female students.[3][4] Female students also encounter sexual harassment and experience victimization in high school life: with 68% young students encountered in one instance. 52% of young women victimized by sexual offense, 56% by sexual assaults, 25% by sexual coercion, and 15% by sexual aggression.[5]
In 2015, the World Data Atlas analysis reported that female students in Ethiopia's education was 48.5%, increased from 45.2% in 1992, growing at an average annual rate of 0.42%.[6]
In higher education
edit
In the 2010–11 academic year, there were 18 million primary, 1.8 million secondary, and approximately a half million undergraduate students in education. Females only made up of 27% in the university population, a quarter of whom dropped out before graduation. This has been seen as critical for development. The gross enrollment rate for primary education was 31% for boys and 20% for females.[7]
The gender gap of 2011 educational system was about 4% in primary school, from about 15% in 2000.[7] From 2010 to 2014, the higher education gender gap ranking remained unchanged in Ethiopia; 127th in 2010 out of 134 countries and 136th in 2014 out of 142 countries. The 2014 World Economic Freedom reported revealed that the female enrollment ratio was 0.32 in tertiary education.[8] By 2017, the enrollment of women in public universities increased to 12.6%, and the Ministry of Science and Higher Education Hirut Woldemariam promoted women in decision-making positions at universities.[9][10]
Moreover, the government brought female students' academic staffs to 3,904; the comprising share of female academic staffs is 12.6% in 2016/2017 session.[11] Female students also vulnerable to sexual violence in higher education. A study conducted from 1 January 2000 to 1 June 2020 meta-analysis showed that sexual violence recur throughout a year in female students was 49.4% and 36.02% respectively.[12]
Gender discrimination
editGender discrimination against women in Ethiopia is the main problem in their everyday lives compared to other women in different parts of the world. Women do have access to schooling and employment, despite being hindered by harmful traditional practices such as female genital mutilation and child marriage. Women tend to travel long distances to transport water and firewood. In addition to that, they are highly vulnerable to sexual harassment, rape, domestic and political violence, and emotional harassment.[13]
In 1976, the National Democratic Revolution of the Derg government established the Revolutionary Ethiopian Women's Association (REWA) to prepare women in appropriate positions in society. Meanwhile, the policy only interested for its socialist revolutionary intention, despite equally treated them.[1] In one study in Jimma University, awareness toward the existence of gender discrimination in campus diverge between male 30% and female 64%. The university signified that it has the lowest female enrollment in every type of facilities and academic staffs.[14]
References
edit- ^ a b "Women's Higher Educations Higher Education in Ethiopia Under Three Education in Ethiopia Under Three Regimes, ee Regimes, 1950-1997". 3 October 2022. p. 3.
- ^ "UNICEF Fact Sheet – Girl's Education". 3 October 2022.
- ^ "Understanding the Influences on Girls' Primary Education in Ethiopia from the Perspectives of Girls and Their Caregivers" (PDF). 3 October 2022. p. 5.
- ^ Yorke, Louise; Gilligan, Robbie; Alemu, Eyerusalem (2021-07-15). "Exploring the dynamics of female rural-urban migration for secondary education in Ethiopia". Compare: A Journal of Comparative and International Education: 1–17. doi:10.1080/03057925.2021.1951665. ISSN 0305-7925. S2CID 237805203.
- ^ Bekele, Alemayehu Belachew; van Aken, Marcel A. G.; Dubas, Judith Semon (2011). "Sexual violence victimization among female secondary school students in eastern Ethiopia". Violence and Victims. 26 (5): 608–630. doi:10.1891/0886-6708.26.5.608. ISSN 0886-6708. PMID 22145540. S2CID 1664733.
- ^ "Ethiopia Female students in secondary education, 1970-2021 - knoema.com". Knoema. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
- ^ a b "Gender Inequalities in Tertiary Education in Ethiopia" (PDF). 3 October 2022.
- ^ "Females' Higher Education Access in Ethiopia". 3 October 2022. p. 5.
- ^ "Education for Women in Ethiopia". PROJECT-E | Empowering Women. 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2022-10-03.
- ^ "EDITORIAL Gender Inequity in Higher Education in Ethiopia". 3 October 2022.
- ^ "Profile: Emergence of women-led universities in Ethiopia". Addis Standard. 3 October 2022.
- ^ Kefale, Bereket; Yalew, Melaku; Damtie, Yitayish; Arefaynie, Mastewal; Adane, Bezawit (2021-02-19). "Predictors of sexual violence among female students in higher education institutions in Ethiopia: A systematic review and meta-analysis". PLOS ONE. 16 (2): e0247386. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0247386. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 7894927. PMID 33606841.
- ^ "Participation of Ethiopian Women in Education and Development". 3 October 2022.
- ^ "The problems of female students at Jimma University, Ethiopia". 3 October 2022.