Tadias Magazine

Book Cover: Tsehai Publishers released a new book entitled:
“Education, Politics, and Social Change in Ethiopia” – making
a compelling case for education reform in the African nation.

Tadias Magazine
Article contributed by Sean McEvoy

Published: Wednesday, March 24, 2010

New York (Tadias) – Education, Politics, and Social Change in Ethiopia analyzes the historical and cultural events that have shaped modern Ethiopia and displays them through a panoramic view. Edited by Paulos Milkias, Professor of Humanities and Political Science at Marianopolis College in Canada, and Messay Kebede, an Associate Professor of Philosophy at Dayton University in Ohio – the book compiles several articles concerning the past, present and future of Ethiopian education. Through the perspectives of philosophers, political scientists, economists, historians, anthropologists, and university researchers, the book displays a multidisciplinary analysis of the complexities influencing the future of Ethiopia.

“I recommend this book to anyone interested to feed their intellectual-soul on education, development, and politics in Ethiopia” says Dr. Worku Negash, Vice President of Administrative Services at Mission College in California.

This book is comprised of articles, including Towards a Critical Ethiopian Theory of Education by Maimire Menasenmay, The Curse of English as a Medium of Instruction in the Ethiopian Education System by Tekeste Negash, and The Challenge of Modernity: Western Education and the Demise of Feudalism in Ethiopia. Each author approaches the issue of Ethiopian education from a different perspective, sharing theories and critiques that span across several academic disciplines. Although the authors speak through different lenses, the need for educational reform echoes as the resounding message in the book. The Christian Relief and Development Association (CRDA) believes that education is the “single most important change needed to hasten the socio-economic development of poor nations like Ethiopia.” But it is not only the availability of education that is needed to better Ethiopia socially and economically; the quality and method of teaching is essential to solving Ethiopia’s problems in the twenty-first century.

The articles included in this book were presented and debated at a workshop on “Education and Social Change in Ethiopia” held at the University of Dayton on May 13th and 14th, 2006. The workshop highlighted features of modernization in many African nations, which did not adequately address the issue of education reform.

Education, Politics, and Social Change in Ethiopia critiques the benefits and drawbacks of a western system of education, emphasizing the correlation between education and politics. In order to educate all Ethiopians, not just the privileged few, on the politics and ideologies of regimes who have governed Ethiopia in the past, a new system of educational goals must be implemented. The current content and guiding principles of Ethiopian education are not conducive to the creation of an educated people capable of promoting economic prosperity, democratic values and national integration. To have these changes occur it is not enough to only change the person in power. It needs to be reflected in the system of education. In essence, the effectiveness of an educational system should be tested and strengthened in order to assist a new generation of citizens to solve global dilemmas.

The multi-disciplinary approach used in this book demonstrates the interpretive nature of reform, and that our best solutions will come from multiple sources. Dr. Damtew Teferra, Director of the International Network for Higher Education in Africa praises this book as “a must read by all those interested and engaged in Ethiopian education.”
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You can purchase the book at: TshaiPublishers.com.