Ethiopian Education: Challenge of the '70's.

The article focuses on the Ethiopian education system. During a period of almost one hundred years, formal, Western-oriented, educational systems have been transplanted from metropolitan countries, notably Britain and France and in more recent years the U.S., to what are now known as the developing regions of the world. In most cases little or no adaptation was made to suit local situations. In the wake of independence has come considerable concern with the education systems which prevail in newly emerging nations, since strategic human resources are needed for all development. At the same time, in many regions considerable pressure is being exerted by the people for the provision of educational opportunities. It is informed that a Western-oriented system was not introduced into Ethiopia until the beginning of the twentieth century. It was very slow in taking root and whatever existed at the time of the Italian invasion in 1936 was destroyed. This article attempts to set out in general terms the problems of educational development which are being faced in the African continent at this time and to discuss some of the solutions being sought in Ethiopia, which are in many ways unique.