Factors that promoted or limited the development of education in Ethiopia: A historical perspective

The problem. The study explored the influence of the political, economic, and social factors on the development of the educational system in Ethiopia, covering the years 1000 B.C. to today. The research focused on the role played by the above three factors in promoting and limiting the development of the educational system in the country.;Method. The historical descriptive method was used throughout this research. Related literature and the works of Ethiopian and non-Ethiopian scholars and institutions were used as sources for the data in the study. These sources provided a wealth of knowledge and perspectives for examining the problem.;Results. The study found that many changes have occurred in the educational system, mostly in the past 100 years, starting with the modest introduction of modern education during the Menelik era to the rapid growth during the Haile Selassie era and successive governments. The study also found that the political, economical, and social upheavals that marred the country in its long history had a direct influence on the development of the educational system, both in the negative and positive sense.;Moreover, the constant state of war or semi-war created an atmosphere of insecurity that sapped the energy and resources of the country from the educational system to other areas. These constant upheavals created a fertile ground for political instability, resulting in numerous coups d'état, leading to new governments with their own educational policies and thus creating serious discontinuity in the policies and programs of the educational system. In addition, the study found that the traditional Ethiopian society, along with the feudal land holding system and the Orthodox church, played a rather negative role in the introduction of modernization, be it on the educational field or other modern institutions.