Stakeholder Perspectives on Medium of Instruction Policy in Ethiopia

AbstractImaammanni barnoota Itoophiyaa biyyoota Sahaaraa gadii keessaa afaan sabootaa barnoota keessa galchuudhaan afaan hojii barnootaa akka ta’aniif carraaqii waliigalaa taasisaa kan jiruudha. Imaammanni kun bara 1994 irraa eegalee seeraan hojiirra kan oolee ta’ee, afaan sabootaa qophii gahaa qaban akkamiti hojiira akka itti ooluu danda’u qorachuudhaaf carraa guddaa kan kennuudha. Afaan dhalootaa Afaan barnootaa taasisuu keessatti walitti dhufeenya afaan dhalootaatiin barachuu fi bu’aa barattootaa yookaan ilaalcha qooda fudhattoonni imaammaticharatti qaban ilaaluudhaf qorannoleen muraasa ta’an adeemsifamanii jiru. Boqannaan kun dhimoota kanneen adda baasuun furmaata kan itti kennuudha. Kunis qorannoo afaan saboota lamarratti adeemsifame irraati hundaawuudhaan raga qabatamaa baldhinaan kan dhiyeesuu akkasumas ilaalichii fi yaannii qoodafudhattoota dhiibbaa taasisuu dand’an xiyyeeffnnoo keessa galchuudhaani. Boqannaan kun kan calqabu afaan dhalootaatiin barachuu hojiirra oolchuudhaaf gargaarsa qoodafudhattoota murteessaa ta’anii sakkat’uudhan akkasumas sababa saganiticha gargaaruudhaaf isaan kakkase ilaluudhaan ta’a. Ittiaansuudhaan imaammaticha hojiira oolchuudhaaf dhimootaoo ta’an kan akka afaanicha gonfachuuf barachuu gadi fageenyaan ibsa. (Abstract in Afaan Oromoo [hae], a language of Ethiopia, translated by Mulugeta Adera.)Ethiopia’s medium of instruction policy constitutes one of the most comprehensive efforts to use local languages for school instruction in sub-Saharan Africa. Officially in place since 1994, the policy serves as a rare opportunity to examine the implementation of a relatively mature local language education policy at scale. Few studies have examined either the relationship between the use of local languages and student’s outcomes, or stakeholder perspectives on the policy. This chapter helps to fill this gap, presenting evidence from a qualitative study conducted in two linguistic communities, in which the views and attitudes of key stakeholders are considered. The chapter begins by examining stakeholder support for the use of local languages, and the reasons that underpin this, before moving on to a detailed discussion of key concerns around the implementation of the policy, with a focus on the acquisition of languages of wider communication.