1. Aster Minwyelet Addamu (PhD)
The extended impact of READ TA’s support for minority MT languages in Ethiopia
Aster Minwyelet Addamu (PhD)
RTI international
CIES 2017, Atlanta, Georgia

2. Overview of Ethiopia >90 million 9 regions, 2 city administrations
Diversity
Religious
Multicultural
(>60 Ethnic groups)
Multilingual
(83 Languages)

3. 1994 education & training policy
Language policy
Equal status for all languages
Official/administrative
Judiciary
Educational
Amharic – federal language
1994 constitution
Use of MT languages in primary education
Identity
pedagogical advantage
psychological impact
1994 education & training policy

4. Language policy –Effects on MTs.
Grades
1-4
1-8
No of MTs 22 10
Medium of instruction
Taught as subjects
Grades
1-4
1-12
No of MTs 14 16
Medium of instruction + subject at primary school level
Amharic,Tigrinya, Afan Oromo, Awigni, Xahmta, Somali,Afar, Aderi(Harari), Anywak, Nuer,Majang, Sidama, Gedeo, Wolayta,Gamo ,Goffa, Dawro, Kambata, Silti,Kafa, Konta, Hadiya.
Taught as subjects upto postgraduate level
Amharic, Afan Oromo, and Tigrinya
Primary school teacher training
Afan Oromo, Tigrinya, Wolayta, Gamo, Sidama, Kafa
Primary school teacher training for MTs

5. Cushitic Ethiopian languages Language families Semitic Omotic
Amharic & Tigrinya
Omotic
Wolayttatto
Cushitic
Hadiyyisa,
Afaan Oromo, Sidaamu Afoo,
Af-Somali
Nilo-Saharan
Language families
Geez & Latin scripts
READ TA -
7 languages

6. National Learning Assessment (NLA - 2008)

7. SNAP SHOTS OF EGRA (2010) RESULTS
Percentage of Children Scoring 0% on Reading Comprehension

8. EGRA 2014 overview .

9. READ TA’s technical support to MoE&RSEBs
USAID funded, 5 years project, started in 2012
7 MTs
English
CTE curriculum for MTs
Curriculum revision/ development
School teachers
CTE lecturers
Teacher training
Educational leaders
Experts (inbuilt)
Resources (ICT)
Capacity Building
Grades 1-8
Syllabus, S&S, SBs, TGs
syllabus + module dev’t
Short trainings & workshops
ICT package for CTEs
AT – pilot for inclusion
Model video & audio production

10. Curriculum revision/development - team
Illustrators
Designers & typists
International reading specialist
Language expert
Reading & curriculum specialist
Story/text writer
School teacher
Gender
Inclusive education
RSEB MT expert

11. Team composition - effects
Diverse experts
Teamwork, professional dialogue, collaboration (one place)
Extended interaction/months
Continuous training & support: contemporary approaches learning MT
Quality assurance team feedback
Better Quality material production
Capacity building

12. READ TA’s extended impact
Observing frequent requests for support
Reports - MT curriculum revision for minority languages
Desire to study
Motivation
Process
Successes
Challenges
Interviews - key participants (Amhara & SNNPR regions)

13. Motivational factor Desire for equal focus Pressure on RSEBs
‘How 7 MTs were selected?’
‘How about our MTs?’
‘Aren’t we citizens?’
What is the scale up plan?
Lack of materials written in the minority MTs
Need quality textbooks at least
Seeing better Quality materials production under READ TA
Pressure on RSEBs
MT curriculum revision with own budget & human resource (Zone/Woreda required to plan)
>10 languages-SNNPR & 2 in Amhara

14. 1. Expert identification 2. Training
Process followed
1. Expert identification
Amhara – 3 experts/grade (CTE, school & RSEB)
SNNPR – 7 experts (grade 1-4)
used READ TA guideline
2. Training
10 days - SNNPR
5 days - Amhara
Provided by RSEBs
Lacks on-going support
READ TA
9 experts/grade
1 month initial training & preparation
Continuous need based trainings and support

15. Process followed 3. Revision Amhara SNNPR More of translation
Language family focused adaptation
Part-time, no team work,
Intensive editing- by zonal experts
Full time in some cases, team work
No support from international experts
Lack highly qualified local experts
No international experts
10 days validation – Teacher/lecturers, elders, gender experts, youth association members …
Approval of the trainer - some MTs
5 days validation for some
Zone
Zone/woreda (regions provide training only)
Grades 1-4 = printed
5 days teacher orientation
Not yet printed
Teacher training???

16. Process followed Variations in Revision team selection/no
Training duration
Expert availability & engagement
Revision modality
Validation process
Pace – printing & training teachers

17. Successes
Creation of motivation in each language community to use READ TA experience & produce better quality curriculum materials
RSEBs positive response to community’s requests
Using RTI (READ TA) regional staff during non-target MTs revision as trainers
Using the human capacity developed via READ TA

18. Successes Using READ TA guidelines/ templates/processes/approaches
Using MT material produced under READ TA as source (Amhara region)
Conduct revision modeling language families (SNNPR) Wolayittatoo – for Omotic;
Sidaamu Afoo and Hadiyyisa – for Cushitic;
Amharic – for Semetic
MT material production in more than 12 MTs (‘Something is better than nothing’)
Increased motivation & capacity of experts & teachers involved in the revision process

19. Challenges Very short training Translation/ adaptation???
Lack of qualified experts
lack of resource/ text written in the MTs .
Very short training
No/lack of designers & illustrators who speak the MTs
Translation/ adaptation???
No ongoing support from RSEBs
Inadequate training for teachers
printed in black & white – creates dispute
Number of books printed are not sufficient
Part-time task, no collaboration

20. Recognition of the good practices
READ TA’s Impact -
Introduction of good practice in curriculum revision
Teamwork (various professionals
Fulltime engagement
Continuous (expert) support
Teacher training to introduce revised curriculum – was not the case in earlier time
Introduction of modern approaches
New aspect in the curriculum (detailed scope & sequence)
New teaching-learning methods
New language components/content
Recognition of the good practices .

21. READ TA’s Impact - Capacity building
Recognition of the capacity built
Appreciation of materials in the 7 MTs
Increased sensitivity to MT language education
How to scale up what READ TA started is a point of discussion in education forums, regional counsel meetings, .

22. Indirect impact (beyond project goals)
Conclusion
Projects like READ TA may not address every need of a country; however, it can positively influence local actors by
Introducing contemporary approaches
Exposing to productive procedures
Developing local capacity during project activities
Producing quality materials that can be taken as models
Creating motivation among community
Indirect impact (beyond project goals)

23. .
Thank you