1. Introduction
Background of the Research
Ethiopia is a Sub-Saharan country located in the Horn of Africa. The population of Ethiopia is estimated to be over 100 million inhabitants, making it the most populated landlocked country in Africa, and the second most populated country in Africa after Nigeria. Ethiopia is the only country in the Sub-Saharan Africa which has got a history of having its alphabets and calendar. Paradoxically, Ethiopia which has possessed alphabets for centuries is still one of the most illiterate countries in the world. This is the reason why some writers refer to Ethiopia as one country with alphabet and thumbprint (Shenkut, 2006). A report by UNESCO in 2015 indicated that Ethiopia takes position #8 among the most illiterate countries, with the average literacy level of 49.1%. this means that almost 50.9% of the Ethiopian population are illiterate (Shenkut, 2006). According to UNESCO, literacy level is measured by obtaining the percentage number of people above the age of 15 who can read and write.
Education is an imperative aspect of human life. A country with poor educational and literacy levels are doomed to poor performance in the social and economic sectors. A country with low literacy level attracts the attention of both the researchers as well as the humanitarian organization. As a result, the researcher has been attracted by the socio-economic conditions in Ethiopia, thereby prompting the need to undertake a research in literacy level and its impact on the socio-economic aspects of Ethiopia. The aim of this research will be to establish the status of education and literacy in Ethiopia. The research will endeavor to establish the causes of illiteracy levels in Ethiopia; look at their consequences to the society and evaluate whether there are any strategies which have been put into place to improve the literacy status in the country. The paper also will provide recommendation which can be used to improve the dismal educational performance in Ethiopia.
Problem Statement
The need for basic education among children and young adult is paramount to any society. This is because education and literacy level is proportional to the way of life of a society. Any society with a poor literacy level will always suffer from poor performance on other social, economic, and political aspects of life. Ethiopia, being one of the most illiterate has attracted the attention of the researcher. Most of the research in this field have been focusing on either the causes or consequences in a solitary way. There have been very few attempts to relate the causes with the consequences so as to come up with more informed recommendations. The researcher will, therefore, try to establish the causes of this dismal performance in Education in Ethiopia, assess its consequences to the societal structure, examine any other strategies which have been put in place to improve this condition and finally recommend on the other available remedies. By so doing, the researcher will fill and knowledge gap which exists between the cause, consequences, and remedies to the low literacy level in Ethiopia. The problem, therefore, for this research, is the low literacy levels in Ethiopia and the related consequences of this condition to the social and economic life of the Ethiopians.
Objectives, Research Question and Hypothesis of the Study
The objective of this study will be to:
1. To establish the causes of illiteracy in Ethiopia
2. To assess the consequences of the high illiteracy levels in Ethiopia
3. To Assess the steps which have been taken to improve the education and literacy status in Ethiopia
4. To come up with recommendations and way forward into improving the literacy status of Ethiopia.
These objectives are put in place to enable the researcher answer the research questions which state that;
1. What are the causes and consequences of poor literacy level in Ethiopia?
2. Are there steps which have been taken to improve this condition?
3. Are there other measures which can be taken to improve this dismal performance in education and literacy levels?
The hypotheses of this study are:
H1: The primary cause of low literacy level in Ethiopia is the unstable political system
H2: The consequences of low literacy and educational levels are poor social developments.
H3: Adequate steps have been taken to improve the education and literacy levels in Ethiopia
2. Literature review
Definition of Literacy Level
Traditionally, literacy is defined as the ability to write, read and solve simple arithmetic problems. However, the definition has changed over time. These changes happen differently in different jurisdictions. In some countries, literacy levels are established by the ability to use language, to interpreted images and numbers and to use a computer. Other countries include the ability to conceptualize complex text and the ability and knowledge to undertake some technological endeavors. It is, therefore, important to note that the concept of literacy is expanding, and it is quite abstract (Cree, Kay, & Steward, 2012). In this study, the researcher will refer to the traditional definition of literacy. This mean that the researcher will assess the ability to read, write and solve arithmetic problems.
Causes of High Illiteracy Levels in Ethiopia
Another factor causing low literacy level is the presence of unstable political system. The Ethiopian government is controlled by the British and the European Union making the kind of leadership which is not citizen oriented. The form of Ethiopian government is a dictatorship where jails are full of opposition leaders, idealists, and journalist. The United States, China, and the European Union gives Ethiopian 3 billion U. S Dollard per year in the form of foreign aid (Berhane et al. 2002). This money is used to finance brutal and dictatorship governments. This money is used to finance regime machinery which in turn results to oppression among the citizens. As a result, Ethiopia has a lot of militia groups which tries to fight against the tyranny of the central government. As a result of these struggles, it is unsafe to stay in Ethiopia. That is why many educated people from Ethiopia migrate to other country causing brain-drain. For example, there are more Ethiopian physicians in Washington DC than there are in the entire Ethiopia. By sending away the educational role models of a society, the remaining mass will not even appreciate the value of education.
Another main cause of low literacy level is poverty. Ethiopia is ranked number 10 poorest country in Africa with the GDP per Capita of 5678.5 U. S Dollars (Berhane et al. 2002). With this poverty level, the citizens are not able to access basic requirements for their daily lives. Very few people are able to afford the secondary education while university education is a preserve of the rich, which are very few in a country like Ethiopia. The girl child education is highly affected as priority is given to the male population. With the little money they can afford, they tend to take boys to school at the expense of girls. This has resulted in low literacy level among the women in the country.
Impacts of Illiteracy in Ethiopia
Like any other basic human rights, education plays a pivotal part in ensuring adequate development of children, a community and a country as a whole. It is imperative that education doors are opened for children so as to ensure the achievement of development goals in a given country. Education is the best tool in dismantling the chain of poverty social status of a community. Education is a vital tool in ensuring improved child health and maternal health; gender empowerment; reduced hunger and starvation; fighting the spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, building peace and spurring economic growth (Cree, Kay, & Steward, 2012). It is, therefore, imperative that a country ensures that education is available to all. With poor education, a country is prone to poor development and social instabilities. Below are some consequences of illiteracy in Ethiopia.
High Illiteracy level has got a high impact on the society and welfare. To start with, literacy levels among the women in Ethiopia is a meager forty-two percent. This means that the women education is not taken seriously. Women form an important aspect in the development of a child. Well educated women will influence their children more positively. In other words, it is important for women to be literate to ensure intergenerational transmission of literacy (Cree, Kay, & Steward, 2012). The high birth rate among women in Ethiopia is also a result of illiteracy. Low literacy levels also reduce the level of community involvement in the developmental issues. The citizens do not see the need to query the government’s accountability and involvement in the developmental projects. With the lack of accountability, the government is given a chance to undertake corruption. Ethiopia is one of the most corrupt countries in the Sub-Saharan Africa.
High illiteracy levels limit an individual’s ability to understand, access and apply pieces of information which are related to health. As a result, the society will suffer from poor health, poor hygiene, and poor nutrition. Illiterate mothers are more likely to adopt poor nutritional and hygiene to the household levels. As a result, there will many instances of sickness which will in turn result to higher demands for medical services as well as absconding from employments. Illiterate people are not able to apply the common strategies which can be used to ensure that some diseases which can be prevented (Cree, Kay, & Steward, 2012). For example, HIV is common among the illiterate because they are not aware of the strategies which they can use to prevent infections. On the other hand, most of them die from HIV because they do not have the information on how to live longer with the virus. Unaware of the contraceptive methods, adolescent pregnancy is common in Ethiopia as ladies of tender age involve in sexual activities without knowing the best ways of preventing unplanned pregnancies (Lassibille, & Tan, 2005). An illiterate individual cannot even read medical prescriptions, or understand nutritional advice. As a result, there are higher instances of infant mortality and life expectancy in Ethiopia. Table 1 below compares the infant mortality rate in Ethiopia with other developing countries.Table 1: Infant mortality rate in Ethiopia: (Lassibille, & Tan, 2005)
.
Low literacy levels increase instances of unemployment. Having dropped out of schools, not attending schools at all, it is difficult to acquire jobs. Any country with low literacy level will therefore experience dismal social and economic development. Illiteracy brings about low income earning in a country which in turn results to increased burden on the social security system. As a result, the GDP of a country is expected to below the average. This is the reason why Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in Africa with GDP per Capita of 5678.5 U. S Dollars.
Research Plan
Research Population
The research will focus on the city of Dire Dawa which is to the northern part of Ethiopia. Dire Dawa is the second largest city in Ethiopia. It is an industrial city with a population of 607,321 people. The predominant population of this area is are Muslims.
Sampling Techniques
The researcher will undertake quota sampling technique. This is a non-probabilistic type of sampling where the numbers are randomly picked, but the numbers must be proportionate to the presentation of that group within the population. The number chosen by the researcher will be assumed to be adequate to provide a full representation of the population. The anticipated sample size will be 1000 people. The sample will then be divide into four groups. The group will be in terms of ages between 13 to 18; 19 to 30; 31 to 45, and 45 and above. For every group, 250 people will be sampled. The participants will be encouraged to volunteer into participating in the research process, while others will be provided with incentives so as to participate.
Research design and Methodology
Self-Reporting Questionnaires will be developed for the purpose of data collection. The information which will be covered in the questionnaire will include daily living, housing and money management, self-care, relationship and communication, career, educational levels, and education planning. Those who fit the required demographic characteristics will be sampled and asked to complete the study. The researchers will be waking from homes to homes. In some cases, the researchers will organize appointments with the respondents who will visit them in the headquarters or some other places.
Data Analysis and Presentation
The collected data will be entered using EPI-INFO software. The same software will be used to undertake preliminary analysis. Bivariate and multivariate analysis will be done by using SPSS software. The resultant information will be presented using charts and graphs.
References
Berhane, Y., Högberg, U., Byass, P., & Wall, S. (2002). Gender, literacy, and survival among Ethiopian adults, 1987-96. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 80(9), 714-720.
Cree, A., Kay, A., & Steward, J. (2012). The economic and social cost of illiteracy: A snapshot of illiteracy in a global context.
Lassibille, G., & Tan, J. P. (2005). Education in Ethiopia: Strengthening the Foundation for Sustainable Progress (No. halshs-00421360).
Shenkut, M. K. (2006). Ethiopia: Where and who are the world’s illiterates?. Background paper prepared for the Education for All Global Monitoring Report.
