Ethiopian Orthodox Church receives a special place for its role to the foundation of the Nation's secular education without denying the contributions of the various linguistic, cultural and religious communities (Teshome, 1979). The contribution of various Koran schools as well as pre- and post-1900 foreign missionary schools is acknowledged. Owing to its influence for the beginning and development of secular education, I chose to provide a brief background of Ethiopian Orthodox church education.
The foundation of Ethiopian church education is linked to the
introduction of Christianity during the Aksumite period (4th century
AD) (Fassil, 1990; Teshome, 1979, 1990). The content of the 'curriculum' of
Ethiopian Orthodox church education includes Geez and Amharic languages and
literature, poetry, church music, world history, mathematics, philosophy,
Biblical exegesis and history, doctrine, history of the church, liturgics,
civil and canon law, Christian ethics and pastoral theology (Teshome, 1979).
Even though this educational system lacks written curricular guidelines, it is
structured into various distinctive hierarchical levels, each of which requires
students to demonstrate specific sets of expertise which can take up to 30
years or more to complete (Pankhurst, 1992; Teshome, 1990). The various levels
of Ethiopian Orthodox church education system include: (a) N’bab Bet
(School of Reading), (b) Q’ddase Bet (School of Holy Mass), (c) Zema
Bet (School of Hymns), (d) Q’ne Bet (School of Poetry), and (e) Mesta'hft
Bet (School of Scriptures) (Teshome, 1990). While the School of Reading and
School of Holy Mass are regarded as basic and accessible to many people, the
School of Hymns, the School of Poetry and the School of Scriptures are
equivalent to tertiary level education of any modern educational system where
very few determined and talented people would pursue them. At the higher level
the content of the curriculum leads to specialization. For instance, in the School
of Scriptures one can be specialized in B’luey Kidan (the 46 books of
the Old Testament), Haddis Kidan (the 35 books of the New Testament) or Fet’ha
Negest (canon law). Students in these schools could also be required to
develop poetry (Q’ne) or interpret scripts (T’rgum), which can be
regarded as equivalent to thesis research. Few schools like Dabre-Abay and
Washera; regarded to be equivalent to universities were reputed to provide the
highest level of education. Likewise, the professors (i.e. Leeqawnt or Leeqane
Leeqawnt) who teach at those schools were very few.
In the primary level of education, reading and recitation of religious
texts are the dominant methods of instruction (Pankhurst, 1992). In school of
Holy Mass, students learn through voice, hearing and movement. Schools of
Poetry require students to be engaged in a lot of minds-on activities to
understand and develop ambiguous, vague and secretive expressions (Teshome,
1979). One important component of teaching and learning, namely writing, is limited;
hence, not many people who can read would be able to write with ease. This may
be because writing was restricted to religious matters but not for public
purposes (Pankhurst, 1992).
Even though, females are not involved in church education, it is theoretically
open for all children of Christian faith free (Teshome, 1990). It was only
during the 19th century that very few girls were reported to have
been getting to school to learn reading (Pankhurst, 1992).
The principal objective of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church is to deliver
religious education, to produce priesthood and preserve and diffuse Christian
culture. It strives to produce people who accept and live with the existing,
culturally and historically acceptable norms and traditions and pass that knowledge
without altering it, but not who strive to understand nature (Teshome, 1979).
Besides to providing religious education, church schools are also responsible
for promoting cultural, spiritual, literary and scientific knowledge.
Monasteries and churches of Ethiopian Orthodox were the centers of instruction
and research. They were centers of artistic works, ethno-medicinal studies and
development and production of manuscripts of religious, cultural,
administrative and historical significance. Moreover, Ethiopian Orthodox church
education was responsible for producing civil servants such as judges,
governors, scribers, treasurers and public administrators. Most of the educated
personnel serving in government, public and religious sectors of pre-World War
II Ethiopia were the products of this system of education (Teshome, 1979,
1990). However, at the beginning of 1900, the need for modern education became
apparent, which led to the introduction of secular education in mid-1900.
Fassil, R. K. (1990). Implementing Educational
Policies in Ethiopia. (World Bank Discussion Papers. No. 84. African
Technical Department Series). ERIC Publication No. ED 380338.
Pankhurst, R. K. P. (1992). A Social History of
Ethiopia. Trenton, NJ: The Red Sea Press, Inc.
Teshome, W. (1979). Education in Ethiopia:
Prospect and Retrospect. Michigan State University Press.
Teshome, W. (1990). The Development of Higher
Education and Social Change: An Ethiopian Experience. East Lansing,
Michigan: Michigan State University Press.
Desta Berhe
January 14, 2007