Early learning in Ethiopia: equitable access and learning Early Learning Partnership Ethiopia System Diagnostic Report

Ethiopia is in a phase of extensive and ongoing policy reform in the early learning sector, which started with the introduction of a National Policy Framework for Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) in 2010. An early learning system that for so many years provided for a few hundred thousand children in wealthier circumstances has grown to provide for almost 4 million young children, spread across all regions and from all backgrounds. It is inevitable that substantial challenges arise during such periods of rapid expansion following any large-scale policy reform.

This System Diagnostic Report is concerned with identifying these challenges, particularly as they pertain to O-Class, and it does so through a systems lens. This approach focuses on the incentives and barriers faced by individuals during the design and implementation of programmes, and how this influences equitable service delivery, at scale.

The report combines findings from Early Learning Partnership (ELP) Phase 1 research in Ethiopia, which come together in the identification of three ‘levers for reform’. We suggest that these levers may serve as entry points under which specific policy options can improve readiness to learn in school, equitably and cost-effectively at scale. They also serve as starting points for future research efforts in Ethiopia’s early learning system