• Ethiopian Teachers’ Association urges massive increases in public education funding.

• Unions say African governments invest only 3.8% of GDP and 15% of budgets in education, below global benchmarks of 6% and 20%.

• UN estimates Sub-Saharan Africa needs 15 million additional teachers by 2030.

Ethiopia’s education sector seeks stronger government support to reduce teacher shortages and wide learning disparities, as advocates push to guarantee all children fair and high-quality schooling.

The Ethiopian Teachers’ Association (ETA) gathers hundreds of delegates from across the country at its 23rd General Assembly with regional partners. Education International reports on Wednesday, 22 October, that participants unanimously call for a major increase in public education investment.

“We call on governments to invest in education and teachers, infrastructure, and teaching and learning resources. We therefore demand that a quality public school be accessible to every African and Ethiopian child,” says Dennis Sinyolo, Director of the African Regional Office of Education International.

Ethiopian unions want public schooling restored as a national priority. Their strategy focuses on continuous teacher training, modernized infrastructure, and stronger professional recognition. The African teachers’ spokesperson notes that “governments on the continent allocate on average 3.8% of GDP or 15% of the national budget to education, instead of the international minimum thresholds of 6% and 20%, respectively.”

The campaign forms part of “Go Public! Fund Education”, active in 26 African countries. The initiative urges governments to finance public schools sustainably to ensure free, inclusive, high-quality education and to curb privatization trends spreading across the region.

This advocacy goes beyond Ethiopia’s borders. The United Nations estimates that Sub-Saharan Africa must hire more than 15 million additional teachers by 2030 to meet demographic growth and universal schooling goals. Ethiopia, which accounts for about 1.65% of the global population according to updated Worldometers data, stands at the forefront of this challenge.

“A public school where every child is taught by a highly trained, professionally qualified, motivated, and supported teacher, and learns in a well-equipped, safe, and healthy classroom,” Sinyolo adds, stressing that education quality depends first on teacher quality.

This article was initially published in French by Félicien Houindo Lokossou

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum