Ei-iE

The 23rd General Assembly of the Ethiopian Teachers’ Association (ETA) convened from October 14th-15th, 2025, bringing together educators and union leaders from across the nation and continent. The event was a call for solidarity, reform, and renewed commitment to quality, inclusive public education.

Education: A fundamental human right

In his remarks, Education International Africa (EIA) Director, Dr Dennis Sinyolo, set the tone with a message of unity and urgency. “I am delighted to be back in Ethiopia, just a few days after attending a successful teacher education conference at the African Union headquarters.”

Education International Africa Director, Dr Dennis Sinyolo

Extending greetings from global education leaders and emphasizing the continent-wide solidarity among teachers, he reminded delegates: “Education is a fundamental human right and a public good enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966), the International Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights.”

The challenge: Teacher shortages and underfunding

Dr. Sinyolo also stressed the stark realities facing African education. “Teacher shortages continue to impede education progress across the continent. UNESCO projections show that 44 million new teachers are needed to achieve SDG 4 by 2030, 15 million of them in Sub-Saharan Africa alone,” he noted. The root cause, he said, is insufficient investment, as, “on average, African governments invest 3.8% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) or 15% of the national budget in education instead of the internationally agreed minimum benchmarks of 6% and 20%, respectively.”

Go Public! Fund Education: A continental push

The EIA Director also drew attention of participants to the EI Go Public! Fund Education campaign, launched in 26 African countries, including Ethiopia. “We are calling on governments to invest in education and teachers, infrastructure, teaching and learning resources. We are therefore calling for a quality public school for every African and Ethiopian child,” Sinyolo declared. “A public school where every child is taught by a highly trained, professionally qualified, motivated and supported teacher and learns in a well-resourced, safe and healthy classroom.”

Teachers’ working conditions are student’s learning conditions

Dr. Sinyolo added: “Our teachers should be paid decent salaries; they must have good working conditions, and be given the trust, and support they so deserve. Teachers’ working conditions are children’s learning conditions.”

That is why he urged the Ethiopian government to implement the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel Recommendations on the teaching profession, pointing out that “teaching should not be a profession of last resort or a stepping stone to other professions, but an attractive and first choice profession!”

Leadership and reform: ETA’s vision forward

For his part, Yohannes Benti, ETA President and member of the EI Executive Board, acknowledged the pivotal role of teachers: “Teachers play a vital role in building generations. Therefore, even though the declining quality of education in our country requires the contribution of various stakeholders, teachers carry the greatest responsibility - from proposing solutions to implementing corrective actions. As such, we must fulfil our professional responsibility by ensuring educational quality and improving student learning outcomes through collective effort.”

Ethiopian Teachers’ Association President, Yohannes Benti

“To provide quality education, teachers must have suitable working environments and be well-motivated. We believe that our mother institution - the Ministry of Education - bears a significant share of this responsibility,” Benti continued.

He went on underlining challenges: “Most of our general education institutions remain below standard, and under such conditions, expecting quality outcomes is unrealistic. Hence, to address shortages of human especially teachers and material resources, it is essential to increase financing for education.”

The assembly was not just about reflection; it was also about action. Leadership elections were held, and strategic reforms debated. Benti then called for unity: “I would like to urge you to remain united and focused on meeting the needs of your students and members, for in unity there is strength. Organize and mobilize for a stronger ETA and a stronger Ethiopian education system!”

Five BIGs: A blueprint for change and unity

Sinyolo closed with a rallying cry for ambitious policy development or reform: “Think BIG. Plan BIG. Invest BIG. Act BIG. Achieve BIG.”

As Ethiopia and Africa face daunting challenges in the education sector, unionists left the congress with a renewed mandate: to advocate, push and put pressure on public authorities until the right to education becomes a reality for every child.