Data Deserts in Ethiopia’s Classrooms

When Tewodros Agegnehu, an electrical and computer engineer first joined Addis Ababa University, the cracks in Ethiopia’s higher education system quickly became visible. Students weren’t just struggling with coursework or overloaded instructors. There was a deeper, more elusive issue: a systemic absence of reliable information. 

“Which departments have the highest dropout rates? Who needs academic support? Which regions lack digital access?” Tewodros, now the president of the university's student union, recalls asking questions no one could confidently answer. “We’re making decisions in the dark,” he said. 

Tewodros’s experience is not an isolated one. His frustration reflects a national pattern: Ethiopia’s education sector routinely operates with fragmented, outdated, or nonexistent data, despite decades of reform and expansion. 

This shortfall in data use was the central focus of the May 2025 edition of EdTech Mondays Ethiopia, a monthly radio program produced by Shega Media & Technology in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. The episode, titled “Investing in Education Data: The Key to Effective Policy and Planning,” aired on Fana FM 98.1 and brought together policymakers, technologists, and students to examine how stronger education data systems could unlock more equitable and efficient outcomes for learners and institutions alike.

The show featured insights from Idossa Terfassa (PhD), Director of Higher Education Teachers and Students at the Ministry of Education; Abrham Mesfin (MD), Co-founder and Deputy Manager of Fayida Academy; and Tewodros, representing the student voice from one of Ethiopia’s largest and oldest academic institutions, Addis Ababa University (AAU).

The backdrop to the discussion is stark. According to UNESCO and national education data, Ethiopia has one of the largest student populations in Africa, with over 27 million learners enrolled across all levels of education as of 2023. Yet despite ambitious reforms and heavy investment, including the Digital Education Strategy and SchoolNet initiatives, many decisions still rely on estimates, outdated surveys, or disconnected data points. 

“In a country where millions pass through the education system each year, we still lack a clear, dynamic picture of who is learning what, where, and how,” said Idossa. “It’s not just about having data; it’s about providing context and making it usable.” 

For many institutions, the problem isn’t just the absence of data but the fragmentation of what little exists. Ministries and regional bureaus often report conflicting figures. School-level data is still collected manually in most parts of the country, leading to time lags and transcription errors. A 2024 report found that only 25% of Ethiopian schools had internet access, and merely 16% of primary school classrooms had computers, while rural areas were heavily affected by weak internet, electricity shortages, and a lack of digital infrastructure factors that push manual record keeping. 

This information vacuum makes planning difficult. When asked to identify schools with the most severe teacher shortages, the most under-resourced regions, or areas with high dropout rates, officials often resort to anecdotal evidence. The result is inefficient resource allocation, redundant investments, and policies that fail to reach those most in need. 

“We intervene, we fail, we spend time again, and we repeat the cycle,” said Idossa. “Why? Because we didn’t have reliable data to begin with.”

While Abraham emphasized that data is not just a policy tool but a social contract. “It forms the feedback loop between teachers, students, and parents. Teachers educate, students absorb, and parents observe. This loop defines how we evaluate success or failure. Without data, the loop breaks down.” 

The conversation then turned to equity, with Tewodros highlighting how missing data disproportionately impacts Ethiopia’s most disadvantaged learners.

“In today’s education landscape, data is currency. Without it, groups like girls in rural areas, and students with disabilities remain invisible,” he said. “Reverse discrimination happens when those who need the most help don’t show up in the data.” 

His remarks point to a deeper problem: without granular, disaggregated data, even well-intentioned reforms risk excluding entire populations. This invisibility is not theoretical. For instance, despite gender parity gains in primary school enrollment where the 2023 Ministry of Education Annual Statistical Bulletin reported a near-equal net enrollment rate for boys (95.2%) and girls (94.7%) in grades 1–8 girls continue to drop out at higher rates during secondary education. According to the same report, the dropout rate for girls in lower secondary school (grades 9–10) was 10.4%, compared to 7.1% for boys. This trend often goes untracked or underreported due to poor monitoring systems and the lack of real-time, disaggregated data, making it difficult to design interventions that effectively address the needs of at-risk groups.

“We need systems that can identify student needs in real time, pinpoint gaps, and distribute support equitably.” 

There are ongoing efforts to address these challenges. The Ministry of Education is rolling out the Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS), which aims to standardize data collection at the university level. Other platforms, such as the Teacher Development Management System (TDMS) and various regional Education Management Information Systems (EMIS), have also been piloted.

However, these efforts face structural limitations. As Abraham noted, most platforms operate in silos. “They rarely talk to each other. There is no unified national data framework. As a result, we waste resources duplicating efforts,” he said.

This disjointed approach often leads to costly consequences. Idossa shared a case in point where a public university spent over 40 million birr to build a tech lab, unaware that a similar facility had already been constructed by another public agency nearby. “No one is sharing data,” he said. “We’re duplicating efforts, wasting resources, and hurting the system.”

Abraham warned that the issue is not technical but political. “Data is power. That’s why institutions compete instead of collaborating everyone wants control, but when we compete, the students lose.” 

In 2024, the House of People’s Representatives ratified a proclamation aimed at improving public-private collaboration in the education sector, including data sharing protocols. While the move is promising, panelists noted that legislation alone won’t solve entrenched silos. 

"Policies must be accompanied by platforms, protocols, and political will," said Idossa. "Otherwise, we’re just adding another document to the shelf." 

As Ethiopia pushes for EdTech solutions and digital education platforms, the need for trustworthy, interoperable data becomes even more pressing. UNESCO estimates that globally, countries with robust EMIS systems spend 30% more efficiently on education and are 50% more likely to achieve education equity goals. 

The program concluded with a collective call for cultural change. Data must be recognized as a national asset not just a technical input, but a foundation for trust, accountability, and informed action.