Practices and challenges in accessing Preschool education in tigray regional State of Ethiopia: the case of Mekelle zone
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Date
2009-02
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Addis ababa univeresty
Abstract
The main purpose o[ the study was to investigate the current status and practice of preschool
education in Mekelle. Moreover, it aimed at identifYing the major bOllle necks that hindered the
promotion of preschool education and provide recommendations that could alleviate the
problems.
Mixed research designed was used in dealing with the research where the
quantitative data gathered through questionnaire were triangulated with data gathered through
in-depth interview with educational authorities in Tigray Education Bureau and Mekelle Zone
Education office. To investigate the current status o[preschool education documents from the
TREBIEMIS were used and gross enrollment rate and net enrollment rate calculated The results
o[ the analysis showed that more than two third of the children in Mekelle did not have the
opportunity to preschools in the city. Among the existing preschool institutions in the town
96.4% of them were owned by private investors, NGGs and religious organizations where they
charge tuitionfees which are not ajjordable[or most o[the parents in city. It was also found that
the zonal education office is taking alternative strategies called "O-class " in the premises of the
formal primary schools to age six children ji-om the poor family to prepare them for the formal
schooling. The main bottlenecks in promoting preschool education according to the result of the
research were more of economic i.e. house hold poverty and family size., lack of awareness on
the value of preschool education and child right, shortage of facilities, lack of coordination
among the stakeholders, shortage of public investment contributed to the low participation rate
of preschool education in Mekelle. To alleviate the problems and promote preschool education
feasible suggestions are forwarded.
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Keywords
Education