Education Reforms Set to Produce Morally Upright, Scientifically Capable Generation: Minister

Addis Ababa, September 14, 2026 (ENA) — Ethiopia’s ongoing education reforms are laying the foundation for a generation that is morally upright, scientifically capable, and equipped to compete in an increasingly challenging global environment, Education Minister Prof. Berhanu Nega said.

Speaking to ENA, Prof. Berhanu said the central objective of the reforms is to provide high-quality, equitable education for Ethiopians and prepare the younger generation to confront future challenges and compete with the rest of the world.

“Our purpose is quality—significant quality improvement and equity—to make sure that the gap between the rich and the poor in education, which has widened significantly over the last 30 or so years, will be narrowed.”

The Minister noted that the government is taking a range of measures to achieve these objectives, including improving teacher quality, expanding access to school supplies, increasing kindergarten services, and upgrading school infrastructure.

He stated that kindergarten education, which was previously more accessible to wealthy families in urban areas, is now being expanded to reach a broader section of the population.

The government is also investing in school infrastructure to create learning environments that are more attractive and conducive to students, he added.

Prof. Berhanu elaborated that curriculum reform is another major component of the education transformation, aimed at improving students’ knowledge and academic capabilities, as well as developing their moral character and sense of responsibility toward society.

The revised curriculum is intended to produce citizens who are “morally upright, intellectually capable, and technically astute,” he noted.

He pointed out that the reforms are also designed to prepare Ethiopian students for a rapidly changing world marked by geopolitical tensions, technological advances, and other emerging global challenges.

The Minister emphasized that the desired generation should be scientifically and technically capable, with an understanding of technological change and how the planet operates, while also possessing the skills to translate knowledge into practical achievements in the economy and other areas of life.

“We want to make sure that in the education sector we have cultivated a sufficient number of Ethiopian children—the next generation—who are capable of withstanding all that we think is emerging,” he explained.

He underscored that the generation Ethiopia seeks to develop should think beyond individual interests and contribute to the wider society.

“What we want from the coming generation is moral uprightness—a generation that thinks not just for itself, but also for the society in which it lives,” he stated, underlining that this is the kind of holistic generation that Ethiopia wants to create.