By: Getahun Tsegaye
Staff Reporter
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Many parents in Addis Ababa are expressing deep concern that educating their children at private schools will become unattainable and unaffordable in the coming academic years. This follows a recent announcement by the Addis Ababa City Administration Education and Training Quality Control Authority, allowing private schools to increase monthly payments by 40% to 65% over last year’s fees.
According to a letter from the Authority that Borkena examined, private schools from kindergarten through high school were divided into levels two through four, each with a maximum increase. For example, a Level 2 KG school may increase tuition by up to 45%, a Level 3 school by up to 50%, and a Level 4 school by up to 55%.
Borkena contacted the Addis Ababa Education Bureau for clarification on the basis of these increments. The Bureau stated it was not within their mandate and referred inquiries to the Addis Ababa City Administration Education and Training Quality Control Authority, which they said was responsible for price adjustments. Repeated attempts to get comments from the Authority were unsuccessful.
Samrawit, a housemaid, whose daughter will be starting fifth grade next year, told Borkena that she is worried about her ability to pay the higher wages. A 45% raise is allowed at her daughter’s Level 2 school in Lemi Kura Sub-city. Previously paying 2,000 Ethiopian Birr, Samrawit now anticipates paying about 2,900 Birr.
She complained, “It’s going to be tough to afford such a price,” adding that her younger toddler, who will soon be ready for KG, makes matters worse. A 50% raise was granted to a Level 3 nearby kindergarten that she was considering for her son. This implies that the 1,800 Birr fee from the previous year will increase by 810 Birr to about 2,610 Birr. She grumbled, “I have to consider sending both of my children to the government school if there is room, as the majority of my neighbors are also considering sending their children there.”
Borkena also heard Demsew’s worries as a government employee. He has a son entering Grade 10 and he and his spouse work for the government. By operating a small side business after work, they had been able to pay for his private education. They don’t think they can afford the new fees, though, because their son’s school is a Level 3 institution that is eligible for a 60% increase. They used to pay about 2,600 Birr, but now they anticipate paying an astounding 4,160 Birr, which is a 1,560 Birr increase. They bemoaned, “We’ll send him to a government school because he has competitive skills and knowledge.”
Borkena also interviewed teachers and owners of private schools. While acknowledging the strain on parents, one anonymous school owner described the increase as a “relief” and a “blessing in disguise” for educational institutions. “We’ve been having trouble paying the school rent and barely making ends meet for the past couple of years,” he stated. After the price adjustment, he continued, his school intends to raise staff salaries. This was corroborated by a private school teacher who claimed that during recent staff meetings, owners and administration had subtly promised pay raises.
An independent Addis Ababa-based economist, speaking anonymously, told Borkena that individuals with fixed incomes, especially government employees who haven’t received salary increments in years, will be the hardest hit by these price adjustments. “It’s going to be very tough for them and they would have to rethink where they should take their kids to attend school,” he added.
The Addis Ababa City Administration Education and Training Quality Control Authority’s announcement, however, limits these increments to only qualified schools. The statement explicitly states that “any educational institution that has increased service fees one year before the issuance of this regulation cannot increase service fees for two years from the date of the previous price increase.”
Furthermore, the Authority has banned schools that have not established a Parent, Student-Teachers Union, which is common in Ethiopia and authorized to make decisions regarding price adjustments or teaching-learning mandates. The Authority also prohibits fee increases for schools that were given Level 1 standards or were on warning following its evaluation. “A Level 1 educational institution that has been given a warning cannot increase educational service fees,” the letter stated.
Ethiopian families are suffering greatly as a result of the growing cost of living, especially in cities like Addis Ababa. Every September, when the new academic year starts (in Ethiopia, the academic year normally lasts from September to July), parents and guardians frequently face significant financial strain. One of the main causes of this stress is the steadily rising cost of school supplies; this year’s price increases are particularly sharp, making these costs “way out of hand” for many families.
The Employers Association and the regulatory authority reports indicate that almost 72% of private schools in Addis Ababa occupy rented buildings. These premises were not designed for educational use, frequently fall short of school comfort standards, and are consistently affected by increasing rental costs, a challenge faced from both regulatory bodies and private lessors.
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