National Examinations Show Notable Academic Recovery and Declining Zero-Pass Schools, Though Regional Conflicts Keep Millions Out of School
By Staff Writer
(NAIROBI, KENYA) — According to Borkena investigations, Ethiopia’s Grade 12 National Examination has recorded a sharp decline of nearly 300,000 examinees over the past five years, alongside a notable improvement in student pass rates.
Out of 550,210 students who sat for the 2025/26 university entrance examinations, 12.8 percent—totalling over 70,000 students—achieved the 50 percent passing mark required for direct university admission. While 87 percent of examinees failed to qualify directly, the pass rate marks a significant recovery compared to earlier national performance levels.
Data reveals a steady drop in overall student participation over recent academic cycles:
- 2021/22 Academic Year: Over 890,000 students sat for the national exam, which yielded a record-low pass rate of just 3.2 percent.
- Middle Cycles: Examinee numbers fell sharply—dropping by over 165,000 candidates between subsequent cycles, followed by a further decline of approximately 100,000 candidates into the following testing cycle.
- 2025/26 Academic Year: Examinee volume stabilized at 550,210 students, reflecting a net reduction of roughly 300,000 candidates relative to earlier levels.
Targeted structural reforms and reduced political interference in local school administration have begun driving tangible performance improvements across secondary institutions:
- Zero-Pass Schools Halved: According to Borkena investigations and research, the number of secondary schools failing to produce a single passing student dropped from 1,232 in the previous year to 565. Over 700 schools saw at least one student pass.
- Top-Performing Schools: Secondary institutions achieving a 100 percent pass rate rose from 62 in the previous cycle to 88.
- Specialized Performance: Boarding schools registered strong academic output, prompting plans to expand public boarding school admissions nationwide.
- Digital Testing Transition: Sixty percent of candidates sat for their exams using computers, with plans to transition to a fully digitized, online testing system in the upcoming national exam cycle.
The implementation of centralized university testing initially faced public scrutiny and political pushback—including early critiques regarding the logistical burden of mass student gatherings at public university campuses. However, as Borkena research reveals, recent parliamentary evaluations marked a shift toward praising the standardized testing measures for restoring academic integrity.
To address historic pass-rate shortfalls, educational authorities introduced a university “remedial” program, enrolling nearly 100,000 conditionally eligible students annually into a dedicated one-semester preparatory track. As Borkena confirmed, with direct university admissions rising to 70,544 students, authorities confirmed plans to reduce the overall intake capacity for the remedial program moving forward.
Despite these positive academic trends, officials warned that millions of children across various regional states remain out of school due to ongoing localized security conflicts and drought conditions.
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