The Politics of Language of Education in Ethiopia

This article examines the politics of language of education in a multinational federal system, highlighting its role as a persistent site of political contestation. Drawing on legal texts, interviews, and secondary sources, it explores why the language of instruction remains a contentious issue despite constitutional guarantees of mother-tongue education in Ethiopia. While Ethiopia has made notable progress, shifting from exclusive use of Amharic to incorporating over 50 local languages in primary education, implementation remains uneven, particularly in multilingual regions. These regions face the dual challenge of fulfilling linguistic rights for diverse ethnic groups while navigating institutional constraints, resource shortages, interethnic tensions, and political resistance. Federal initiatives to promote national unity, particularly the introduction of Amharic as a subject from grade one, have often provoked regional backlash, revealing deep tensions between centralization and regional autonomy. The article argues that the politicization of language policy is rooted in historical hierarchies, the symbolic power of language, and the ongoing struggle within Ethiopia’s federal structure to balance unity and diversity. These dynamics offer broader insights into the challenges of managing linguistic pluralism in multiethnic federations.<br/><br/><br/>