Education Projects in Ethiopia: are they democratic? A case study on Official Development Assistance

Abstract: It would be difficult to argue that an uneducated society in today’s world would persevere beyond that of an educated; education has become an essential key to survival. It has been considered “a foundational driver of development which furthermore helps create self-reliance, economic growth, direction to better health and even democratic societies” (Usaid.gov, 2019). If one considers that claim alone, it is no wonder the developing world’s education system lives in such peril. So, where is the helping hand and what is being done? Having become a top priority amongst international donor agencies in development projects, achieving quality education is officially the next step after increasing access to education. As a curious student in development studies, I am taking this opportunity to research one of the widely mentioned nations, Ethiopia, to discover the democratic extent of development projects and what the goal of achieving quality education has become in the arena of foreign aid and education projects. I have chosen to appeal through a democratic lens, and qualitatively analyzed education projects implemented by JICA and DFID in such a manner.