This factsheet sets out headline findings on education and learning from Round 7 of the Young Lives survey in Ethiopia, carried out in 2023–24 when the Younger Cohort was 22 years old and the Older Cohort was 29.  It outlines changes in education and learning over time by comparing the Younger Cohort at age 22 with the Older Cohort at the same age in 2016, and exploring the Younger Cohort's progression from age 15 to 22.  The headlines on education and learning in Ethiopia are: 

• Completion rates for primary (Grade 8) and lower secondary school (Grade 10) have remained the same across the two cohorts.
• The Younger Cohort are progressing faster through the school system than the Older Cohort and upper secondary (Grade 12) completion rate has increased.
• Despite improvements in upper secondary completion, tertiary education enrolment and completion have declined.
• Prolonged school and university closures and disruptions caused by conflict are associated with worsened education outcomes.
• Early life inequalities significantly predict lower grade completion and slower grade progression.
• Cross cohort comparison shows internet usage has increased, while computer usage has remained the same.
• Improvements in grade progression do not necessarily translate into better reading skills during young adulthood.
• Progress in education falls short of the Ethiopian government targets set out in Education Sector Development Programme VI (ESDP VI).

This factsheet is one of a series sharing headline findings from Round 7.  In addition to education and learning, there are factsheets on health, nutrition and well-being, and work and family lives  in Ethiopia, India and Peru.  You can access all the factsheets on our publications page.