Abstract
Integrating quality with access is a main challenge globally, notably in low income countries such as Ethiopia. The government in Ethiopia has put a special emphasis on addressing issues of quality of education and is supported in its efforts by international agencies, including Save the Children (SC). This study examines quality improvement efforts in early primary education in public primary schools supported by SC in Ethiopia. It has two general objectives: to examine the similarities and differences of SC supported schools in two regions in Ethiopia, namely Amhara and Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples Region (SNNPR) based on Save the Children Norway (SCN) Quality Learning Environment (QLE) and student literacy raw data. It further explores the particular factors contributing to a positive learning environment in the three best performing schools based on their QLE results. The study employs a mixed method design combining quantitative and qualitative data, but gives more weight to the qualitative findings. Data were collected from the 2015 SCN dataset, interviewees and participant observations. The findings show that schools in the Amhara region are better in terms of the quality of the learning environment than schools in the SNNP region. The length of time for SC intervention matters for the schools' quality of the learning environment. Schools that achieved the four QLE guiding principles for a quality learning environment have a higher literacy score than schools that did not achieve them. Particular factors contributed to the quality of the learning environment in the three schools with some differences across them. The factors are pedagogic processes, teacher motivation, special needs education, textbooks for each subject and other learning materials, the use of the mother tongue and the code of conduct, school, parent and community link, and basic school infrastructure and teacher training. Factors that, to different degrees, negatively affected the quality of education in the schools were lack of basic school infrastructure, access to clean water and toilets, and teacher shortages. The findings of the study are understood based on the three quality concepts of social justice theory: inclusion, relevance and democracy. Understood in this way, the findings have implications for SC and the Ethiopian Ministry of Education (MOE). In contrast to the inclusion dimension, basic school infrastructure and teacher motivation are not particularly emphasized in SC's QLE framework. Similarly, teacher motivation, special needs education, access to clean water and toilet facilities and menstrual hygiene products are not addressed in the MOE understanding of quality. In contrast to the relevance dimension, relevance to national education goals is not stressed in QLE. Contrary to the democracy dimension, the use of code of conduct in schools is not included in the MOE understanding of quality.