According to Education Minister Berhanu Nega, the latest exam results are “shocking” because only 3% of Ethiopian school leavers have earned good enough grades to attend university.
No exams were held in Tigray, a war-torn region where the federal government has not provided education for two years.
There was also debate about the timing of final exams for students living in areas heavily impacted by the country’s civil war in the north, including Amhara, where 12,000 students reportedly staged a walkout.
Because previous exams in Ethiopia were marred by cheating and fraud, they were held under strict supervision in universities across the country last October.
Mr. Berhanu stated that a new procedure will be implemented to get more students into universities through re-examinations in subjects with lower scores.
