The 1995 Constitution of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia redesigned the new country’s federal structure according to ethnic lines and formally guaranteed the right of self-determination for every Ethiopian ethnocultural group. But not all the ethnic communities were allowed to administer their own state-region and, furthermore, to exercise the right of self-determination. This is the case of the Sidama ethnocultural group which, after two attempts, one of that failed and one still in progress, does not have the opportunity to exercise political autonomy over an own territorial region. The Sidama self- determination process’ evolution and their race to a political and regional autonomy represent a systemic gap within the federal model acquired in 1991, a contradiction between the federal rule of law and the pressures of a government that acts as if it were in power of a unitary and centralized state. Following this relevant issue at the core of this federal prototype’s assumption, this thesis aims to analyse if ethnic federalism formula could guarantee equal rights and freedom to all the Nations, Nationalities and Peoples of Ethiopia and could provide a solution to face the Ethiopian ethnocultural groups’ requests of self-determination. The still ongoing process of self-determination demanded by the Sidama people will be a fundamental element to study and to evaluate the Ethiopian federal model and its impact on the ethnonationalist claims.

The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of the school community with regard to the outcomes of a school improvement program (SIP) on the effectiveness of Sidama Zone schools. It was primarily a qualitative study, which explored the experiences of the school community with regard to the outcomes of the SIP. Four schools were purposefully selected. The data were collected by means of interviews, focus-group discussions, observations and relevant documents, and analyzed focusing on thematic categories. The findings indicated that in schools where there existed a strong collaboration of the school community in the planning, decision-making, monitoring and evaluation processes, the improvement initiatives were owned by all in the school and the performance of the schools was enhanced. On the other hand, the lack of collaboration in the school community negatively affected the performance of those schools. Besides, in all the schools the CPD was challenged by the resistance of the teachers, the lack of resources and poor implementation strategies. It also became apparent that the teachers' commitment to support each other and their students, to implement active learning methods and continuous assessment contributed to the effectiveness of the better-performing schools. Findings further revealed that to the contrary, these actions were loosely implemented in the poorly-performing schools. Though the peer learning approach was implemented, it became evident that there were mixed views regarding its benefits. The availability of the necessary facilities created an environment conducive to learning in schools one and three. Although there were attempts to implement extra-curricular activities for the social and emotional development of the students, its implementation was negatively affected by a lack of coordination and resources in the schools. In the poorly-performing schools, the school environment was found not to be conducive to teaching and learning. In the better-performing schools, the feedback from the school community was used as an input to make adjustments to the improvement process, and this created a feeling of ownership that led to the effectiveness of the schools. The outcomes of the study indicated that the promotion-rate of the students to the following grade was considered as a measure of the effectiveness of the schools. Conversely, the lack of proper participation of the school community in the school’s affairs, the lack of proper leadership support, the teachers’ resistance to participate in CPD, the non-existence of training opportunities and workshops for the teachers, and the shortage of resources were reported as challenges. From the findings it has been concluded that the SIP has contributed to school effectiveness in the schools that have properly managed the change process as opposed to those schools which remained poorly performing due to low level of SIP implementation. Finally, monitoring the SIP cycles, building trust between the principals and the teachers, creating a link between the schools and other institutions, introducing recognition mechanisms, and providing support to the poorly-performing schools were indicated as strategies to enhance the effectiveness of the school. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

This MA Report explains the impact coffee cooperatives are having on the Ethiopian coffee industry. It analyses how the current multi-billion dollar global coffee industry began in what remains one of the world’s poorest countries, where arabica coffee was discovered sometime before the sixth century. It explains the emergence of coffee cooperatives historically, as well as their present role offering an alternative to the country’s previous reliance on the assistance of Western nongovernmental organizations with their possible negative impact, including arguments they enforced a dependency on Ethiopia that impeded the country’s development. In discussing coffee buyers and coffee consumption, the report focuses on America, although the same points made apply to the vast majority of Western countries. The report investigates whether cooperatives offer a business model sufficient to achieve self-sustainability for Ethiopian coffee farmers, and discusses how the interaction between and among cooperatives, unions, the Ethiopian government, and specialty coffee buyers in America is enabling Ethiopian coffee to increase its leverage on the international coffee market, generating essential income for the struggling Ethiopian economy. The report focuses on the following areas: the connection between poverty and linkage to markets; how coffee travels from smallholding farmers in Ethiopia to be sold in American cities like Austin, Texas; the emergence of certification systems like Fair Trade to protect farmers and ensure they receive a fair price for their produce, as well as the chain of commerce that Fair Trade is part of; the quality and characteristics of Ethiopian coffee; and whether cooperatives and unions can remain true to the original goals of serving their farmer members—not turning into purely profit-orientated businesses. While this report focuses on Ethiopia, it dissects and debates economic trends that usually affect developing nations producing coffee. It explores the logistics and ethics of prices paid in the West for coffee from developing countries like Ethiopia. The report ultimately aims to enlighten readers so they’re able to make an ethical purchase of a good quality coffee, while aware of the myriad factors and trends affecting the international coffee market. / text

Bamboo is an abundant resource in Ethiopia and has a great potential for commercialization, which can drive rural development. In view of these realities, this study analyzed the state and determinants of small-scale bamboo commercialization in Ethiopia. Data were collected from three major bamboo-growing districts (Awi, Sidama, and Sheka) and four urban centers (Masha, Hawassa, Bahir Dar, and Addis Ababa) via semi-structured interviews, group discussions, and questionnaire surveys with key actors along the value chain. Results revealed distinctive differences in proportion of cash income, value chain structure, and management engagement among the districts. Percentages of cash income were 60.15, 42.60, and 9.48 at Awi, Sidam, and Sheka, respectively. Differences were statistically significant between Sheka and both other districts (p = 0.05), but not between Awi and Sidama. The value chain structure showed that compared with Sheka, Awi and Sidama have a relatively large number of actors involved. The major factors explaining commercialization differences among regions were distance to market and presence of alternative forest products. Within Sheka, households with larger family size, higher education attainment, and access to training reportedly engaged more in commercial extraction. Therefore, we conclude that development of infrastructure for linking resource and consumer centers and expansion of extension education among producers may enhance the commercial engagement of producers and improve the accessibility of bamboo resources for commercial production.

The purpose of the study was to explore the experiences of the school community with regard to the outcomes of a school improvement program (SIP) on the effectiveness of Sidama Zone schools. It was primarily a qualitative study, which explored the experiences of the school community with regard to the outcomes of the SIP. Four schools were purposefully selected. The data were collected by means of interviews, focus-group discussions, observations and relevant documents, and analyzed focusing on thematic categories. The findings indicated that in schools where there existed a strong collaboration of the school community in the planning, decision-making, monitoring and evaluation processes, the improvement initiatives were owned by all in the school and the performance of the schools was enhanced. On the other hand, the lack of collaboration in the school community negatively affected the performance of those schools. Besides, in all the schools the CPD was challenged by the resistance of the teachers, the lack of resources and poor implementation strategies. It also became apparent that the teachers' commitment to support each other and their students, to implement active learning methods and continuous assessment contributed to the effectiveness of the better-performing schools. Findings further revealed that to the contrary, these actions were loosely implemented in the poorly-performing schools. Though the peer learning approach was implemented, it became evident that there were mixed views regarding its benefits. The availability of the necessary facilities created an environment conducive to learning in schools one and three. Although there were attempts to implement extra-curricular activities for the social and emotional development of the students, its implementation was negatively affected by a lack of coordination and resources in the schools. In the poorly-performing schools, the school environment was found not to be conducive to teaching and learning. In the better-performing schools, the feedback from the school community was used as an input to make adjustments to the improvement process, and this created a feeling of ownership that led to the effectiveness of the schools. The outcomes of the study indicated that the promotion-rate of the students to the following grade was considered as a measure of the effectiveness of the schools. Conversely, the lack of proper participation of the school community in the school’s affairs, the lack of proper leadership support, the teachers’ resistance to participate in CPD, the non-existence of training opportunities and workshops for the teachers, and the shortage of resources were reported as challenges. From the findings it has been concluded that the SIP has contributed to school effectiveness in the schools that have properly managed the change process as opposed to those schools which remained poorly performing due to low level of SIP implementation. Finally, monitoring the SIP cycles, building trust between the principals and the teachers, creating a link between the schools and other institutions, introducing recognition mechanisms, and providing support to the poorly-performing schools were indicated as strategies to enhance the effectiveness of the school. / Educational Leadership and Management / D. Ed. (Education Management)

Bamboo is an abundant resource in Ethiopia and has a great potential for commercialization, which can drive rural development. In view of these realities, this study analyzed the state and determinants of small-scale bamboo commercialization in Ethiopia. Data were collected from three major bamboo-growing districts (Awi, Sidama, and Sheka) and four urban centers (Masha, Hawassa, Bahir Dar, and Addis Ababa) via semi-structured interviews, group discussions, and questionnaire surveys with key actors along the value chain. Results revealed distinctive differences in proportion of cash income, value chain structure, and management engagement among the districts. Percentages of cash income were 60.15, 42.60, and 9.48 at Awi, Sidam, and Sheka, respectively. Differences were statistically significant between Sheka and both other districts (p = 0.05), but not between Awi and Sidama. The value chain structure showed that compared with Sheka, Awi and Sidama have a relatively large number of actors involved. The major factors explaining commercialization differences among regions were distance to market and presence of alternative forest products. Within Sheka, households with larger family size, higher education attainment, and access to training reportedly engaged more in commercial extraction. Therefore, we conclude that development of infrastructure for linking resource and consumer centers and expansion of extension education among producers may enhance the commercial engagement of producers and improve the accessibility of bamboo resources for commercial production.

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