WHERE INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE IS BEYOND MODERNITY: AN EXPERIENCE

FROM THE ETHIOPIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH TRADITIONAL ADULT

EDUCATION PRACTICES, ETHIOPIA

Mengesha Robso
Corresponding Author: Mengesha Robso
[email protected]
Senior Lecturer, Department of History and Heritage Management, Bule Hora University, Bule Hora, Ethiopia

Keywords: Ethiopian Orthodox Church traditional curricula, indigenous church education,

modern education, ye'abinet traditional adult schools.

Abstract: This research paper is intended to assess Indigenous/Traditional Church Education

Practices and their Implications on Modern Education. The research attempts to evaluate the
unique features of indigenous/traditional Orthodox Church education in light of modern
education, the teaching and learning methods in the traditional schools of the ancient Ethiopian
Orthodox Church (EOC). Ethiopian Orthodox Church school‟s curriculum and its ways of
provision, assessment, code of conduct, methodology and the livelihood of Ye’qolo Temari
[followers of traditional school] in Ye'abinet Timhirt Bet [Orthodox church indigenous adult
school]; and finally the contribution of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC) to the
development of Ye’qolo temari [adult education] and modern education.. In this research,
qualitative research approach is firmly used, and both primary and secondary data sources are
also utilized. The findings revealed that, native age old church schools played a significant role
in the development of adult education; and have also a good implication on the improvement of
modern education qualities in Ethiopia.

Introduction
Overview of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and Its Traditional Education
Indigenous knowledge can be referred to with various names such as indigenous knowledge of
knowing, traditional knowledge, rural knowledge as well as ethno science (Mapara, 2009, p.7).
Indigenous knowledge is therefore generated by a particular society within a geographical area
and transmitted from one generation to another in order to provide solutions to the existing
problems of that time. Likewise, the indigenous knowledge is also known as traditional
knowledge. It refers to the practical experiences originated from a given community and
sustained for a long period of time.
According to Gadgil (1993, p.13-14), traditionally, the church and the mosque were the
institutions that provided education long before the introduction of modern schools into Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church developed and spread a system of learning in ancient Geez
language and later on in Amharic.
The traditional Islamic education also was introduced in Ethiopia during the 7th century which,
was attached to and promoted by the religious houses of Islam and had a parallel function in
spreading the reading and writing of the Arabic language, the study of Islamic philosophy, law
and obviously the teachings of the Qora’an [the holy book for Muslims] (MOE, 1994, p.19).

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If we examine the question that, when Christianity was introduced in Ethiopia, a scholarly debate
was concomitant with it; for instance, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church claims that Christianity
was introduced to the church in the middle of the 1stcentury. However, according to the book
published by the church while celebrating the Ethiopian Millennium, it was stated that the
introduction of Christianity dates back to the first half of the first century (History EOC, 2000
p.15). On the other hand, Bahru Zewde (1998, 34) mentioned that the introduction of Christianity
first took place in Ethiopia in the 4thc during the reign of the Aksumite Kingdom. He argues
based on archeological and documentary evidence that can ascertain the coming of Christian
religion to the ruling class. However, nothing is mentioned regarding the status of the religion
during former periods (Bahru, 1998, p. 34).
In this regard, Lule Melaku (2008, p.42) shares the position of BahruZewdie (1998, p. 34)
concerning the introduction of Christianity to the ruling class so it has begun as a state religion.
However, unlike the latter, the former argues that, "Although Christianity became the official
religion of the Aksumite kingdom of King Ezana in the 4th century, it had been known in
Ethiopia since much earlier time" (Lule, 2008, p.42).
In his book called, "Ethiopia: A New Political History", he states that: "knowledge of the
Christian faith must have reached Ethiopia very early on, as soon, in fact, as it began to spread
through the Middle East" (Richard, 1962, p. 20).
Accordingly, there is a difference in the literature concerning the time of the introduction of
Christianity. However, most of them agree that, in the first half of the 4th century, Christianity
was introduced to the leaders of the Aksum Kingdom and Ezana was the first Aksumite King to
embrace Christianity.
The commercial links/connections with the Greco-Roman world, in which the Aksum kingdom
played an active role, is/ can be considered as a leading factor / agent for the introduction of
Christianity in the country (Bahru, 1998, p.34). Syrian boys, Aedisius and Frumenties, who were
shipwreck victims, were captured, brought to court as slaves and put to work by Emperor Ella
Amida. Over the years, their reliability, especially the Frumenties‟ wisdom as royal secretary
earned them the sympathy (Marcus, 1994, p.17). After the death of Ella Amida, his widows
asked those slaves to remain in the palace in the advisory position until her infant son, Ezana,
was capable enough to take over the throne. Later on, Frumenties went to Egypt to St.
Athanasius, who was the Bishop of Alexandria, and came back as the first archbishop of the
country after consecrated by him (Tekeste, 2006, p.20).
The 5th century witnessed the spread of Christianity to the mass of the people in the country
(Bahru, 1998, p.34). The main reason for this spread out was the arrival of several Christian
monks (also known as the nine saints) from the Byzantine Empire and neighboring regions
during the reign of king Alameda over the Aksumites (Tekeste, 2006, p.22).
Around the year 480 A.D., the nine saints arrived in Ethiopia and they were warmly accepted by
the local government. They were also granted the privilege to live in a peaceful environment
(Lule 2008, p.73).

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The famous historian Harold G. Marcus (1994) refers to/ describes this comfortable welcoming
of the nine monks as "Safe Heaven" (Marcus, 1994, p.8).
These nine monks came to Ethiopia after having a period of monastic training in Egypt. After
arriving in Aksum, they also studied Ge'ez language in the Bete Kehinet [Church training rooms]
as well as regarding the people and customs of the country for twelve years (Lule, 2008, p.74).
After all the trainings, the church sent those monks to the countryside to teach the Gospel.
During this time, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church enjoyed the translation of spiritual books,
establishment of churches, and formation of strong temples like that of Debre Damo and other
sacred places. The period that stretches from the 5th century up to the 13thc is considered as a
golden age in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church history since it exhibits the founding of indigenous
church schools and monasteries in Ethiopia (History of EOC, 2000, p.18).
Because of the revival in Ge‟ez literature, the introduction of several spiritual documents, the
construction of many beautiful monolithic churches and the translation of different literature into
Ge‟ez language were some of the major activities of the period (Bahru, 1998, p.55). Mainly the
rise of few brilliants indigenous church scholars was also considered as a main phenomenon
throughout these centuries, from the well-known traditional scholars like Atse Zerayakob, Aba
Eyesus Moa and his famous student Abune Tekle Haymanot played a great role to the revival of
Geez (Lule, 1986, p.130-131).
Around the 16th century, the expansion of the Muslim sultanate to the highland of Ethiopia led by
Imam Ahmed Ibn Ibrahim Al-Ghazi, the Ethiopian nicknamed Gragn [literally the left handed]
was the main political factor that negatively affected the education emitted by Christian churches
(Greenfield, 1965, p.41). The 17th century introduced a new Christian denomination, which is
Catholicism, to the existing Ethiopian Orthodox Christians. This introduction was well-organized
and these Jesuit missionaries were trained in the Ethiopian language and culture in a school
known as "the Ethiopian College" in the Vatican before their coming to Ethiopia (Tekeste, 2006,
p.22).
Between the 17th century and the 19thcentury, despite the challenges from the church and its
believers, the Ethiopian Orthodox Traditional Church schools enjoyed a high level of spiritual
literature translation of spiritual documents and the flourishing of philosophical poetry called
Qene [poetry] (History EOC, 2000, p.23).
Likewise, around 1850s with the coming of Emperor Tewodros II to power, EOC appointed
native Ethiopian Orthodox scholars to be Patriarchate than of importing from Egypt of
Alexandria. So the middle of the 20thcentury witnessed the independence of the Ethiopian
Orthodox Indigenous Church from the Egyptian Coptic church with regard to the appointment of
the patriarchate. This was a good milestone in order. However, the introduction of formal
modern education at the beginning of the 20th century started to substitute the indigenous church
adult education (in EOC traditional instruction the only attendants of school was boys) and
suppress its progress in significant way (Lule, 2008, p. 42).
The more recent phenomena of modern (European) education could be considered as a break in
the continuity of these traditional education systems. The introduction of modern education into

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Ethiopia mainly at 1908, on the onset, was not at all welcomed with enthusiasm by the clergy,
scholars of native church schools as well as by the aristocracy. That was due to the fear and
doubt that modern education could serve as a vehicle for the penetration of alien religion
(Seyoum, 1996, p.11). However; Emperor Menilik wisely overcame the challenges and laid the
foundation to expand modern education in the nation (Richard, 1962, p.20).
As a result, through time, the opposition of the church to modern education had remarkably
diminished (Tekeste 1990, p.53).
Lastly, the indigenous church adult education had a lasting effect on the political social and
cultural conditions which had, in turn, influenced the education system of the country until 1974.
According to Adane (a liberal writer of Ethiopian History and narrations) (1993, p.42), the
religious and secular lives in Ethiopia were inseparable; the church dominated all the day-to- day
activities of the people in the country. And obviously this had an adverse effect on the growth
and development of the education of the existing religious factions (Catholic, Protestant)
(Woube, 2004, p.16).
Studies about modern education and schools indicates that, particularly its curriculum
organization, pedagogical principles, teacher and student profiles have been insufficient
compared to that of the Indigenous Orthodox Church adult education (Richard, 1962, p.20).
Yet, for Luel (1986, p.131), church education holds the distinction for having established the
oldest surviving system of formal education on the age old 3000 years history of Ethiopia.
It is for these reasons that this study tried to examine and discuss some common educational
practices and their implications for /on the teaching-learning process of modern education.

Material and Methodological Approach

Additionally to secondary sources of data, through techniques of purposive sampling, interviews,
unstructured field observation and focused group discussion were used as tools of primary data
collection. The approaches through which this study was / has been conducted were qualitative
with both Ethnographic-case study and descriptive methods. For scholars, the basic purpose of
ethnographic research is to determine the physical and social environment in which the
individuals the studied groups of individuals live and work.
For instance, Best and Khan (1993:32) stated, in the context/course of their educational research,
that ethnography has been used to study the culture of schools and of the people who visited
them (of schools and its students). Likewise, Kumar (1996:7) argued that, “a descriptive method
also attempts to describe systematically a situation, a phenomenon, and provide enough
information about the living conditions of a community, or describes attitudes and issues”.

Discussion and Result of the Research Findings

The Curriculum of Ethiopian Orthodox Church Indigenous Adult Schools
The Ethiopian Orthodox Church (EOC) has its own designed curriculum, learning methodology
and organized structures which was handed down from one generation to the other (History of

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EOC, 2000, p.55-58). But, in all forms of the instructional methodology, learning by heart or
memorization commonly characterizes the provision of traditional church education. An adult
learner needs is expected to ought to stay more than forty years in Ye'abinet timhrt bet [Orthodox
Church adult school]to complete the church education within /typical of the curriculum of the
Ethiopian Orthodox Church (History of EOC, 2000, p.58).
In this section, the stages of the Ethiopian schooling system, the learning process throughout all
these stages would be discussed. In this regard, the branch of education as per the curriculum of
the Ethiopian Orthodox traditional Church would also be elaborated clearly.
The church had been the main provider of indigenous adult education for centuries and continues
with the development of modern education in the country. Richard (1962, p.361) while
discussing the “Education History of Ethiopia during the Italian fascist occupation (1936-1941)”
in the International Journal of African Studies, he stated that "Traditional education in Ethiopia
prior to the invasion had been in the hands of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, although
European missionaries in the nineteenth and early twenties centuries had taken a number of
young Ethiopians abroad for study (Richard 1962, p.361)”.
Kefyalew (1999, p.52) categorizes the Ethiopian orthodox indigenous church curriculum in to
three major levels as for beginners (for infant or adolescent Christian disciple attendants similar
with primary school educators like grade 1 to 6), the intermediate (high school stage) and for the
intellectuals (college and University stage).

First Stage, for the Beginner (Similar with primary school educators like Grade 1 to 6)
The reading school was the beginning to pursue different branches of the traditional education at
higher schools. Students in each branch of the education at the higher level must pass through the
Nebab Bet [reading school] where the basics of the study were offered. Nebab Bet [reading
class] was the first stage of the traditional education that focused on primary instruction
(Kefyalew, 1999, p.52).
There were three stages in this division of the traditional education namely; Fidel (Alphabets),
Instruction, Drill in the reading of various religious texts and reading of the Psalm of David.
Fidel [alphabet] instruction is the first stage in the traditional education in which children learn
the set of Ge‟ez letters called Fidel. The students learn these letters, by pointing on the letters
kept in order using a straw from left to right, by shouting it loudly and repeatedly so that the
student does not forget the large number of characters in 7 (seven) orders (MOE, 1994, p33). As
Hable (1970) and Kefyalew (1999) argued that, “this oral method of teaching in the first level of
education is called Qutir method [which means learning by counting]” (Hable, 1970; Kefyalew,
1999). Concerning this issue, Richard Pankhrust (1962, p.242) also suggested that, the first stage
of study consisted in the mastery of the alphabet or more properly, syllabus made up of 26 basic
characters, each with seven forms and also the vowels being compound with the consonants that
the learner can easily identifies each letters (Richard, 1962, p.242).
Concerning Qutir [numbers], there are four methods to teach reading texts which contain
numerals/ equations. Ge'ez is a drilling method according to which the students start reading by

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simply putting letters together in a chanting form and read them as a word. When the teacher is
assured that the student has mastered this stage; the stage of Wurd nebab [skim reading] follows.
In this method, the student is expected to master the accents, the pauses and the stressed or
unstressed pronunciation of the syllables. The final stage is known as Qum Nebab bat[scan
reading]: in this stage the student should be able to read without mistakes in fornt of their
primates. In the four steps of the drilling method, the student spends months until he memorizes
the characters, the words and the relatively long sentences in a text (Hable, 1970; Kefyalew,
1999).
The second stage of study, according to Richard Pankhurst (1962, p.242) is called, “the
Apostle‟s alphabet or Fidel Hawaria. This comprises the first chapter of the epistle of St. John in
Ge‟ez and it had to be learnt by heart. The study of writing would probably start at this
stage.Whereas particularly in more modern times arithmetic would be added”.
Here above, as Pankhurst outlined, after the students are able to identify each character of the
alphabet they will pass to the next level of the education: reading lessons from religious books
such as the epistles of St (saint) Paul, the Gospel of St. John, praises of St. Tamara Mariam [the
miracles and wonders of St. Mary], and Tamara Iyasus [the Miracles of Jesus; the Acts of the
Apostles].
However, it is at this level that we may remark the very limitedness of this method of teaching in
that it restrains the students‟ scope of learning to a catechism which ignores the deeper meanings
of the religious text and confines itself to drilling: which is far from bringing forth any
innovation to the already-static religious teaching in Ethiopia. Simply, the children are expected
to properly read these holy books in their entirety even if they may not fully understand the
meanings of the books.
These books are used in the church services. The learning methods, memorization and chanting
(mentioned above) are also used in this stage (Hable, 1970, p.59). When students become able/
are taught to read the texts, they will learn to memorize daily prayers in the educational program
of yemata timihirt [which means evening lesson].
In support of this, Richard Pankhurst(1962, p. 242) describes that, “the third sage of study which
is called as Gabata Hawria [loud reading], in which the students study and repeat the act of the
Apostles read aloud and explained by their teachers. In the Yemata Timhirt[evening lesson], the
students go to the house of the teacher to rehearse their oral lesson. The teacher or an advanced
student cites and recites line by line that text that has to be memorized by the students. In the
meantime, the pupils should repeat what has been recited until they are able to say it correctly.
This practice is done for months until the teacher makes sure that the child has mastered the daily
prayers by heart (Hable, 1970, p.52-55).
If the student has accomplished this stage, he will be allowed to read Psalms which is the last
stage of Nebab bet [reading class]. During the stages of Wurd nebab[skim reading] and Qum
Nebab[scan reading] discussed above, the child learns to read a psalm which is the most
devotional book according to the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Reading the psalm is practiced for
several months because it is a prerequisite to continue to the higher schooling levels. A test is not

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required to upgrade to the next level. Instead, the teacher assesses the students‟ progress on a
daily basis and decides whether the child has mastered the reading of the psalms. This upgrading
from one stage to the next one is celebrated in a highly festive ambiance among students and
teachers alike. A marking/ distinctive feature of this rite of passage is that the student is then
endowed with a higher social status as a member of the elite community (Hable, 1970, p.52-55).
The very last stage of the Nibab bet[reading class] study discussed/ discussed by Richard
Pankhrust (1962,p.242), is Dawit [the reading of the Psalms of David] by the students and the
explanation given by the teacher. Pankhurst then said that, this stage was considered an
important achievement in the child's education and that this class would be inaugurated with a
celebration organized by the parents in the form of a feast to which the teacher, confessor,
relatives and neighbors are all invited. After the psalms have been read and learnt by heart the
Qal Timhrt [oral lesson] would start (Richard, 1962, p.242).
The second sub-division in the church school system according to the book of the Church of
Ethiopia, is Qidassie Bet [praying room]: it is the class joined by some learners: those who have
completed the Nibab Bet [reading class]. A teacher who is specialized in Qidasie Bet or praying
school of Qidase is assigned to instruct/ give lessons on Gibre Diquna[deacon]and Gibre Qisina
: which means the duties and responsibilities of deacon and of Qes [priest]respectively (Hable,
1970; Kefyalew, 1999).

Second Stage, for the Intermediate (Secondary School Educators like Grade 6 to 12)
As Chaillot (2009, p.28) summarized it, after a student has finished and mastered reading the
psalm, he can study in the higher education of the traditional schools. The higher school of the
traditional education of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has three branches, Zema Bet [Music
school], Qene Bet [Poetry school] and Metshaf Bet [school for reading]. The music school [Zema
Bet] has its own sub-divisions,… the study of the chant book [Degwa] which has five branches
[Yohannes, Meraf, Tsoma degwa for Lent, Astemero and Fasiku]; hymns sung after communion
[Zemmare] and prayers for the dead [Mawasit] ; the way of standing or, moving [aqwaqwam] for
monthly and annual festivals accompanied by, sistra [prayer sticks] and drums executed by the
choir while singing [mahelet] (Chaillot, 2009, p.28).
The liturgy [qedasse] and the prayers of the hours [se’atat] are studied separately (Chaillot,
2009, p.28).The Qene Bet [Poetry school] teaches students about the composition of poetry
[Qene] sung during church ceremonials and testimonies. As Chaillot stated, in order to compose
a Qene, the student must comment on passages of the Bible in a qene for the feast of the day; or
on the lives of saints for the feast of saints; he may also introduce moral precepts and even
contemporary events. The main aim is to give a double meaning to words and sentences, with
symbolism and allusion, as in parables gold and wax [Semena Work] model is the most famous
model of poetry in the traditional school. It involves a literature skill to find a double meaning of
poems or verses (Kefyalew, 2009, p.128). For example, let us take a sentence which has gold and
wax definition or idiomatic expression. James is a twain tongue man. Here the wax is unobvious
James tongue has two crests whereas the gold is James is a liar man.

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The society expresses their feelings, sorrows, and complaints over government politics in this
kind of proverbs that carry double meanings (Hable Sellassie and Tamerat, 1970). Qene Bets
[poetry class/lessons] are prevalent in Gojjam (such as Washera, Tselalo, and Gonji), Gondar,
and Wollo (Chaillot, 2009, p.72).
In describing the method of study or instruction in Qene Bet or school of poetry, Richard
Pankhrust, (1962, p.243) quotes one of Sylvia Pankhrust‟s citations in which she says, “the class
usually assembles in the late afternoon or early evening, when the subjects selected by the
professor is studied and discussed until seven or eight p.m. Then the students disperse to
meditate on the appointed theme (Richard, 1962, p.243)”.
Early in the morning the poet choice to some solitary place where he may gain inspiration,
perhaps some unfrequented spot within the church precinct, a quiet grove in the forest, a
sheltered ledge on the hillside. Here he [church school student] will endeavor to express in verse
the subject selected for the poem of the day. Towards the evening they return to their teacher, to
sing to him their compositions and receive his criticisms and corrections. The professor will
conclude the session by reciting the poem of his own composed in the space of a few minutes of
silence on the part of his students (Richard, 1962, 243).

Third Stage, for the Intellectuals (Higher Education Program like College and University)
The last branch in the higher instruction delivery is Metshaf bet [Literature school] that many
achievements are expected from learners to accomplish this stage. It is also called the school of
Ye'nibabe na Yetriguame Bet [which is a school for books of the church reading and
interpretation] (Hable, 1970, p.56). Concerning the school of literature (or Metsehaf Bet), Abera
Jembere in his book, An Introduction to Legal History of Ethiopia (2012, p.35), wrote about the
church scholars and their titles and the interpretation methods. He then said that: "Church
scholars have taught the contents and interpretations of the Fetha Negest [canon law] and other
legal texts throughout the ages and they continue to do so even now. Scholars who made their
study of the Fetha Negest were given the honorary title of Liquee [which means one that is an
authority to the subject]". He also elaborated the three ways of interpretations in which the first
one is Yandemta Tirguame[interpretation by alternatives]: it has different possible meanings
which are given successively by using the word 'or'. The second method of interpretation is
known as Net'ela Tirguame [literal meaning or gives direct meaning] (Hable, 1970; Abera,
2012).
The third methods of interpretation according to Abera (2012) is Ye'mistir Tirguame [idiomatic
interpretation], in this kind of interpretation one does not take into consideration the structure of
the sentence, but the meaning it conveys. This school is the highest research institution which
enables students to read and interpret scriptures or books (it is similar with that of article and
book review works of students at higher education post graduate levels) and it also enables
students to know very well the doctrine of the religion and mysteries of the church together with
church history (Abera, 2012, p.35).

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This is not the only thing in the tertiary level, intellectuals get testimonial for their intellectual
ability in some fields like Zema (hymns), Qene (church poetry) (Kefyalew, 1999, p.59).
According to the church of Ethiopia(EOC, 2000, p. 89-91), a student from the school of Nibab
Bet[reading class]or Qidase Bet[praying class] who would like to join the higher schools usually
leaves their parents and joins the wandering students who travel from parish to parish and from
monastery to monastery. In the higher institution stages the main course of study are listed as
follows:
 Zema Bet ---The house of music or music class or school.
 Qene Bet ---The house of poetry or poetry class, or school.
 Metshaf Bet ---The house of the books or school of commentaries, the highest school of
all (EOC, 2000, p. 89-91).
The journal of Ethiopian Ministry of Education No.2 (1994,p.33) also shared this idea by saying,
"The churches indigenous adult education system has unique features. It is highly dependent on
memorization which encourages perfection".
As stated in the journal, „This memorization of the commentaries of the books demands many
years of exercise which the adult student is ready to accept it to devoted his time, energy and
money to rehearsal‟.
The Graduate of Metshaf Bet [literatures school] enjoys high prestige as a scholar and can take a
high post in the church hierarchy, such as head of the Gedam or Debr (monastery). This is
perhaps one of the motives that encourage the student to spend more than half of his life at such
schools. At this stage memorization is not felt as a burden by the student, because ever since his
early days in, Nibab bet, he has developed his powers of memorization (EOC, 2000, p.101).

Unique Characters of Indigenous Church Adult Schools

There are characteristics which are unique to traditional/indigenous church adult schools. Like,
the migration factor, the sponsorship factor, the duration of studying the curriculum, the teaching
methodology, the responsibility to create successors and the culture of manuscript writing are
some of the unique features which are discussed below (Lule, 2008, p.38). As it was already
discussed, in the literature section that adult education is offered in an organized condition in the
way that, it can be provided by government, non-governmental organizations and other
voluntarys. The indigenous education providers organize the curriculum and the school setting in
areas where the learners can be found, and which is comfortable for most of them. This is not the
case for the adult learners in Ye'abinet Timhrt Bet [church traditional adult schools] (Lule, 2008,
p.41).
The migration factor is one of the unique characters of the traditional church school. To settle
around their residential areas and complete their education is not a tradition for the learners of
Ye'abinet Timhirt Bet [Traditional church school]. In most cases, the primary school level that is
Nibab bet [reading grade] which comprises fidel [alphabet] for the reading of the psalm can be
completed in every village where there is a church (Chaliot, 2009, p.34).

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At this level most of the participants are at an early age of their schooling journey. A learner who
is also lucky enough to complete the higher education of poem, poetry and literature [zema, qine,
and metshaf] near his village, and who is supported by his family can pursue his studies in a
comparative comfort by living with his own family. But most of the learners who reach the age
of fifteen have responsibility to find and decide where and what to learn by leave their home,
friends and relatives and to travel a long distance in search for a center of learning of teachers in
their field of interest (Lule, 2008, p.44).
The other unique character is the sponsorship factor. Even though students‟ engagement to the
traditional church education has cultural and religious factors, the community and at large the
society around these traditional schools, involve in supporting these learners. When they go
away from home and family by traveling a long journey, without the consent of their families, by
their own decision, they know that there is only free education (free of charge instruction and
shelter but not cover their food supply) (Challiot, 2009,p.28).
Concerning their livelihood, they believe that the society is helpful when it comes to the need
and demand of the students, because it is assumed that there is a religious and moral obligation to
support these students. For this reason, begging (collecting of food items to daily consumptions
through rotating in every households home in the village) became a traditionally accepted
activity for students in Ye'abinet Timhrt bet[reading grade] especially in the rural areas (Chaliot,
2009, p.28).
As Leul 2008, agreed that, begging is a proper and respectable activity. It is their consent and
approval that it does not necessarily mean they are incapable to work and support themselves or
does not mean that they are poor, but rather they believe that it is a blessing culture and a
sacrifice activity as an attendant of religious education (Leul, 2008, p.67). Besides the
accommodation covered by society (like contributing of food items to those learners), the
learners are also responsible to build their Gojjo bet [hut] with wood, grass, and mud in which
they are living a communal life being four or five together (like university students dorm
placement of one room to six, seven and more students) (Challiote, 2009, p.29).
There is also another unique character which is the teaching methodology. The method of
teaching is mainly providing oral lesson or [Ye'qal Timihrt] in a melodious sound (the word,
which is performed by recitation and memorization. In all schools, in school of Fidel, school of
Zema, school of Qene or school of Metshaf Tirguame. Recitation and memorization are the
dominant methods of teaching in traditional church schools (Richard, 1962, p.241).
After completing the Nibab bet and reading of the psalm in most cases the learners are motivated
to join Qene bet where they start to compose different verses by themselves.
To perform these activities, they go far from their village or schools to solitary places to be
isolated, to meditate for the theme of the day that is given by their teacher. At the end of the day,
the learners go back to their village and began to compose in front of their teacher in turn what
they studied during the day time (Lule, 2008, p.38).

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In the meantime, they get criticized, corrected and commented. Meditation or thinking carefully
about (word choice) is religious or spiritual philosophy and this is the students' daily activity
especially in Qene Bet[ poetry class](Lule, 2008, 23-25).
Concerning the duration of the traditional church education, it needs a very long time and
experience to master the aspired education under highly qualified teachers.
To complete and master at least one of the various programs, and to give full service of the
church duty, they spent number of years in attending the school.
Without mastering some of the specialized lessons one cannot be considered as scholar and
cannot get church title that express respect. One can be specialized in one or more field of
studies. This means that one should spend additional years to be certified on one or more fields
of education and claim to be a scholar in that specific types of study. Concerning the duration of
traditional education, it depends on the interest, commitment and effort of the learners (Lule,
2008, p.41).
To complete all fields of specialization in the traditional education system which is based on
reading, chanting singing, poetry and literature [nibab bet, zema bet, qene bet &metshaf bet], and
to be recognized and accredited by the concerned center of excellence, there is minimum fixed
time decided to finish each program. In case of certification, there are additional years that a
student is expected to spend in that specific center of excellence whether the learner has
completed that program in the previous school or not. It might take about thirty eight years and
above, which is more than the equivalent of the time that takes to complete a Ph.D which is the
highest educational level in the conventional education. One can also spend more than fifty years
to complete all the programs (Lule, 2008, p.73-74).
So, the duration of Ethiopian indigenous church adult education depends on the interest,
commitment and effort of the learners (Luel, 2008, p.73).
It is known Christianity was introduced to Ethiopia, since that time, the church has remained the
oldest teaching institution for religious and secular education alike ; literature, commentary,
church songs, arithmetic, astronomy, and law (Richard, 1962, p.20).
As Lule (2008) stated that, “the responsibility to create their successors is the unique feature of
these traditional indigenous adult schools. Teachers, who are specialized in one of the higher
learning programs and get recognition from the concerned center of excellence, have religious
and moral obligation to transmit their knowledge for their successors and for the next
generation” (Lule, 2008, p.74).
For this reason, these teachers establish schools around churches which are traditionally called
Wonber Mezergat [opening new church school]. There is no proper classroom setting, but the
students sit under their teachers' feet to achieve their education goals. These schools are called
Gubae Bet [Compressive learning class] which is established for each specialization (Challiote,
2009, p.18).
The church scholars spread their teachings from generation to generation by establishing the
church school system by their initiative in their field of specialization to maintain the teachings
of their first church fathers. Their successors also do the same thing as their teachers, and this is

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how education is transferred from the past for the last two thousand years (since Christianity
was entered in to Ethiopian around 340 A.D) in the system of Ye'abinet Timhrt Bet[church
traditional school] (Lule, 1986, p.136). The culture of manuscript writing is the other unique
character of traditional church schools. By the time there were no writing machines and printing
materials, it was the duty of the students of Ye'abinet Timhirt Bet [church traditional school] and
church scholars to write books of their specialization and other religious and historical books.
The students of the traditional church schools not only learn the knowledge of the church history
and education for themselves, but also transmit it in one form or another for the next generation
(Chaliot, 2009, 67).
This is done through due procedures. Writing materials, which are Birana [a parchment made
from animals skin], black and red ink from different kinds of plants, leaves and flowers and
[Bie‟r] or a pen as an instrument made from woody grass like plant with a hollow inside and it is
scraped or sharpened for writing are prepared by the students taking long time and effort. The
manuscripts are written by Geez which is among the four alphabets of the world, and indigenous
and native alphabet of Ethiopia. Writing a Geez literature needs the proper use of punctuation
and it has its own law and procedure. Abundant manuscripts that seek the attention of foreigners
are written by the hands of church scholar in Geez (Challiot, 2009, p.21)

Conclusion and Recommendations

Implications of the Cooperative Learning Practices to the Modern Education
In the present day modern schools, unequal contribution of group members in a group
assignment is the common observable problem. Some students who do not contribute with equal
effort with their colleagues ultimately get the same marks as them. The cooperative learning
method in the school directly involves the learner, who is expected to be an integral part of the
learning process as a participant. Group discussion as a valuable education method thus provides
opportunity for participation. Perhaps the small number in the groups enables all members to
participate in the discussion. As Khan (1993, p.34) approves that; students may deliberately
refuse to participate when groups are very large.
Kumar (1996, p.59) also explains that students have more chances to talk in pairs for small
groups than in whole-class activities, and shy students are more likely to feel comfortable
expressing ideas in more intimate settings.
The school is likely to believe that there is much to be gained by arranging students to
collaborate in pairs or small groups during they work assignments.
It implies that setting desirable group interaction environment provides a chance for students to
develop better skills for education. Learning can easily be achieved more readily in groups of
three to four members than in larger groups. Thus curriculum planners are expected to select
learning experiences that help individuals to work in smaller groups. Better social values, sense
of responsibility, group interests and actions develop when students are made to work in groups
than individually. The teaching-learning process in the school starts with the regular assignment
[the next lesson] posed by the priest to be worked mainly in groups. To accomplish the daily

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lesson, it is expected to study the topic individually before every one is engaged in the
cooperative learning activity.
This indicates, first that the learner accepts/considers the regular assignment as his or his group's
permanent task. Second it can be used to provide opportunities to the students to develop the
habits of reading and to work independently and thereby to grow his sense of self-reliance and
initiative. Every group member also knows he is accountable for accomplishing the learning
activities (assignments) and. doing his share in the group discussion.
In line with this, Kumar (1996, p.62) stated that, cooperative learning methods are most likely to
enhance learning outcomes if they combine group goal with individual accountability. Thus in
modern schools, teachers are required to give great attention to provide group activities which
will result in great responsibility among members of the groups. When students in the school are
discussing in pairs or groups, the most advanced students move in the compound to provide any
assistance and to assess the progress of the former individuals and groups. This would have
positive implication to the modern education teacher that they should be active and involved in
the classroom activities during group work, going around and making sure that all students are
actively involved.
Implication of assessment and promotion techniques in the school
From the observation above, all the functions of the teacher's and cooperative learning, like
recalling information from the past lesson through oral question pair and group discussion
behavior were observed in maximizing the learning activities.
But some teachers in modern schools miss this part of testing because students who were less
likely to participate were not encouraged to participate in the classroom interaction.
Assessment conducted in the school to measure students' progress could, thus, have positive
implication to modern education system. The informal observation of students' behavior could be
a useful procedure for collecting assessment data in the secular education system. Assessment
can be conducted through informal means of continuous assessment.
The informal observation method of continuous assessment can be used by teachers to teach well
and to help learners to learn better. This might equally determine how well each learner has
mastered the basic learning competence described in the syllabus.
The finding implies, if students in secular schools are given opportunities to evaluate their
classmates tasks, they can give their own ideas, opinions‟ and attitudes. This can contribute to
improve assessment practices of teachers. In supporting this idea, Kyrincov (1998, p.91) noticed
that cooperative activities are very important in assessment method because they enable pupils to
obtain greater insight in to the conduct of learning through observing the performance of their
peers and sharing procedures and strategies.
A further interesting aspect of the school is its practice with regard to, promotion of students.
The school shows that it is through continuous informal assessment that the teacher and his
students gather and interpret specific pieces of information about students' learning. The learning
outcome can be monitored and remedial intervention can be given when short comings are
observed.

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The assessment result tells them to improve, not simply giving them a mark. If he/she discovers
from his assessment that a student does not understand the concept, he/she will use this
information to modify his/her teaching through one to one based tutorial.
The modern classrooms teacher could get lesson to learn from this technique of assessment.
Although this method is subjective, its use frequently requires more time and effort than the
typical testing procedures; they provide the best means available for evaluating a variety of
important behaviors. Self-reports made· by the learners themselves about one's peer or oneself
could be a valuable source of information in many area of learning and development in the
modern system.
The assessment in the school is based on the content of the curriculum in which the emphasis is
in evaluating content based knowledge instead of evaluating for labeling or grading purposes.
Here learning is assumed to be personal and relative to the individual learner, with regard to
what is to be learned as well as when it is learned.
This seems similar to what the Ministry of Education (MOE) (1994, p.129) called it Curriculum-
Based Assessment. For MOE (1994) the interest of curriculum-based assessment is to develop a
means of testing with low-achieving learners through a measurement of the level of student in
terms of the expected curricular outcomes of the school.

Recommendations
Based on the findings and analysis, the following recommendations are made.
The curriculum of the EOC which was transferred orally through different eras, by the
apostolic succession, was not transparent and clear to understand for others except for the
practitioners of Church men. As far as there are adult learners in the church school system, the
curriculum development for traditional education should be well planned, organized and
sequenced. Furthermore, to keep its sustainability, and to transfer it to the next generation, it is
important if technical assistance is provided by the Ministry of Education.
The church has to keep documented the indigenous knowledge inheritance of the existing
curriculum which is developed in oral language Ge'ez with different means. This system of
curriculum development does not only serve the adult education development but also
contributes to the transfer of Ge'ez language from generation to generation. In this regard, a
uniform and centralized curriculum is decisive not only for the development of adult education
but also for the survival of the Ge'ez language.
The learners of ye'abinet Timhrt Bet do not have sustainable income. Hence, a large number
among them drop out from their education and return back to their homes. To resolve this
problem, a centralized and nationwide system should be developed by the EOCH.
As a result, when these churches become weakened the schools disappeared accordingly. The
EOC and MOE should be responsible for supporting and administering all country wide
Ye'abinet Timhrt Bet [traditional Church schools] in financial, advisory and technical ways.
The Ethiopia Orthodox Church traditional educational policy (religious education) must be
institutionally handled. Accordingly, it should incorporate Ye’abinet Timhirt Bets and other rural

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based religious institutes that deal with adult education in its organizational structure. Because all
of those Ethiopian religious organizations have not a central chain of administer in an organized
manner with similar policies, rather they taught their own designed church education syllabus
and policies in fragment ways.
The Ethiopian educational policy should give a proper place to indigenous knowledge transfer
systems like of Ye’abinet Timhirt Bets[traditional Church schools]. Accordingly, the Ministry of
education as a key player in the education system of the country has to provide technical support
in order to make the curriculum coherent and up to date because, is an intangible asset, not only
to EOC, but also, to the country and to the global academic community in general.
. Ye'abinet Timhrt Bet [traditional Church schools] is not only a spiritual but also an academic
and philosophical asset of Ethiopian Orthodox Church, Ethiopians and Orthodox Religion
follower people of the world and. It faced challenges because of colonization and globalization
to arrive at this time; furthermore, it should be preserved in such a way to be modernized without
losing its spiritual value.

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