The Role of Education in Addressing Environmental Problems and Sustainable Development of Ethiopia

Abstract

Although modern education was introduced hundred years ago in Ethiopia,
its effects are not as such visible in development of the country as compared
with the role education has played in developed countries. In Ethiopia, long
years ago, education was used to prepare personnel for different purposes
in different organizations while education was used to enable people in
America to utilize resources through innovation and advancement. For
example, in the 18th and 19th centuries, America was “full of inexhaustible
resources of every kind,” (Jain et al, 2002, p.283. Moreover, in European
countries, education was used for economic development and technological
advancement.
In the 21st century, people throughout the world have to learn not only to
exploit the resources available using different technologies but also to
understand the interaction they have with their environment and the
consequences. However, the interaction between people with their
environment resulted in serious environmental problems besides their
superior achievement. Regarding this, Joseph and Nagendran (2005, p. 4)
underlined: