The Primary Curriculum and Language Issue in Ethiopia

Abstract

Ethiopia is a land of diversity. It is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural and multilingual
society. (In this essay the term ethnic. stands for..the constitutional expression of
"nations, nationalities and peoples" of the country). A. Tiruneh (1993) draws the
geo-linguistic map of the country as follows:
The region now called Ethiopia has been the home of diverse linguistic
groups since the pre-historic times. These were the Semitic languages
of the northern and central highlands, notably Amharic and Tigriyna,
the Cushitic languages of the lowlands and of the south-western,
central and south-eastern highlands, notably Oromo, Afar and Somali;
the Sidama .languages of the central and southern highlands; and the
Nilotic languages of the periphery areas along the Sudanese frontier
(1993 :1).