Introduction

Abstract

Ethiopia presents one of the most fascinating and complex language education and language-in-education situations in Africa with its bold attempt to implement close to 48 languages in formal education at various levels and formats. While some of the major languages, such as Amharic and Afan Oromo are used from early years to postgraduate education, others, such as Aari, are only recently introduced into formal education and are taught as a subject only in primary education. Some of these languages have been written languages for many years and pride of extensive literary resources, while others have only recently been converted into written form and introduced into formal education, resulting in scarce written resources. The language issue in early years' education has direct implications for the quality of education. However, it has not been adequately investigated in a way that addresses the multifaceted and interdisciplinary nature of the topic. Interdisciplinary research and a closer examination of how these complex factors related to literacy and language education impact the quality of early years' education in Ethiopia are scarce. This special issue of the Journal of Ethiopian Studies presents original research and findings on the context of selected Ethiopian languages and their implementation in early literacy and education, including Sidaamu Afoo, Gofa, Koorete, Af Somali, Amharic, and Ethiopian Sign Language (EthSL).