Network failure in Ethiopian education

This paper investigates the factors that limit ICT-integrated teaching in Ethiopian secondary schools. Following Actor-Network Theory, the relationship between teachers and ICT materials is interpreted as a sociomaterial network in which the material and the human dimensions are intertwined. Qualitative data was collected via interviews carried out with school insiders (32 teachers, 30 students, 6 vice-principals, 6 ICT technicians) and several school outsiders – respondents involved in ICT-based education from stakeholders such as the Ethiopian government, international organisations, aid agencies, and ICT companies. Findings indicate a fragile network, weakened by poor teacher training, antipathy towards technology and inadequate materials. These factors reinforce one another, and the restoration of the network is further compromised by unfavourable institutions at the school and national levels.