Ministry of Education is poised to strip “international school” status from leading private institutions unless they enrol at least 30 percent foreign students, sparking parental uproar over disrupted education, higher fees and a potential exodus of expatriate families.
Sources close to schools like Cambridge Academy Ethiopia and Flipper reveal an imminent directive reclassifying non-compliant institutions as “local” schools, forcing abandonment of international curricula such as IB, British and American programmes in favour of Ethiopia’s national system. Originally intended for diplomats’ children, these schools now serve affluent Ethiopians seeking global competitiveness — a trend the ministry seeks to curb.
“We’ve been told: no 30 percent foreigners, no international status. Next year, it’s local curriculum for all,” one parent quoted a school briefing. Families paying premium fees in foreign currency decry a breached “educational contract,” warning of academic whiplash for students steeped in inquiry-based international systems now facing rote national exams.
The policy emerges from the Ministry of Education’s November 2025 Non-Governmental Educational Institutions Regulation under General Education Proclamation No. 1368/2025, targeting private, international, religious and NGO-run schools. It introduces a two-tier accreditation process with provisional “pre-accreditation” for institutions meeting 85 percent of requirements within one year, followed by full certification. Financial rules mandate foreign-community schools prove 30 percent home-government funding while self-covering 70 percent, alongside triennial fee caps requiring three-month parental consultation for hikes and mandatory legal receipts. All education must remain secular, free of political or religious doctrine. Curricula, if foreign, require certification by their country of origin and registration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with only one curriculum permitted per licence. Teachers and administrators must master their curriculum, while schools ensure student safety, special needs support and parental engagement.
The Ministry insists international curricula must genuinely serve foreign nationals, not become “havens” bypassing national standards for wealthy locals.
“Wealthy families built children’s futures on international paths — university abroad, global careers,” one parent lamented. Sudden methodology shifts risk “extreme stress and alienation.” Expatriates may shun Addis Ababa without reliable international options, while affluent Ethiopians accelerate overseas study — draining forex and talent.
Schools are scrambling. “Rumours circulated; now confirmed. International schools are uniting to respond,” parents reported. Capital’s repeated outreach to the Ministry yielded no comment.
Analysts predict dual impacts: fewer foreign professionals accepting Ethiopian postings without schooling continuity; early expatriation of elite youth, accelerating capital flight. The 30 percent threshold — realistic for embassy schools, brutal for expat-plus-local hybrids — could shutter or downgrade sector leaders.
