Eden Tsegaye's morning routine has become a ritual symbolic of her dual roles as a businesswoman and a mother living in Addis Abeba. Each day begins with her sending her six-year-old daughter to kindergarten near the Alem Bank area, a simple act laden with the complexities and anxieties of a parent deeply invested in her child's education.

Eden, who supports a family of four on a monthly income nearing 10,000 Br, embodies many parents' economic and emotional struggles. Her concerns about her daughter's education are not unfounded. Despite the steep monthly school fees of 2,200 Br, she observed her daughter engaged more in playful activities than in learning fundamental skills like the ABCs. The mismatch between the cost of education and its perceived return is a source of growing unease for Eden.

The growing panic made Eden question her decision to pay for a private school.

"Why do I pay thousands for this?" she pondered.

Her dilemma, repeated in households across the city, mirrors a larger, more intricate story unfolding in the educational sector. It is part of a broader picture of sweeping educational reforms inspired by Scandinavian models and spearheaded by the Minister of Education, Brehanu Nega (PhD). These reforms, which began with kindergartens and extended to primary and high schools, have not been universally welcomed. They have sparked stormy debate among parents, educators, and policymakers, unearthing the diverse and often conflicting perspectives on the future of education.

The reforms, coordinated between the Addis Abeba Education Bureau and the Ministry of Education, have introduced radical changes.

One of the most contentious issues has been removing the English language from kindergarten curricula. Other changes include amalgamating subjects like Physics, Biology, and Chemistry under a general science umbrella in middle schools and introducing subjects such as journalism, marketing, and agriculture for senior students. These shifts reflect a broader philosophy of grounding education in the cultural and linguistic context of the students, a move away from a perceived overemphasis on theoretical knowledge and rote learning.

At the heart of these reforms is a push for practical learning. The authors of these reforms say they aim to bridge the quality gap of education provided by private and public schooling.

One of the authors is Umer Imam, head of the Ministry's social science education curriculum desk and instrumental in pushing for these changes. He talked about the efforts to bring theoretical concepts into workable projects, harmonising educational approaches across different types of schools.

Under the new system, all 26.4 million students across Ethiopia's 52,202 schools are expected to learn under a unified curriculum with their native tongue as the medium of instruction until high school. This represents a significant departure from previous practices, particularly in private schools where English has often been more than just a single subject.

This has not been without controversy, particularly among private schools accustomed to an English-centric curriculum.

The debate over the role of language in education is particularly fierce. Education officials argue that an overemphasis on the English subject in private schools does not necessarily translate to higher scores in national exams.

"They're not the ones who score the highest in national exams," Umer told Fortune. "We don't endorse adoption of a foreign curriculum."

It is a position that challenges the long-held parental belief that English proficiency is vital to academic and professional success and reexamines the role of indigenous knowledge and perspectives in education.

For Abera Tassew, president of the 1,000-strong private school lobby group, English may not be knowledge alone.

"It's, however, a bridge towards international competitiveness," Abera said.

Another architect of the curriculum, Akalewold Eshete (PhD), lectures at Addis Abeba University. he remains optimistic about the reforms, but acknowledges that resistance during implementation would exist. He criticised the previous curriculum's language orientation, arguing that it unfairly benefited private schools and created a disconnect in the quality of education. He hopes the new curriculum rectifies this, teaching children in their native languages and allowing them to focus on content.

"Implementation gaps will need further research," he told Fortune, emphasising the need for a continuous evaluation process.

However, the rigorous implementation of these changes has led to significant backlash.

In the past weeks, the Addis Abeba Education & Training Quality Regulatory Authority and the Education Bureau have begun revoking accreditations of private schools that fail to comply with the new guidelines. Officials cite failing to provide Afan Oromo classes, issue report cards in line with the authorised subjects, respond to inquiries about raising school fees, and distribute their own textbooks as transgressions against the new curriculum.

St. Michael School, a prominent private school in Yeka District, had three of its four branches accreditation cancelled for several of these reasons.

Solomon Gesese, a significant shareholder and manager of St. Michael School, contested these allegations, arguing that the school had tried aligning with the new curriculum. He pointed out the logistical challenges and the lack of consultations with private schools in the reform process.

From the Ministry, Umer recalled several rounds of discussions over the curriculum with experts drawn from Addis Abeba, Jimma, Bahir Dar and Hawassa universities.

According to Solomon, the revisions of policies on kindergarten should have included the private sector, as no public school provides schooling for kids admitted lower than first grade. According to him, the report cards from the Education Bureau came in late, with the school handing them out to students as they were delivered.

"Everything could be checked and verified," Solomon declared, pleading for a fair evaluation of the School's compliance.

A prominent educational institution with 17 campuses, Gibson School Systems, faced similar restrictions on its accreditations for allegedly using English as a medium of instruction despite notices. Apollo Global Academy also had its accreditations terminated due to the "unreasonable increases" in school fees.