Abstract

Education is the most powerful instrument to transform socioeconomic status of given society. However, education will be only more effective when its quality is sustained.  Education without quality is a gun without bullet. In developing countries there are number of factors that affect education quality. However, little is known about those factors. Therefore, this study seeks to identify spatial and non-spatial factors affecting quality of primary education in in Emerging Regions of Ethiopia. As methodology, descriptive survey design was used as the research strategy. Key informant interview, focus group discussion and field observation were used to collect primary data. Secondary data were also collected from reports, policy documents and research outputs. Efforts have been made to triangulate the collected facts. In order to interpret spatial analysis of accessibility and service area coverage, maps were prepared using Geographical Information System (GIS). Based on the quantitative and qualitative analysis, this study found that low teachers’ qualification, low teachers’ motivation, limited teachers’ building capacity, ineffective school leadership, low participation of parents, lack of adequate school facilities, overcrowded classes, low quality of classrooms, high pupil teacher ratio, and lack of instructional materials were some of the non-spatial factors that lower education quality. The study further asserted that from the total area of the city, 32% was well accessible, 20% was moderately accessible, 5% fairly accessible and the rest 43% was not accessible at all. Based on all findings, it can be said that the Ethiopian government has a long way to go to deliver quality education to its citizens. Based on the results, it was recommended that to improve education quality efforts must be doubled on developing national and particularly regional educational system that are responsive to existing multiple challenges. Institutional, administrative and leadership reforms are mandatory to escape from this devastating situation.

Key words: Distribution, emerging region, elementary, Gambela, quality, schoo, service area.