Curriculum for ministerial education: a critical appraisal of the curriculum of Amharic bible schools of the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church (EKHC)

The way any nation or church perceives education and curriculum influences how it provides training to its constituencies. This thesis examines the theoretical framework behind the concept of curriculum and education in general and ministerial training in particular. It explores the overriding theories and models of curriculum development investigating how these assumptions influenced the way curriculum and education is perceived and managed in the Ethiopian Kale Heywet Church Bible schools.

Often, curricular thinking is criticized for struggling to embrace the whole aspects of education integrally. This thesis attempts to evaluate if this assumption influenced the development and practice of Bible Schools’ curriculum. It compares diverse sources using literature review, questionnaires, interviews, and analyzing archival documents as means of investigation. Then, the data is analyzed using the qualitative method. Findings suggest that the curricular thinking of the West (European and American) and East (Russian) has heavily influenced the Ethiopian education system since the outset of the 20th century. As products of the work of SIM missionaries and institutions subject to the impact of the national education system, this study indicates that EKHC’s Bible Schools’ curriculum is not free from foreign influence.

This study indicated that Bible Schools managed their services following trends inherited without intentionally identifying approaches helpful to respond to the needs of the church. It underscores that curricular initiatives are hugely hampered by over-emphasis at the top-down approach, failure to maintain sense of ownership, and a lack of teachers’ empowerment and involvement in the formation and implementation of the curriculum. Consequently, the curriculum under consideration could not address the needs of students and the church integrally. Therefore, this thesis proposes a new approach – the integral development theory as the best model to fill the gap and facilitate the provision of theological education holistically.