The report speaks of elementary and secondary education in Ethiopia in terms of its history and cultural setting, and then relates the facts to the present situation in terms of learning opportunities, rural development, and the prevailing attitudes among the people in regard to education. Discussions cover the educational role of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the beginning of modern education with the opening of the first public school in 1906 by Emperor Menelik II, the effect on Ethiopian education of the power struggle which followed Menelik's death and World War I; and, in 1941, with independence, the challenge of starting the development and expansion of schools almost from scratch. Also, a historical comparison of the policies and attitudes of church education and modern education is made. The remaining discussions cover the comprehensive high school, the teacher training institutes, the problem of dropouts, the change of attitudes and rural development, and the enrollment and dropout figures for Ethiopia. Two figures showing elementary and secondary school enrollment data and a 9-entry bibliography are also included. (FF)