Ethnic Federalism, Governance Fragmentation, and Educational Resource Allocation in Post-Conflict Tigray, Ethiopia: A Qualitative Case Study

Abstract

Education recovery in post-conflict settings is shaped not only by the scale of destruction but also by the institutional design through which reconstruction resources are allocated. This article examines how Ethiopia’s ethnic federal system has structured the allocation of educational resources in post-conflict Tigray. Drawing on a qualitative case study, the analysis combines 30 semistructured interviews conducted between March and April 2025 with federal, regional, and district officials, educational administrators, teachers, lecturers, students, parents, community leaders, NGO actors, and international partners, alongside a review of policy and program documents. The article asks how ethnic federalism has affected the distribution of educational finance, infrastructure, teachers, and learning materials during the early recovery period. Four findings stand out. First, population-based and project-based financing mechanisms did not adequately reflect war damage, displacement, or teacher attrition, producing chronic underfunding at school level. Second, authority was formally decentralized but operationally fragmented: blurred responsibilities across federal, regional, and woreda institutions delayed approvals, disbursements, and implementation. Third, recovery was spatially uneven, with rural and internally displaced persons-hosting communities receiving fewer resources than urban centers. Fourth, shortages of teachers, salary interruptions, and inadequate psychosocial support limited the substantive reopening of schools even where facilities had partially resumed operation. The article contributes to scholarship on ethnic federalism and education in emergencies by showing that post-conflict inequality is reproduced through governance fragmentation rather than scarcity alone. It argues for a conflict-sensitive, needs-based allocation formula, ring-fenced recovery grants, integrated education data systems, and teacher reintegration packages that align reconstruction with equity and durable peace.