ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book plays a role in introducing Ethiopia’s cultural heritage to the West and, hence, bridge the cultural gaps between the global north and the global south. It highlights some highly pertinent contemporary challenges that teacher training institutions face while training language teachers for primary schools and perhaps contribute to wider debates, discussions and resolutions of the challenges of multilingual and multi-ethnic education and governance. The book then explores challenges associated with students’ poor reading skills in the early years of education. It also deals with the preparation and professional development of teachers in the context of multilingual classroom situations. The book provides a critical evaluation of the quality and appropriateness of instructional materials prepared for grade 1 for teaching and learning in a minority language, that is Koorete.
