Mahtama Askia

A pioneering Ethiopian educator who established the first girls' school in the Horn of Africa

Mahtama Askia (1905-1983) was a visionary educator and social reformer from Ethiopia who dedicated her life to advancing girls' education in a region where female literacy rates were below 5%. Born in Harar during the reign of Emperor Menelik II, she witnessed the systemic exclusion of girls from formal education. Against societal norms, she founded the Harar Girls' Vocational School in 1932 using funds raised through her work as a textile artisan. This institution became a model for gender-inclusive education, later evolving into the Askia Educational Institute.

Her pedagogical innovations included integrating traditional Ethiopian crafts with modern academic subjects, a method still used today. During the Italian occupation (1936-1941), she operated an underground school network, teaching over 300 girls in secret. Post-WWII, she trained 120 female teachers who spread her methods across East Africa. The UNICEF report Educating a Continent (1968) highlighted her work as a blueprint for African education systems.