Tenagne Worku

Ethiopian educator who established the first girls' school in Addis Ababa and fought for women's literacy during Haile Selassie's reign.

Early Life and Activism

Tenagne Worku (1908–1987) was born in Shewa Province during Ethiopia's last years of traditional governance. As a child, she witnessed the 1920 famine's disproportionate impact on uneducated women, motivating her to pursue education. She became one of the first female graduates of Addis Ababa University's teacher training program in 1935, despite facing violent opposition from conservative groups.

Educational Innovations

In 1942, Worku founded the Ethiopian Girls' Academic Society, which operated the country's first girls' school with a modern curriculum including science and mathematics. Her 1950s literacy campaigns used Amharic-language radio programs (ethiopianradioarchive.org) to reach rural women, increasing female literacy from 3% to 15% by 1960.

Political Engagement

Worku's 1955 petition to Emperor Haile Selassie led to the creation of Ethiopia's first women's university in 1961. Her 1968 book 《The Right to Read》 argued that female education was essential for national development. During the 1974 revolution, she helped establish literacy programs for war refugees, saving thousands of texts from destruction.

Lasting Influence

Today, the Tenagne Worku Memorial Library in Addis Ababa houses her archives, including handwritten lesson plans and correspondence with global educators like India's Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay. Her methods inspired similar initiatives in Kenya and Sudan.