The Self-Contained Classroom Set-up: What it is and What it is not

Abstract

The practice of self-contained classroom set-up was very popular in the American education system until the first quarter of the 2cJh century. This
innovation evolved from the interest to tackle the then critical problem of teacher shortage in the United States. The earlier form of the scheme was introduced in an arrangement whereby a single teacher was responsible for the total instruction of a given class of students. This same scheme was adopted to the Ethiopian primary schools during the last decade of the Imperial rule. In 1974, when the socialist government took power, the practice ceased to exist. Again in 1994, after 20 years of postponement, the self-contained set-up has been taken as a component part of the New Education and Training Policy. However, regions like SNNPR and Tigray have not yet endorsed this component part of the NETP. The scheme seems to be laid off in Addis Ababa even though it is stnctly adhered to in Amhara Regional State. Thus this study investigates the concepts and controversies attached to the self-contained classroom utilization with a focus on the American as well as the Ethiopian experiences.