SECTOR 4 4.8 Salary levels and general working conditions for journalists and other media practitioners are adequate. Journalists and media practitioners at private media are better paid than their colleagues at state media. A junior reporter working in a state media earns around 1700 birr per month (US$ 100) while the same position in the private media fetches up to 2500 birr (US$ 150). An editor in a state media receives a salary of around 4000 birr (US$ 245) while private media houses pay double that amount for employees in the same position. However, those working in the state media enjoy more benefits in terms of job security and pension schemes. Scores: Individual scores: 1 Country does not meet indicator 2 Country meets only a few aspects of indicator 3 Country meets some aspects of indicator 4 Country meets most aspects of indicator 5 Country meets all aspects of the indicator Average score: 2.1 4.9 Media professionals have access to training facilities offering formal qualification programmes as well as opportunities to upgrade skills. Altogether 21 state and private higher education institutions offer formal qualification programmes for aspiring journalists. Students who pass the national exam after completing grade 12 of secondary school fill out forms to choose their field of study and the institution they would like to attend, in their order of preference. The Ministry of Education then assigns and sends out lists of students to the respective public institutions. This means that some students, especially those who do not have good grades, may end up being placed in a field of study they are not really interested in. Thus, a student with no passion for journalism at all may be assigned to the School of Journalism at the University of Addis Ababa, for instance. The state institutions have no choice but to accept such students. AFRICAN MEDIA BAROMETER ETHIOPIA 2010 57