Many initiatives in Ethiopia in recent years have aimed to strengthen the capacities of educational planners and managers - including on-the-job training programmes for ministry staff, regional and district planners, and school principals. Although progress has been made, several challenges will need to be overcome if planners are to fulfill their missions successfully. This study examines these challenges, which include the profile of planners, their recruitment and evaluation, and the resources at their disposal. Several short-, medium- and long-term strategies are proposed to overcome obstacles and sustainably improve the capacity of educational planners and managers. These include: well-designed professional development programmes, linking initial and on-the-job training; reform of human resource management (in particular, of recruitment and evaluation); and open and regular communication flows between offices and administrative levels.