Since the inception of Partners in Education Ethiopia, we have opened 14 schools in the Amhara region. Two more have been completed in 2021 and another is under construction.

While we continue to make every effort to combat the spread of COVID, now that schools have reopened we are able to continue with our other programs.

Teacher Training

The teacher training program is in place in all schools, and now incorporates principals, supervisors and education department officials. We hope that this will ensure that our model endures beyond the time that we are no longer involved with the schools.

Greening and Gardening

The greening and gardening program is well under way in most of the schools. We are delighted that some are now generating income from fruits and vegetables they are growing, and students are expanding their knowledge through working in, and tending to, the gardens. Our Monitoring and Evaluation Expert is also helping to develop curricula that will incorporate the agricultural program into various class lessons. The program and students are proving to be agents of change as other schools and surrounding communities are adopting our model. As an example, one farmer living next to Sebatamit Elementary School has switched from growing qat (similar to marijuana) to fruits and vegetables.

School Based Eye Health

Our School Based Eye Health program continues under the MoU that we signed with Operation Eyesight in 2019. Working with hospitals, teachers, the University of Bahir Dar medical school, and parents, our goal is to eliminate eye health issues in our target schools within three years. Operation Eyesight has provided thousands of pairs of glasses for distribution, and the University of Bahir Dar medical school has agreed to facilitate operations for those students with more serious needs.

Interconnectivity

The COVID experience, with schools being shut down, highlighted the disparity in access to education across demographic groups. With no power, let alone internet access, those in poorer, rural areas where we operate had no opportunity to receive any education. As a result, we have initiated a pilot program in collaboration with the Basic Internet Society to bring solar power and interconnectivity to the Abichikili Secondary School.

Measurement

Reading and math assessments, which prior to COVID were conducted each June in all primary schools, will resume in 2021. Results are providing an invaluable tool to teachers and principals, as well as to our own experts, in assessing areas where our programs have been successful and areas where improvement may be warranted. Our Monitoring and Evaluation Expert is developing more subjective measures for assessment.

Akukulu Learning Lab

We have introduced a pilot Akukulu learning lab, which brings a play based experiential learning approach to students who are at the bottom of their achievement level. We have selected 20 grade 4 students for whom we will apply different accelerated approaches.