Debre Work Primary School

Debre Work Primary School opened with 16 male students in 1948. The school now has 2,066 students, including 31 children with special educational needs. Children have been learning in mud and falling down classrooms, with the smallest class size being 60. Debre Work is Partners in Education’s first project in East Gojjam. The community contributed 85% of the cost of the project and provided Partners in Education with a three year salary to hire a junior education expert. A new high school (grades 9 & 10) is now under construction, to be opened in 2022.

Progress

Debre Work has been particularly progressive at encouraging parents to become involved in their childrens’ education. Parents have been invited into the classrooms to observe the experiential teaching methods being implemented. The special needs class uses very innovative methods, and parents of those students have come to observe them as well. This is very encouraging, as not long ago these students did not even have an opportunity to attend school.

The school has also been particularly progressive in its science labs and corresponding experiential learning programs and in the use of a computer lab.

Baseline learning assessments were conducted in June 2019, and teacher training began in September 2019. The school recently received awards from the Regional Education Department for top school in the district and top principal in the district. Four or five years ago the school ranked last out of 63 schools.

Preparatory work for live fence and educational gardening is complete and students began planting in October 2019. The gardens are now productive both in terms of educational learning and harvesting.

Debre Work Bid