Policies

Increased Access to Quality Basic Education for Out of School Children

Context and Issue

Ethiopia, a diverse nation with nine administrative regions and two city administrations, boasts a population of approximately 95 million people, representing over 90 ethnic and linguistic groups. With an annual population growth rate of 2.6 percent, Ethiopia has a predominantly youthful demographic, with 44 percent under age 15. Most of the population resides in rural areas, heavily reliant on rain-fed agriculture and animal husbandry for livelihoods. In the Gambella region, targeted by this project, the net enrolment rate stands at 55.2 percent for the second cycle of primary education. Additionally, the region hosts over 399,000 refugees, many of whom face challenges accessing education due to inadequate infrastructure.

Solution

This project, a collaboration between EAC and Save the Children, aims to address the educational barriers faced by out-of-school children (OOSC) in Gambella's host and refugee communities. Targeting a total of 35,088 OOSC, with girls comprising 45 percent, the initiative will prioritize 16,081 children from the host community and 19,007 from the refugee community. Working closely with the Agency for Refugees and Returnees Affairs (ARRA), UNHCR, and regional and local education authorities, Save the Children will implement strategies to combat dropout rates and enhance educational quality. Key interventions include teacher training to improve literacy and numeracy instruction, provision of education materials, development of supplementary reading materials in beneficiaries' mother tongues, and infrastructure improvements to create child-friendly school environments, including gender-segregated latrines.

Impact

The project's objective was to increase access to quality education for the most vulnerable children in the Gambella region, including Ethiopian nationals and refugee children from South Sudan. Successfully enrolling 35,027 OOSC, representing 99.8 percent of the target, the initiative demonstrates significant progress in addressing educational disparities. By enhancing local capacity and engaging communities, the project improves access and promotes sustainability and ownership of interventions. Through collaborative efforts, the project contributes to broader educational equity and social inclusion goals, empowering marginalized children to realize their full potential.

Analysis

Overall, the success of this project highlights the importance of targeted interventions in addressing the complex challenges facing education in refugee-hosting regions like Gambella.