USAID Provides Over $80 Million to Support Quality Education

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2009 - Addis Ababa (U.S. Embassy) – The American people, through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), today announced support for six new education programs to improve quality education in Ethiopia.  The programs, worth over US $80 million over the next five years, will support on-going efforts to develop, and improve the quality of, Ethiopia’s educational system.

The Ethiopian Minister of Education,  His Excellency Demeke Mekonnen, and USAID/Ethiopia Mission Director, Thomas H. Staal, delivered remarks at the event, which was held at Kotebe College of Teacher Education and followed the theme of “Partnership Striving for Quality Education.”

“USAID recognizes that education is the key to development.  We will continue to partner with the Ministry of Education for the benefit of the Ethiopian people until we can say together that Ethiopia has achieved quality education for all,” USAID Mission Director Staal remarked.  “All children should be afforded a quality basic education.”

The General Education Quality Improvement Package (GEQIP), the Government of Ethiopia’s plan for improving the quality of education in the country, includes increasing access to education for all citizens.  USAID’s new education programs will complement the GEQIP through a holistic approach by training teachers and education officers, improving the quality of education and learning materials, supporting community organizations such as Girl’s Advisory Committees, and building alternative basic education centers for children in remote areas.

At the ceremony, USAID announced plans for six major projects, including Improving the Quality of Primary Education Program (IQPEP), a US $33.5 million dollar program which focuses on improving the planning and management of primary education and transforming the teaching-learning process. IQPEP alone will reach 28 teacher education institutions, 2,400 primary schools, and about 40,000 primary school teachers over the next five years, with a particular focus on pastoral and rural areas.

Another major project will support students affected by HIV/AIDS by providing tutoring, psychosocial support, provision of school supplies and life skills training for these especially vulnerable children.  Additional USAID-supported projects will build the professional capabilities and empower 1,800 communities and schools to manage their primary schools, enhance access to basic education for over 90,000 children and adults in remote areas, and increase the supply of textbooks. 

USAID has been supporting basic education in Ethiopian communities with over $180 million in financial and technical resources for the last 14 years, working in close collaboration with the full array of Ethiopian stakeholders to enhance equity and quality of education. 

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