Ethiopia receives 14.85 million USD grant for Education Sector

In response to disruptions in education caused by the pandemic of coronavirus, Ethiopia has received a 14.85 million USD grant from the Global partnership on education. Ethiopia will receive grants from the World Bank: COVID-19 Education Response Project which aims to sustain the learning of students while schools are closed, to support the secure reopening of educational facilities and to enhance the resilience of the education system, according to the World Bank. 

The pandemic and temporary closure of COVID-19 left 26 million Ethiopian students out of school, which could have long-term health, growth and potential earnings impacts. Some children from vulnerable households, especially girls and students in rural areas, may also permanently withdraw from the school through temporary school closures, and urgently need to support and promote reinscription once schools reopen. 

The project will provide thousands of schools, among others, with sanitary and safety equipment to support secure and effective re-opening of schools, conduct an extensive communications campaign in order to inform parents and students of the available resources and to re-open the processes and set up a relief agency to report incidents of COVID-19. The project will also support distance learning programmes during the school holidays. It will enable pupils to catch up when schools are reopened. 

Ethiopia has made significant gains in the stabilisation of social and human growth. In order to meet national aspirations for the country’s status as a low-medium-income country by 2025, increased human capital is necessary to foster economic development. The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent economic shock present the training system with major challenges, but Ethiopia can reduce the damage and even turn recovery into another opportunity if it moves rapidly to fund further education.

Data Source: Ethiopian Herald