Ethiopia on Friday received a $14.85 million grant from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE) to boost its response to disruptions in education due to coronavirus infections.
Schools have been closed since mid March this year following the outbreak of COVID-19 in the country.
The grant will be channeled through the World Bank and will be used to help students learn while schools are closed, assist reopening of schools, and strengthen the resilience of the education system in the country.
Reports from the country’s Ministry of Education revealed that COVID-19 pandemic and temporary school closures have left 26 million Ethiopian students out of school, which may have long-term impacts on their health, development, and future earning potential.
Temporary school closures in Ethiopia also led to increasing early marriage and abuse especially among girls.
The World Bank will be providing sanitation and safety materials, conduct an extensive communication campaign to inform parents and students about available resources and re-opening procedures, and establish an emergency helpdesk to report COVID-19 incidents and support the safe and effective reopening of schools.
Through its new project, GEP will also support distance learning activities during school closures and provide accelerated learning activities that will enable students to “catch-up” after schools reopen.
Ousmane Dione, World Bank Country Director for Ethiopia said “This project will support the government’s effort to provide distance learning using digital and broadcasting platforms including radio and TV, as well as printed materials to help school children, particularly the vulnerable children and pastoralist girls from the poorest households, to continue to learn while schools are closed due to the pandemic.”
MG/abj/APA