Despite progress in access to pre-primary education, there is a lack of quality due to insufficient qualified teachers and a shortage of appropriate learning materials. Additionally, 60% of children do not have access to pre-primary education.

On top of this, the northern conflict resulted in a decreasing school enrollment rate, an increasing dropout rate, and damage to ECCE/preschools that are annexed to the primary schools.

This project aims to improve access to, and quality of, pre-primary education for conflict-affected children in the Tigray, Amhara, and Afar regions.

The project targets 21 pre-primary schools. It has improved school enrollment, enhanced facilitators’ skills, constructed ECCE centers, facilitated the adoption and contextualization of the ECCE curriculum in partnership with Regional Education Bureaus, and provided school feeding for pre-primary schoolchildren.  

Objectives

As acknowledged by the Education Sector Development Programme (ESDP) VI and the Education and Training Policy of 2023, access to pre-primary education facilitates school readiness and promotes success at the primary education level. However, 60% of children do not have access to pre-primary schools in Ethiopia. This situation worsened due to the civil war in the northern region, which resulted in schools being damaged and looted as a result of the conflict, affecting children and parents alike.

The overall objective of the project is to improve the provision of inclusive and quality pre-primary education for conflict-affected children in Ethiopia, particularly in target districts in the Tigray, Afar, and Amhara regions.

The project contributes to the following specific objectives:

• Ensuring access to quality education for children in crisis situations, specifically in pre-primary schools.

• Reducing dropout rates in primary education in conflict-affected areas.

Project Activities

• Construction and rehabilitation of ECCE centers/preschools.

• Capacity building for ECCE facilitators on the updated curriculum, Montessori pedagogy, and child safeguarding.

• Adaptation and contextualization of the ECCE curriculum in partnership with Regional Education Bureaus.

• Provision of educational and play materials for both indoor and outdoor use in ECCE centers.

• Supporting parents and caregivers in acquiring positive parenting skills.

• Implementation of Montessori training for teachers.

• Supporting advocacy and policy frameworks on early childhood development.

Expected Results

• 4,486 conflict-affected children (2,244 girls) are enrolled in preschools (1,744 in Amhara, 903 in Afar, and 1,839 in Tigray).

• Construction and rehabilitation of 21 Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) centers/preschools.

• Fifteen ECCE centers (7 in Tigray, 4 in Amhara, and 4 in Afar) have been built, renovated, and handed over to the government and communities, while the remaining 6 centers are nearing completion.

• The pool of qualified pre-primary facilitators, particularly in high-need areas, has increased.

• 135 new ECCE facilitators (2 male) participated in a 30-day teacher training program in collaboration with Colleges of Teachers’ Education (CTEs) in their respective regions.

• The ECCE curriculum has been adapted and contextualized in partnership with regional education bureaus.

• Girls have been provided with improved learning opportunities.

• School feeding has been provided for 1,839 pre-primary schoolchildren in the Tigray region.