US Gives Over 1.5 Million Books to Ethiopian Schools

As part of its ongoing commitment to support Ethiopia’s educational system, the United States government on Wednesday donated over 1.5 million English language textbooks to Ethiopia.

The donation is part of President George W. Bush’s Africa Education Initiative, whose objective is to increases access to quality basic educational opportunities in Africa.

The English language textbooks were developed specifically for Ethiopia and are for use in primary schools for grade 5, 6, 7 and 8.

Dr. Sarah Moten, President Bush’s Coordinator for the Africa Education Initiative said that her government is working with Ethiopian ministry of education to further enhance the two countries’ relations on education.

“Education is the key to future economic growth and lasting democracy, and essential to improving the lives of Ethiopians. We are proud to be working in partnership with the ministry of Education and Ethiopia’s schools to help this country’s children be better prepared for productive future.” Moten said.

The Ethiopian ministry of Education said that the books will help to support the ongoing teaching and learning activities of English language in the country.

One of the activities under the Africa Education Initiative is to work alongside colleges and universities in America to develop and provide 15 million textbooks and other learning tools for children throughout Africa.The current focus is on six Sub-Saharan African nations, including Ethiopia.

“The textbooks donated today were developed by Alabama A&M University of the United States in close collaboration with the Ethiopian ministry of Education and with financial support through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID),” Moten said.

Along with the Africa Education Initiative, US support for quality education in Ethiopia includes scholarships that enable girls to complete secondary education, support for teacher training at the primary level, capacity building in planning and management and community empowerment for school governance.

“With an emphasis on primary school completion, USAID has been supporting the ministry of Education in eleven regions since 1995. The USAID has invested approximately US$160 million in financial, technical and managerial resources to support its Basic Education Program. US assistance has resulted in increased access, decreased dropout rates and improved retention, particularly for girls,” the US embassy in Ethiopia said.

Source African Press Agency

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