Giving children the best start in Education
In rural Ethiopia, communities come together to build early childhood education classrooms for preschool children
Early childhood education lays the foundation of a child’s journey: every stage of education that follows relies on its success. When children have access to quality early childhood education, they reach their full potential. Children enrolled in at least one year of pre-primary education are more likely to develop the critical skills they need to succeed in school and less likely to repeat grades or drop out. In Ethiopia, only 50 per cent of children are enrolled in preprimary classes[1]. This number gets even bleaker in rural settings where resources are limited. In Akasha village, Oromia region of Ethiopia, community members are working hard to give children the best start in education.
[1] Education Statistics Annual Abstract 2023
“Our main intention to start early childhood education classes in our school is to improve students’ performance. This has been an issue for years and we wanted to lay the foundation at an early age,” says Debela Tamiru the school director.
Debela knows that students who started class in grade one (without any preschool experience) were struggling to read and write. So, he makes the case to build classrooms for preschool children with parents, community members, and the woreda (district) education bureau. And the reaction was favorable. “Some bought cement and sand, some gave us corrugated iron sheets, and others volunteered to work as masons and carpenters,” he added.
Then, two classrooms were built in Akasha Primary School for five and six year old children. A separate compound is also secured for the children so that they can play safely in their own space. As more and more students start attending school, space becomes an issue.
“We have 143 students in level 1 and 97 in level 2 which is too much. We need additional classrooms and teachers,” adds Debela.
“The children are happy to be in school. We do our best to teach them vital social skills that are fundamental for their development. But we lack play materials,” says Fetera Abdulkadir.
The good thing is that UNICEF and its partner imagine1day are working with technical and vocational training centers so that the latter can produce play-based learning materials based on the Montessori principles. Prototypes and workshop tools have been distributed to these centers and additional training is also given to the center’s personnel. Schools like Akasha will soon be receiving these materials.
In addition to building classrooms, the Akasha community also contributes grains from their annual produce to provide children with school meals. The contribution from each family is collected by the school and sold in the local market. The school also matches the community contributions with additional income gained from various internal fund-raising activities. Six-year-old Fenet Alemayehu enjoys her meal every day at her school. She loves playing hide and seek with her best friends. “When we are in school, we learn and play. If we don’t come to school, we spend our time without purpose,” she says.
Fenet’s father Alemayehu has observed how early childhood learning makes a difference for children on his daughter. “Fenet has more confidence expressing herself. She can also identify letters and numbers. Her elder brother started school in grade one and I remember how he was struggling,” says Alemayehu.
Early childhood education has a proven lifelong benefit for children. Yet, nearly half of all pre-primary-age children globally are not enrolled in pre-primary education. Such community initiatives like in Akasha give hope to children. And for good reason- because every child deserves access to quality early childhood education.
UNICEF and its partner imagine1day promote community ownership to create a safe, clean, and intellectually stimulating environment for young children working closely with community leaders, religious leaders, and the woreda (district) education bureau. Community members in Akasha have demonstrated a great sense of responsibility and commitment. Thanks to the support from the LEGO Foundation and Education Cannot Wait, more Montessori-based learning materials are also in production by local technical and vocational education centers.
