On May 20, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) celebrated the successful completion of the READ II Activity, which has addressed the evolving educational needs of children in Ethiopia since 2018 for over $73 million.
Education stakeholders, implementing partners, and key figures in the educational sector gathered to share experiences, knowledge, and lessons learned. Initially focused on Early Grade Reading, the program adapted to reach more than four million primary school students across the country.
In response to the crisis arising from the conflict in Northern Ethiopia, the READ II Activity has played a pivotal role in supporting the reopening and operation of primary schools in conflict-affected areas of the Afar, Amhara, and Tigray regions. During its implementation of education recovery activities, READ II has successfully supported about 700,000 children to return to learning, built the capacity of caregivers to provide psychosocial support to traumatized students and established local support mechanisms to reduce school related gender-based violence.
During the event, key achievements from the past six years were shared. Teacher training reached more than 50,000 mother tongue and English primary teachers, based on evidence-based reading pedagogy to improve the classroom instruction for over 3.5 million children. Training was not limited to teachers, but also included more than 5,000 school administrators who have become strong instructional leaders. Reading culture has been enriched at school, community, and home levels in more than 3000 primary schools and the communities they serve across 81 woredas spanning seven regions.
Positive feedback was shared by teachers, students, and school directors at the event. Etege Taitu, a female grade six teacher reflected, “Before I took the training READ II provided, I used to punish students for incomplete assignments without understanding their underlying challenges. But now, I provide personalized support by addressing their individual needs. Currently, I implement student-centered teaching methods such as group discussions and interactive activities to engage students of diverse abilities and learning styles. I have witnessed a positive outcome in student engagement and academic performance.”
The half-day event featured presentations, panel discussions, and interactive sessions, giving attendees the chance to learn about innovative approaches to addressing educational challenges.
For 120 years, the United States and Ethiopia have partnered in health and education, agriculture and food security, science and the environment, and many other areas to improve the lives of all Ethiopians.