What is the Advancing Innovative Methods to Promote Learning (AIM4Learning) Program?
The Advancing Innovative Methods to Promote Learning (AIM4Learning) Program is a $1.54 billion regional program funded by the International Development Association* (IDA) and International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD). Designed to address the learning crisis in Eastern and Southern Africa, the program will use the latest innovations and technologies to enhance education quality while supporting the rapid expansion of school enrollment. AIM4learning will help countries in the region reduce school dropout rates, increase completion rates, and optimize the funding of basic education.
What will the program do in Ethiopia?
Ethiopia Education Transformation Operation for Learning (ETOL) is a comprehensive initiative under AIM4Learning, aimed at increasing equitable access and improve learning outcomes in pre-primary and primary education. With a total investment over $226 million from the World Bank and various partners—including Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, Global Partnership for Education, Finland, Norway, and UNICEF—the program aims to provide a strong foundation for lifelong learning and improved educational outcomes.
“We must fundamentally transform education in Ethiopia to ensure quality and elevate it to new heights, creating a generation not only capable of driving the knowledge-based economy of the future, but equally importantly, a more conscious and empathetic generation that deeply cares for its fellow citizens as well as the larger human society." -- Prof. Berhanu Nega, Minister of Education of Ethiopia
ETOL is structured around two result areas:
Transform teaching and learning by:
- Enhancing teacher training through a renewed Continuous Professional Development Package,
- Strengthening pre-service teacher training,
- Developing female head teachers and principals, and
- Providing comprehensive teaching and learning materials.
Transform schools into effective learning centers by:
- Providing new pre-primary classrooms with Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) facilities,
- Establishing new Inclusive Education Resource Centers for inclusive education,
- Targeting school grant system, and
- Enhancing learning environments
"In Ethiopia, astonishingly, 90% of ten-year-old students cannot read. Through this and other projects we support, we aim to tackle severe learning poverty and ensure that children in all regions of the country have the opportunity to learn and succeed." -- Maryam Salim, World Bank Country Director for Eritrea, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Sudan
Who will benefit?
The program will benefit around 19.6 million children in pre-primary and primary schools across Ethiopia, including new entrants to the education system each year, 370,000 pre-primary and primary teachers, and 15,000 school leaders. Communities, particularly those in rural and underserved areas, will benefit from increased access to education and improved educational infrastructure. Teachers will receive training and resources to support their efforts in delivering quality education. The program aims to improve the teaching skills of targeted pre-primary and primary teachers, benefiting all children at these education levels. Additional support will be provided to targeted pre-primary and primary schools in underserved regions to create a more inclusive and effective education system for all.
*The World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA), established in 1960, helps the world’s low-income countries by providing grants and low to zero-interest loans for projects and programs that boost economic growth, reduce poverty, and improve people’s lives. IDA is one of the largest sources of assistance for its 75 client countries, 39 of which are in Africa. Since 1960, IDA has provided $552 billion to 115 countries. Annual commitments have averaged about $36 billion over the last three years (FY21-FY23), with about 75 percent going to Africa. Learn more online: https://ida.worldbank.org . #IDAworks