The World Bank's General Education Quality Improvement Program for Equity (GEQIP-E) initiative, a collaborative effort between the government and multiple donors, has significantly advanced general education in Ethiopia. The program has reached 24 million students, trained 102,117 teachers, and enhanced the learning experience for 148,528 students with special needs through the establishment of Inclusive Education Resource Centers (IERCs). The support provided for O-Class, a one-year pre-primary program, has notably contributed to the increment in the gross enrollment ratio for pre-primary education from 39.9% in 2017/18 to 50% in 2022/23, benefiting 2.3 million pre-primary age children.
The GEQIP-E has notably succeeded in enhancing the quality of pre-primary education, particularly through the O-Class quality enhancement and assurance intervention, which has transformed pre-primary teacher and school principal training programs. The program has also focused on equitable education by establishing 1,400 IERCs and training teachers to support children with special needs, marking another significant achievement. Additionally, GEQIP-E has facilitated the comprehensive training of teachers and introduced the Continuous Classroom Assessment (CCA), which has reinforced the teaching and learning process.
Despite facing various challenges, including internal country conflicts, the COVID-19 pandemic, and droughts that have disrupted education for millions of children in Ethiopia, GEQIP-E has adapted to meet the emergency needs of the education sector and has played a pivotal role in the recovery efforts to sustain educational services.
GEQIP-E has extended its support to refugee education in Ethiopia by supplying learning materials, school grants, and teacher training to 52 refugee primary schools, benefiting 1,346 refugee incentive teachers. Six refugee secondary schools have been successfully integrated into the national education system, with four more in the process of integration. The program has also provided system capacity support to aid education in refugee-hosting regions.