Ethiopia – READ II Education Recovery Activity

Program

2 min read

Conflict, drought and the pandemic have taken their toll on Ethiopia’s school-aged children. The USAID-supported READ II has pivoted multiple times to support quality education efforts in key parts of the country.

Originally designed as an early grade reading program, READ II sought to improve the reading proficiency of 15 million children in seven regions of Ethiopia (Addis Ababa, Amhara, Oromia, Somali, Sidama, SNNP and Tigray) in English and seven mother-tongue languages. During its first three years, READ II supported 3,000 schools in more than 70 woredas. Through a variety of proven techniques—including training teachers, school administrators, volunteer community literacy leaders, girls club coordinators and establishing reading camps—the program benefited 3,077,232 primary school students.

Then the pandemic struck, which pushed the out-of-school population from 13 percent in 2020 to 22 percent in 2021. READ II pivoted to address the crisis by developing in-person interventions and virtual technology responses – from distance learning through radio and TV and virtual training for teachers to establishing an IVR hotline to engage teachers, parents and school directors.

The outbreak of the Northern Ethiopia Conflict in November 2020 further exacerbated the learning crisis. More than 3.4 million students (1.7 million girls) are out of school in northern Ethiopia, the United Nations reported in February 2023, of which Tigray accounts for 2.3 million (1.8 million girls). More than 9,380 schools were damaged or destroyed.

Renamed as the READ II Education Recovery Activity, it supports more than half a million children in 1,156 conflict-affected primary schools in 90 districts. The activity provides teaching, learning and recreational materials to students, as well as basic school supplies, furniture and tents for schools and temporary learning centers to resume teaching and learning. READ II also supports regional and local back-to-learning campaigns through targeted campaigns, posters, radio public service announcements and mobile hotline push messages.

Program Achievements

Benefited 3,077,232 primary school students through proven techniques

READ II has made a tangible impact by directly benefiting 3,077,232 primary school students across Ethiopia. This achievement stems from the implementation of proven techniques, including comprehensive teacher training and the establishment of reading camps. These efforts have significantly enhanced the reading proficiency and educational experience of students, contributing to a brighter future for them and their communities.

Supported over half a million children in 1,156 conflict-affected primary schools

The READ II program has provided critical support to over half a million children enrolled in 1,156 primary schools affected by conflict in Ethiopia. By supplying essential teaching materials, such as books and educational resources, READ II ensures that these children can continue their education despite the challenges posed by conflict. This support is vital for maintaining educational continuity and preventing further disruptions to their learning journey.

Provided teaching, learning, and recreational materials, along with basic school supplies, furniture, and tents for schools

In response to the urgent needs of conflict-affected schools, READ II has delivered comprehensive support, including teaching, learning, and recreational materials. Additionally, the program has supplied basic school supplies, furniture, and tents to ensure that educational activities can continue in a conducive environment. These provisions not only facilitate teaching and learning but also contribute to the overall well-being and safety of students and teachers amidst challenging circumstances.

Trained teachers and community leaders on psychological first aid, psychological support, and social-emotional learning

Recognizing the importance of psychological well-being in the learning process, READ II has conducted extensive training sessions for teachers and community leaders. These sessions cover essential topics such as psychological first aid, psychological support, and social-emotional learning. By equipping educators and community leaders with these skills, the program aims to create a supportive environment that fosters resilience and emotional growth among students, enhancing their overall educational experience.

Integrated child protection through screening, in-school psychological support services, and referral systems

Child protection is a core priority of the READ II program, especially in contexts affected by conflict and crisis. Through systematic integration, the program conducts screening for vulnerable children, provides in-school psychological support services, and establishes robust referral systems. These efforts ensure that children receive the protection and support they need to thrive academically and emotionally, safeguarding their well-being amidst challenging circumstances.

Ask the Experts: The rule of law in Latin America

February 1, 2018

By Jenny Murphy

5 min read

Insights from Don Chisholm, Director of the Justice and Citizen Security Office at USAID Mexico.

The rule of law can be easily shaken when the justice sector is unable to deliver services, when criminal groups wield political influence, when citizen security is threatened or when corruption undermines governments.

Many countries struggle when these issues compound and feed into one another, causing an overall deterioration in the rule of law.

For example, facing low marks in criminal justice, constraints on government powers, corruption and other factors, Venezuela ranks the last of the 113 countries surveyed in the World Justice Project’s 2017-2018 Rule of Law Index.

Region-wide, 16 of the 30 indexed countries Latin America and the Caribbean fall in the bottom 50 percent globally. The factors across which Latin American and Caribbean countries struggle most include order and security, criminal justice and civil justice.

To talk more in-depth about the unique rule of law challenges facing Latin America and the Caribbean, I spoke with Don Chisholm, Director of the Justice and Citizen Security Office at the U.S. Agency for International Development in Mexico.

The following are excerpts of our exchange, the second part in a series of interviews with fellow rule of law experts and practitioners. To read the first part, an interview with Hamid Khan, Deputy Director of the Rule of Law Collaborative at the University of South Carolina, click here. To learn more about Creative’s Rule of Law work, click here.

Murphy: For a number of years, USAID, bilateral and multilateral donors have discussed rule of law trends. What do you see as trends of rule of law in Latin America?

Chisholm: I see the most important rule of law trend in Latin America being how to address impunity. The criminal justice reforms that swept through Latin America 20 to 25 years ago were mainly an expression of the increasing concern for human rights in the region. However, with the growing criminality over the last 15 years, the inability of the justice sector to deal with it, and the higher expectations of the citizens, impunity has become the foremost concern, and how to deal with it the most urgent need of the justice sector.

Murphy: How do these trends impact the design of programs moving forward?

Chisholm: It has several impacts. The term impunity needs to be defined and this requires a lot of input from many sides – from the host country, from NGOs, and from international partners. We should have programs that are specifically built to help our counterparts address impunity, while, of course, ensuring that they don’t roll over due process guarantees. Also, more than ever before, we need to look beyond our government counterparts and seek out other stakeholders who suffer from impunity or otherwise are eager to contribute; whether civil society, the private sector, academia or political parties.

Murphy: What is the role of justice service delivery toward rule of law development?

Chisholm: Sometimes, we think of impunity and the effectiveness of the justice sector only in terms of grand corruption, homicides, femicides, disappearances, extrajudicial executions, and other crimes that shock the conscience. However, far more important to citizens in their daily lives may be lower-level pervasive crime, such as simple assaults and robberies. In many cases, if the justice sector can’t deliver on addressing these quality-of-life crimes, it will take a significant toll on its legitimacy and, ultimately citizen perception of the strength of the rule of law.

Murphy: Why is understanding local culture so important for rule of law development?

Chisholm: Without understanding the local culture and dynamics, we fall into the trap of trying to impose models that have worked elsewhere. We have seen this at times in Latin America. An example would be the use of plea bargaining, a tool which is widely used in the U.S. and an essential part of the functioning of our justice system. However, given the history and presence of corruption in the justice sector in Latin America, the idea of prosecutors and public defenders reaching agreements (as opposed to fully litigating cases) raises a lot of concerns about fundamental fairness for citizens.

Obviously, what works in the U.S. may not work elsewhere. USAID and its implementing partners, both loaded with local expertise, are ideally positioned to ensure that local culture and dynamics are an inherent part of our rule of law programming. Our intimate knowledge of the local political dynamics, culture, and history allows us to operate successfully in what is essentially a political field.

Murphy: How do rule of law and crime and violence prevention overlap?

Chisholm: I think the biggest point of overlap between the two is in the area of juvenile justice. For instance, where countries have effective juvenile justice systems, young offenders are sent to jail. If they have access to cognitive behavioral therapy and vocational training while in jail – the hallmarks of crime and violence prevention programs – studies have shown that they’re far less likely to commit crimes once they’re out of jail. So functioning together effectively, the rule of law and crime and violence prevention mechanisms can pull youth criminals off of the streets and then make it far less likely they’ll continue being criminals.

Murphy: What can government and civil society groups do to support rule of law in challenging environments?

Chisholm: This question acknowledges the limits of being able to promote the rule of law where, for instance, government and civil society actors are in danger because of their efforts. This was the context I saw on a trip to a Western African country almost 10 years ago. Given the violence between different competing groups in that country, no prosecutors wanted to tackle sensitive cases that went to the core of this violence. However, I noticed after sitting in a day of hearings in the criminal courts that the justice sector was effectively dealing with intra-family violence cases. It made sense – none of these cases touched upon the interests of the elite.

The lesson learned for me was that we should look for opportunities to support the government and civil society in challenging environments wherever they can work, even if it doesn’t seem like it will immediately have a significant impact. Small, incremental improvements are an important piece of the puzzle to generate larger-scale sustainable impact.

Murphy: What do you predict will be the biggest challenge to rule of law development around the globe in the next three to five years?

Chisholm: The independence of justice sector institutions is critical for the success of justice systems that can investigate, prosecute, and adjudicate crimes against anyone, regardless of their wealth, power, or position. Justice systems throughout the world struggle to carve out and maintain this independence.

In many places in Latin America, the penetration of justice sector institutions by organized crime or the sway held over these institutions by the political elite make independence difficult. Given the fragility of these institutions and the growing lack of confidence in them by citizens, I think efforts to build or retain this independence will be even more difficult and will need sustained engagement of civil society and private sector actors.

New project to boost literacy for 15 million Ethiopian children

January 31, 2018

3 min read

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Building on a successful partnership to improve reading achievement, the Government of Ethiopia and the U.S. Agency for International Development have launched a new initiative to raise the reading proficiency of 15 million children.

The five-year READ II project, funded by USAID, will boost the quality of literacy instruction and student support, reaching out to children at risk of failure and dropout caused by cognitive, emotional and physical effects of hunger, violence, and displacement.

READ II seeks to better equip teachers with effective early grade reading instruction techniques and materials in seven mother-tongue languages and English, while simultaneously building a culture of reading in the school, home and community.

The project is implemented by Creative Associates International, along with its core partners Education Development Center and World Vision. The program will collaborate closely with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Education, a critical partner for the program’s success, says Leland Kruvant, President and CEO of Creative.

“To create lasting success in improving literacy instruction, we have to work within the systems and make them even stronger. Our Ministry partners are key,” he says.

Despite gains in enrollment and improvements in education quality in recent years, 2016 USAID early grade reading assessments showed that 34 percent of Ethiopian students in grade 2 were unable to read a single word of a grade-level story, while 48 percent could not answer one comprehension question.

By addressing these gaps in early grade reading education, the project is also working to chart a positive future for the country’s development.

“Mastering the fundamentals of early grade reading provides a foundation for success for the rest of school and life,” says Karen Tietjen, Director of Instruction Systems and Governance at Creative. “By focusing on these early grades, we aspire to create lifelong learners who will contribute to their family, community and country.”

The project will initially roll out its enhanced model in 3,000 schools across 50 districts, ultimately expanding a basic model to reach the targeted 15 million learners.

A holistic, evidence-based approach

The READ II project will work to improve support and delivery systems for early grade reading at every level.

To meet the needs of all learners, including girls and vulnerable students, the project will enable teachers, communities, and parents to support the whole child through differentiated instruction; a safe, friendly school environment; sufficient materials; and activities to improve learning, engagement, and wellbeing.

While pre- and in-service teachers will be the target of an enhanced early grade reading instructional package – including support for teaching techniques and classroom management – the project will also create support systems at the school and district level to provide teachers with critical ongoing coaching, monitoring and learning opportunities.

The project will also engage the community and parents to build a culture of reading both in school, in the community and at home, working with youth volunteers to lead extra-curricular reading activities.

To ensure that students’ access to education and learning is not interrupted during times of crisis, the project seeks to establish a systemic approach to identify and rapidly respond to student and household needs.

To monitor progress, the project will support the schools and districts to establish ongoing technology-based data collection and analysis so that education officials and administrators can quickly identify challenges and take action to meet the needs of teachers and learners.

Ministry leadership for long-term success

With an eye toward sustainability and scaling up the approach nationally, the Ministry of Education will play the lead role in the project’s roll-out.

Creative and its partners will work as one team with the Ministry across six regional offices and Addis Ababa, to ensure that program interventions are embedded in Ministry systems. The project will support the Ministry to develop and implement a reading-supportive policy and framework grounded in best practices.

New education policy briefs to help improve learning in Nigeria

January 26, 2018

By Boco Abdul

4 min read

A new policy brief series offers Nigerian policymakers and education officials evidence-based policy recommendations to improve the conditions to increase early grade reading outcomes.

The three briefs – which focus on the global best practices of reading programs often referred to as the “5 Ts” (Teaching, Time, Tongue, Text and Testing) – provide recommendations for:

The briefs are based on evidence gathered from monitoring and evaluation, Early Grade Reading Assessment results and the analysis of existing policies at the federal and state level.

In collaboration with federal and state government partners, the Northern Education Initiative Plus project developed and presented the three policy briefs at Policy Action Planning workshops in Nigeria’s Bauchi and Sokoto states in December 2017.

They are one piece of the U.S. Agency for International Development-funded project’s efforts to support formal and non-formal schools in Bauchi and Sokoto states to improve the reading skills of more than 2 million primary grade learners. It is implemented by Creative Associates International and other partners, including Education Development Center, Florida State University and Overseas Strategic Consulting.

Paving a path forward through policy

At the Policy Action Planning workshops, the project’s early grade reading experts presented a number of policy recommendations for long-term improvements to basic education, particularly for early grade reading.

“The presentation of the policy briefs in the workshops sparked concern among the stakeholders,” says Joy du Plessis, Senior Reading Specialist at Creative. “In order to achieve the goal of children being able to read in Hausa in the early grades, the education systems in northern Nigeria needs further strengthening.”

The participants in the workshops included representatives from the Federal Ministry of Education, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, State Ministries of Education, Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, State Ministries of Education, State Universal Basic Education Boards and Local Government Education Authorities.

Mansur Abubakar, Director of Planning, Research and Statistics on the Bauchi State Universal Basic Education Board, says the policy briefs include critical information that will help guide the next steps in improving early grade education in the state.

“The Policy Action Planning workshops identified many issues with our schools that we knew existed but had not researched on or had no evidence to back them,” says Abubakar. “We now understand that an effective reading program requires a deliberate and systemic approach.”

Abubakar says the policy briefs are informing efforts to place teachers in areas where they are needed most, reallocate resources based on evidence and ensure early grade reading reform efforts can be sustained.

Moving forward, federal and state governments will reform teacher education at pre- and in-service levels to attract qualified teachers into the school system, address teacher absenteeism, and increase instructional time. They also will support the Federal Ministry of Education’s policy of teaching young students all subjects in the local language of Hausa.

“We now have an action plan, allocating responsibility to the different actors,” says Abubakar.

Reshaping policy to boost education

The workshops and policy briefs complement the Northern Education Initiative Plus project’s overall efforts to reform Nigeria’s education system.

“The workshops built on previous activities conducted by the project in the policy arena including policy mapping, developing the reading policy framework and holding reading policy dialogues,” says du Plessis.

She adds that the project has presented the briefs to all key stakeholders with a focus on concerete actions that will not only improve early grade reading and the transition to English but also primary education more generally.

Over the last two years, the education project has acheived some key policy shifts in education. For example, both Bauchi and Sokoto state education officials agreed to amend the first to third grade school timetable from five to ten periods per week to teach Let’s Read! (Mu Karanta! in Hausa) lessons, the curriculum developed by the project. The books equip grade 1 to 3 students to read in their local language of Hausa.

The project is also assisting the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, the agency responsible for curriculum development, to develop a road map for designing a National Reading Framework.

To continue the progress, the project’s reading policy experts presented memos in support of making Early Grade Reading part of the national curriculum before the the Joint Consultative Council on Education, Nigeria’s second highest decision making body on education.

Education Crisis Response: Healing communities, one classroom at a time

January 19, 2018

1 min read

Education can be a source of healing and stability during conflict. At the height of violent extremists’ attacks in northern Nigeria, more than 2.5 million people were forced to flee their homes. With more than 1 million children among the victims, a clear path forward was needed to ensure learning continued in a safe environment.

Over the last three years, the Education Crisis Response project has responded to this need by providing more than 80,000 displaced or out-of-school children and youth with basic literacy and numeracy skills and psychosocial support in safe and supportive environments, called non-formal learning centers. The project was funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented by Creative Associates International, the International Rescue Committee, the Nigerian government and local non-governmental organizations.

As the project comes to a close, look inside the communities that made it possible for learners to find a brighter path forward.

Nigeria: Delivering stability & hope through education

January 11, 2018

1 min read

Expanding access to education opportunities for vulnerable, displaced students ages 6 to 17, the Nigeria Education Crisis Response project is responding to the devastation with hope. Through education, the project helps to provide a sense of stability to traumatized communities.

Somaliland: Supporting inclusive elections

January 10, 2018

1 min read

In Somaliland’s 2017 presidential election, women played critical roles as voters, poll workers, and political party agents. USAID’s Bringing Unity, Integrity, and Legitimacy to Democracy project supports efforts to encourage voters to engage in the electoral process.

Local language in the spotlight in multilingual Mozambique

January 10, 2018

By Leopoldino Jerónimo

5 min read

For Armando Silvestre, a retired teacher and trainer in bilingual education, teaching children in their mother tongue language is a crucial part of preserving Mozambican culture and respecting personal identities.

“I sadly remember in the past, when we were forbidden to speak in our local language,” says Silvestre. “There were jokes made about our origins, cultures, languages and local names.”

Armando Silvestre listening in classroom. — Armando Silvestre says his major motivation is to ensure that disadvantaged children living in rural areas learn to read and write in their own local languages and in Portuguese. Photos by: Leopoldino Jerónimo

Mozambique has more than 20 local languages spoken in its 10 provinces but Portuguese remains the official language of instruction in the majority of schools.

Frequently called to facilitate teacher trainings, Silvestre is one of 123 instructors who was trained last month in Nampula, Mozambique, on how to effectively train primary schools teachers to teach local language literacy. Along with the other trained instructors, Silvestre will apply the newly acquired training skills this month, working with teachers in 21 districts in two provinces: Nampula and Zambézia.

Along with the Ministry of Education and Human Development and experts from the Eduardo Mondlane University and other partner organizations, the trainings are organized by Let’s Read! (Vamos Ler! in Portuguese), a five-year early grade reading program aiming to improve the reading and writing skills of more than 800,000 children.

The program is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development and implemented by Creative Associates International, in close partnership with World Education, Inc., Overseas Strategic Consulting, American Institutes for Research and blueTreeGroup.

Silvestre says his major motivation is to receive more relevant and specific bilingual education training to ensure that disadvantaged children living in rural areas learn to read and write in their own local languages and in Portuguese.

When a child who speaks a local language at home enters a classroom where lessons are in Portuguese, he struggles to understand what the teacher is explaining. This learning barrier often results in illiteracy and overall low academic performance.

“I am focused on learning more about my language so that I can enable children to learn,” he proudly shares. “I’m looking forward to starting my work right away to train the teachers who will in return train the doctors and specialists of tomorrow.”

Sharing expertise to improve bilingual education

The teacher training is building off of similiar collaborative efforts to draw local language expertise from education professionals.

Language and education experts from five countries recently gathered at the second annual National Conference on Bilingual Education on Nov. 16-17, 2017, in Maputo, to share lessons learned on applying early grade reading and teaching methodolgies throughout the country.

Organized by the Ministry of Education in collaboration with Let’s Read!, the symposium focused on sharing experiences on several subjects, including literacy transfer and transition from the local language to the second language of instruction, teacher training, monitoring and evaluation, community and parent engagement, as well as expansion strategies for bilingual education to other geographic areas.

The Minister of Education and Human Development Conceita Sortane, Ph.D., opened the discussion and urged the more than 150 attendees to begin supporting the bilingual education program that the Ministry is currently implementing and expanding over the next four years.

Sortane urged the syposium attendees—bilingual education researchers, linguists, teachers and representatives of education-focused organizations from Finland, Malawi, Mozambique, the United Kingdom and Zambia—to share experiences to improve education in Mozambique.

She highlighted the importance of preserving national values, identities, languages and culture as global societies emerge through increased access to the internet and technology.

Rethinking language policy in a post-colonial era

Portuguese was the only allowed language during the country’s colonial period. Mozambican languages were denied as a tool for knowledge sharing and enjoying a common culture or background, education experts highlighted.

Symposium participants reflected on this learning barrier to better understand why children in Mozambique have not received a quality education.

The symposium discussion on effective bilingual education approaches focused on four main themes: 1) the Mozambican political framework for bilingual education; 2) Applied models of bilingual education; 3) In-service teacher training; and 4) Materials development for and monitoring of bilingual education.

The first symposium panel on the country’s political framework on bilingual was moderated by Armindo Ngunga, Ph.D., the Vice Minister of the Minister of Education and Human Development. Marcelino Liphola, Ph.D, bilingual education activist, also joined the panel discussion to highlight the use of African languages for classroom instruction.

“It is my dream to teach a child in his or her own language so that he or she is an active part of change in the educational development process in Mozambique, with more confidence and wisdom,” said Liphola. She urged other participants to demand the standardization and ratification of all African languages.

Liphola explained that the suppression of local languages neglects local identities. For example, many local names were forcibly changed to represent Portuguese language and heritage.

In a lively discussion, participants noted that in many Southern Africa countries colonial languages are still used in classroom instruction and national curricula have not fully embraced a bilingual education system post-independence.

“Linguistic policies that privilege colonial languages as an exclusive means of instruction push children away from school, and from their family where they learned all about their community, the local skills and vocabulary to express themselves,” shared Liphola, who highlighted that more than 221 million children start school unable to understand the language used in the classroom.

“Today, I am more than happy to share a common ground of understanding with other scholars and researchers that education is not only teaching a child to learn in a foreign language,” he said. “But fluency in and control of the child’s own language builds the foundation and the confidence to express themselves and helps to eliminate barriers that slow down human development and feed poverty cycles.”

At the end of the symposium, Vice-Minister Ngunga expressed that the Ministry of Education will expand bilingual education through a decentralization process in which the provinces and districts are fully involved in the implementation and monitoring of bilingual education to gain better quality education results.

In her closing speech, Sortane reiterated the importance of local languages, “Our national languages represent who we are and what we can achieve. Without them, we hardly can be, let alone express ourselves.”

With editing by Natalie Lovenburg and the Let’s Read! (Vamos Ler!) program team.

Providing Enough Instructional Time for Children to Learn to Read

January 9, 2018

Improving the Teaching of Early Grade Reading & the Transition to English

January 9, 2018

Learning to Read in Hausa and the Transition to English

January 9, 2018

Tanzania: Greater Resilience through Enhanced Analysis

December 14, 2017