Leave a Legacy
Support the Construction of Jihur Secondary School
July, 2008

“..All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth.” Aristotle

1. Introduction: The origin of the project –demand driven
In June 2006, Hope through Education (HtE) – an NGO registered in the State of Maryland with a tax exempt status under section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code- sent a team to the Debre Berhan area to identify, for inclusion in its three-year work program, community-driven projects that focus on education. The team was examining several project ideas when community leaders and district authorities brought to its attention the urgent need for a secondary school in Jihur town, some 20kms from Enewari and about 80kms from Debre Berhan. They informed the team that the community has already acquired land for the school and obtained official approvals from the district and the Ministry of Education. They made a passionate appeal for help.

The team was convinced that the project meant a lot for the community. It would empower the children of Jihur and the surrounding areas and give them hope for the future. It agreed to mobilize support for the project and subsequently prepared a pledging document based on information compiled from the field visits and meetings with community elders, the Jihur Elementary School Director, teachers and district officials.

The pledging document was presented to support groups, in California, Atlanta and Washington DC. The reaction from these groups was very positive. As at end of April 2008, individual pledges reached USD 46,000.

The meetings of the support groups emphasized that:

The community should demonstrate strong ownership and commitment,

• The Executive Committee should be very sensitive to overhead expenses,
• More support groups should be established for fund raising activities, and
• A website should be created and the coordinator of support groups should be asked to manage the website.

Measures have been taken on all of the above. In particular, an executive committee was elected by the community to take full responsibility for the implementation of the project. The Committee comprises ten well known individuals of the community currently residing in Addis and Jihur. The Committee is now fully operational.

Further, the Executive Committee with the help of the local administration has undertaken the following:

• Engineering drawings and bidding documents,
• Competitive bidding for local contractors,
• Negotiation and finalization of contract with the winning bidder, and
• Commencement of construction work.

The school construction work started in October, 2007 using donated funds collected so far – about USD 35,000. The total cost of the project is estimated to be USD 250, 000.

This revised pledging document is prepared on behalf of the Executive Committee for use for a second round of pledges – this time for a wider circle of Ethiopians, friends of Ethiopia and donor organizations. The document gives an overview of the state of education in Ethiopia and a brief justification for the project. It reminds that thousands of children of the community are waiting for the opportunity that education brings and argues that, if implemented, the project will have a big developmental impact. It appeals to Ethiopians and the friends of Ethiopia not to keep the children of Jihur waiting much longer.

2. Education: a basic human right and investment with high returns potential 1

Education is not only a basic human right; it is a path to a future. It is unquestionably the most important form of human resource development, in several senses. In the words of the G8: ‘Education is at the heart of human progress. Economic and social prosperity in the 21st century depend on the ability of nations to educate all members of their societies to be prepared to thrive in a rapidly changing world’ –St Petersburg, July 16, 2006, G 8 Summit.

Many studies support the idea that human resource development has an important bearing on economic growth. It does this by increasing labor productivity. Education and income are highly correlated at both the individual and country levels. Individuals and countries all over the world recognize this correlation and try to obtain the best possible schooling for their children and nationals.

3. Ethiopia – one of the largest and poorest countries in Africa with 43% of the population less than 15 years old– needs your help

Ethiopia has a population of 67 million people but 44% of them live below the national poverty line. Income per capita head is only $100 per annum, and most health and education indicators are significantly worse than the average for sub-Saharan Africa. Under UNDP’s HDI ranking, Ethiopia ranks 168th, at the near bottom of 173 countries. Average life expectancy is 42 years in 2000 and is falling due to HIV/AIDS epidemic.

1 Some studies estimate the social and private returns of secondary education as 18% and 28% respectively –higher than returns from physical capital.

Poverty in Ethiopia is a predominantly rural phenomenon with almost 90% of poor people found in rural areas. In many highland areas as well as the large pastoralist area, productivity had declined in large parts due to increased population density and environmental degradation.

The population of Ethiopia is young, with more than 43% of the population less than 15 years of age in 2000. Educating the youth would therefore have immediate high returns. It would empower the youth to take charge of their lives and make more informed choices. It would contribute to the building of a democratic society, increase earning potential and social mobility.

4. Education in Ethiopia: troubling conditions – urgent action needed

In Ethiopia, the conditions under which learning takes place are troubling:

• Student/teacher ratio averages 68 pupils per teacher nationwide -exceeds 100:1 in many areas. It is not uncommon to see single classes as many as 200 children jammed together on the dirt floor. Schools lack basic furnishings, including desks and chairs, textbooks and other learning materials. Tables are luxuries and text books are shared sometimes one for five.
• Low test achievement scores and completion rates especially for girls.

As a result there is a big concern in the quality of output of educated labor in both volume and skills mix.

In the past few years, there has been some progress in enrollment ratios – from 26% in 1991 to 74% in 2004 – but at the cost of fast deteriorating conditions at the classrooms. The trend in primary (1-6) gross enrollment rate (%) is as follows:

• 95/96 37.4
• 97/98 52.3
• 99/00 61.1
• 04/05 74.2

In the Amhara region, where the proposed project is located, the number of primary schools increased by only 1.5% whiles the number of secondary schools stayed flat.

Trends in Number of Schools in Amhara Region
primary school            secondary school
year            number     year     number
1997/98     2,760        1997/98     84
1998/99     2,819        1998/99     81
1999/00     2,895        1999/00     81
2000/01     2,928        2000/01     81
2001/02     2,975        2001/02     85

According to many experts and latest reports on the state of education sector in the Amhara Region, higher enrolment in primary education has put pressure on demand for more schools especially for secondary schools.2 Teacher and textbook shortages, poor school facilities, overcrowded classrooms, repetition and dropout rates, and declining scores on school exams suggest the declining quality of education. The student- textbook ratio varies within the region from 3:1 to 8:1. The shortage of science textbooks for grades 7 and 8 is acute. Students, principals and teachers all reported the serious inadequacies of text books and instruction materials and appealed for improvement of the conditions.

2 2005 Joint Government/Donor review of the Amhara Region Education Sector Program

The Government, very much aware of its limitations, has issued special guidelines for community participation in the management and financing of the education infrastructure. The Guideline identifies and describes the focus areas and terms of community participation. It allows communities to fully participate in the administration, budget allocation and the overall activities of the school system. It also gives exclusive decision-making power on all matters of the schools on the Kebele Education and Training Board.

5. Secondary Education – ‘the cornerstone of educational    systems’ – over crowded and under funded

Secondary education provides opportunities for economic and social development. Education experts argue that there are many reasons to invest in secondary education. ‘First, secondary education provides countries with the skills and knowledge essential for competing in the world economy. Second, secondary education helps to socialize young people and target at-risk youth. Third, secondary education yields considerable private returns, offering young people the chance to acquire attitudes and skills that are unlikely to be developed in the primary grades.’3

The secondary education system in Ethiopia comprises two cycles; the first cycle (9-10) focuses on general education while the second cycle (11-12) gives some focus on technical/vocational training to prepare students for higher education and/or for the job market.

High enrollments in the elementary school system, without a corresponding increase in the capacity of secondary schools, have created a serious pressure on the existing secondary school system. Expanding lower secondary education requires substantial resources and additional budgetary allocation from government. Out of the 118 districts (Woredas) in the Amhara region, 27 do not have secondary schools. The regional administration is increasingly aware of the magnitude of the problem and is considering different strategies to address the challenge. One of the strategies is to encourage participation of communities, NGOs and donors.

3 Secondary Educations in Africa, Jacob Bregman and Steffi Stallmeister

6. The Project Location and Rational

Jihur is a small struggling town located in the district of Morete and Jeru, Northern Shewa, Amhara Region. It is a town where there is little economic development; it has a collection of tukuls around two churches, one open market place and two bars that boast having beer and ‘areke.’ It has one elementary school that existed for over 50 years with virtually no major infrastructure update since then. The school has 2000 students but only 30 classrooms, 450 chairs, 30 teachers and no football field.

If and when students pass the elementary school exams their only opportunity for further education is the next town, which is about 20 kms. They have to make their own living and boarding arrangements and for a peasant family this is a big burden. The challenge is bigger for girls. With the living conditions as they are in rural communities the risk of HIV/AIDS infection and unwanted pregnancy is high. The dropout rate for girls is disturbingly high.

The Jihur School Project aims to improve the existing situation by first improving the education infrastructure of the elementary school and by building a new lower level secondary school in Jihur so that children from the area do not have to go to the next town. The community finds it a priority need and has already acquired a big plot of land close to the elementary school. The government has promised to provide teachers for the school if the community provides the school infrastructure.

7. The Scope of the Project –subject to review at the design stage

The scope of the project, as elaborated by the community and the local administration, is as follows:

student enrollment capacity     1,000
classrooms     20 (5 blocks)
toilets     3 (1 for boys, 1 for girls and 1 for teachers)
Administration building     4 rooms (one block)
laboratory     3 (biology, physics and chemistry)
library     one
Assembly hall     one
student desks     500
chairs     500
TV sets: distance learning     20
books     2,000
shelves     4
office equipment
computers     6
photo copier     2
chairs     30
tables     30
shelves     30
generator     1
laboratory chairs     150
laboratory tables     150
soccer field     1
Volleyball court     1
basketball court     1
sports equipment     1

8. The Project Sponsors

The project is owned and implemented by the community. The community has selected an Executive Committee that will be responsible for the project until it is completed and handed over to the Ministry of Education. The Executive Committee has appointed a project coordinator to follow the day to day activities. The Executive Committee is being assisted by HtE and its support groups, particularly in its fund raising campaigns. It will have an external auditor that prepares annual reports to be distributed to local and international donors. The Executive Committee will ensure that its administrative expenses will not exceed 15% of the total expenditure on the project.

9. The Management of the Project – transparent and participatory – will have a project implementation unit and staff

The project has a three-tier management structure:

• General Annual Meetings of the community, the apex decision-making body
• An Executive Committee, responsible for coordination and oversight
• A project implementation unit and staff, responsible for the day-to-day supervision of all implementation activities

The overall responsibility for the implementation of the project rests on the community through annual general meetings where progress made and constraints faced will be reported, and, an overall general direction given. The annual general meeting is open to all contributors regardless of size of contribution. The annual meetings will be announced through national papers and the website of the project.

The responsibility for overall monitoring and coordination of activities especially that of fund raising will be given to the Executive Committee and its support groups.

The Executive Committee will not involve itself in the day to day management of the project. It will delegate that responsibility to the project manager.

10. Project Implementation Plan – The way forward –a phased approach

Details on the phasing of the project have been prepared by the engineers that prepared the detailed engineering work. Construction of ninth grade classes and common facilities will be given priority.

The construction is expected to be completed in 2010. The target pledge between now and January 2009 is US 50,000 in addition to the US 46,000 already pledged.

11. The Message – A Plea for Action

Most development practitioners agree that the single most important key to development and poverty alleviation is education. We have identified a demand-driven and community-owned education project that is worthy of support. The Executive Committee needs your financial support to complete the construction of the school. We think it is a chance for all who want to be part of an effort to give back. Together, we can make a difference for the 2,000 elementary school students of Jihur.

Remember, by supporting this project you are enabling the poor young ‘flowers of today and seeds of tomorrow -yezare abebawetch yenege ferewoche.’ You are enabling them to equip themselves with the information, skills and confidence they need to change their lives by themselves.

Contribution can be made direct to the project account in the US: HtE – Jihur School Project, Account Number 4460 0301 4466, Bank of America, 6201 Old Dobbin Ln, Columbia, MD 21045.

Or

Make check to: HtE – Jihur School Project and mail to:
5161 Crestwood Ln,
Ellicott City, MD, 21043.

HtE- is a non profit organization and tax exempt from Federal income tax under section 501 (c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to HtE-Jihur School Project are deductible under section 170 of the code.

‘None of us got where we are solely by pulling ourselves up by our bootstraps. We got here because somebody – a parent, a teacher, an Ivy League crony or a few nuns – bent down and helped us pick our boots.’ – Thurmond Marshall