ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (World Bank) – The Ethiopian Government and the World Bank on March 14 officially launched the General Education Quality Improvement Program (GEQIP).

The project aims to support Ethiopia’s effort to improve the quality of general education through, among other things, improvements in teaching and learning conditions in primary and secondary institutions as well as management planning and budget capacity of the Ministry of Education and Regional Education Bureaus. Specific activities include a Teacher Development Program; curriculum, textbooks and assessment; education management information systems; and a school improvement program.

The program is supported by an International Development Association credit of US$50 million which is the first part of a two-phased Adaptable Program Loan, a loan that provides the borrower phased support for a long-term development program, and will leverage an estimated collective investment of US$417 million in additional resources from the Government and other development partners.

Around 16 million students in primary and secondary schools as well as 225,000 teachers are expected to benefit from the GEQIP.

Speaking at the launching ceremony, Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles Zenawi stated that in addition to leveraging additional support, the program will also contribute to effectively achieving the education quality improvement goal. He reaffirmed the governments’ commitment to not only expanding education across the country, but to improving the quality of education.

During the launch event, the World Bank’s Country Director for Ethiopia Kenichi Ohashi indicated that Ethiopia is on the right track to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in the education sector and expressed appreciation for the efforts being made by the Ethiopian government to ensure quality education for all.