I was in Addis for a USAID conference for education officers in Africa, and it was great to meet others that do the same job as I do, in other countries. There were some great folks from DC there as well--including some old friends!--who helped us understand some of the systems better. Overall, a good time.. and of course, I ate more than my fill of injera!
The best part, by far, was the morning we spent visiting two primary schools. The 3rd and 4th graders whose classes I observed briefly were inspiring. They read over 60 words per minute in English and Amharic (two different scripts)! Better than what I can do for sure!! Compared to Congo, where more than 60 percent of 3rd graders cannot read one word, it was good to see schools that are working. We have some important work to do here in DRC!!
little ones
The coffee ceremony they did for us
Amharic
Teachers wear white coats in Ethiopia!
reading out loud
saying good bye!
The classes we saw had about 30 students each, I was talking with a colleague from Malawi said that many of their classes had as many as 180 children. There is still a huge lack of teachers. Can you imagine?? 180 to 1?? Let's keep working for the future of these kids!!
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