Ethiopia: After 3 years schools set to resume in conflict-hit Tigray region

Addis Ababa: In November 2020 the Ethiopian government began military operations in the Tigray region against the region’s ruling party, since then the school education has been halted, affecting the education amongst children.

In a relief for the students of Primary and secondary schools of Ethiopia's conflict-hit Tigray region, the registrations have begun for students after a three-year hiatus.

Tigray Education Bureau on Wednesday disclosed that primary and secondary schools in the region started registering students as they have finalized preparation to resume regular classes, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to Dagnaw Aytegeb, communication director of the Tigray Education Bureau, students from pre-school to 12th grade are registering as regular education is set to commence on May 2.

He said remedial classes will also be given to students to make up for the education time lost during the conflict.

According to recent figures from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), almost 85 per cent of schools in Tigray are either partially or severely damaged as a result of the two-year conflict and need rehabilitation.

The OCHA, in its situation update issued earlier this month, stressed that accelerated learning activities are required for children who have been out of school for more than three years in the Tigray region.

The resumption of schools, which followed the reinstitution of other basic services in the region that include telecommunication, banking and transportation, has come after a permanent cessation of hostilities agreement was signed on November 2, 2022, between the Ethiopian government and the Tigray People's Liberation Front.

According to the UN agency, about 411,000 school-age children (mostly among IDPs in West Gojam and Awi Zones of Amhara) in urgent need of basic services.