• Amhara launches program to enroll 7.4M children in 2025–26
• $800M allocated for school repairs, 10,000 teachers mobilized
• Aims to cut child labor, early marriage, boost job readiness

The Amhara Regional Education Bureau announced Monday, August 25, that it is launching a new program to enroll 7.4 million children for the 2025-2026 school year. According to local press, the initiative mobilizes more than 10,000 recently trained teachers, with support from the Ministry of Education.

The plan also includes a budget of approximately $800 million to renovate damaged infrastructure. Local awareness campaigns, using slogans like "No child should be left out of school," aim to convince families to send their children back to school.

This project comes amid a crisis in the region's education system. The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) reported that more than 4 million children in Amhara were out of school in 2024, the highest figure in the country. School closures due to conflict, the impact of droughts and floods, and the shuttering of more than 4,000 institutions have exacerbated educational inequality.

The expected impact on the population is significant. Mass enrollment should reduce child labor, a major issue in Ethiopia. Programs like E-FACE (Ethiopians Fighting Against Child Exploitation) have shown that access to education sharply decreases children's participation in dangerous work. It is also expected to curb early marriages and adolescent pregnancies –phenomena closely linked to a lack of education. A 2023 study published in the journal Public Affairs by researchers from the University of California, Berkeley, showed that free secondary education in Ethiopia significantly reduces the risk of marriage and pregnancy before the age of 18.

In parallel, enhanced instruction in reading, math, and digital skills will better prepare young people for the local and regional job markets. Targeted training programs, such as the Urban Productive Safety Net and Jobs Project (UPSNJP), have been shown to improve employability, increase income, and offer greater financial autonomy to youth. On a regional scale, these gains will help stimulate the economy and foster social inclusion, limiting forced migration and inequality.

Félicien Houindo Lokossou