In Ethiopia, education gives students a pathway out of poverty, with students who are able to complete secondary education doubling their earning potential. Unfortunately, the pass rate on secondary school certification tests is under 4%, deflating the potential of students. A primary reason for the poor success rate of students is that this test is administered in English, and English language literacy across the country is low.
To drive change on a national issue, and in turn change the future of thousands of Ethiopians, the Barzilai Foundation is partnering with Together We Learn, an organization that has been improving outcomes for Ethiopian children since 1996. Together We Learn uses Jolly Phonics, a phonics-based approach to learning English that has proven to be dramatically effective among non-native speakers in other African countries.
“For these students to change their futures, they need to complete their education,” said Brandon Sosa, CEO of the Barzilai Foundation. “And for the students to be able to do that, we need to change the way English is taught to them.”
The potential impact of this partnership is tremendous. In the initial year, we will reach over 1,300 teachers and equip them with the new phonics-based curriculum. Those teachers will be teaching English with this curriculum to over 100,000 students each year, putting them in far better position to obtain that secondary school certification and set themselves up for higher education or a better-paying job out of school.
“We often see education being a path to realizing potential,” added Sosa. “However, the barriers preventing fulfillment of that potential are unique in each community we support. We are proud to launch programs that target the specific barrier facing this community and make a massive impact. Even improving that pass rate by one percent means that thousands of students will be on course for a brighter future. What a privilege to be part of that potential.”
“This program and the support from the Barzilai Foundation will make a massive difference,” added Caroline Walker, Chief Executive of Together We Learn. “The Ethiopian government knows this pass rate is a big problem, and they’ve been looking for a solution. If this goes as well as we anticipate, we could see this framework adopted as part of the government standard in education. That could affect an entire country and change the trajectory of its younger generation.”
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