Enhancing access and ensuring quality education for all is becoming more important than ever in order to equip students with the required knowledge and skills, helping to develop critical thinking skills in students and produce innovative and competent citizens who are competitors not only at home but also in the global labor market landscape.
With this in mind, countries are investing hugely to access quality education for all and ensure that no one is left behind because without education, achieving social, health, economic and political progress is unthinkable.
Ethiopia is also working committedly to access quality education for all. Mainly, over the past two or three decades, impressive progress has been seen in the education sector. Schools, from kindergarten to primary, from elementary to secondary and universities, were opened across the country. As a result, the number of students has seen significant increases, even though ensuring quality still remains unresolved challenges.
To this end, currently, more efforts are exerted at national level. In this regard, Oromia State is also engaged in productive activities to equip the younger generation with essential knowledge and skills, improve the livelihood of the community as well as to play constructive role in nation building; joining hands with Oromia Development Association.
Recently, The Ethiopia Herald had a short stay with the General Director of Oromia Development Association (ODA) Dejene Eticha to learn more about the activities the Association is doing in accessing and ensuring education in the State.
According to him, ODA is a development promoter and has a vision to realize a country where its citizens are self-reliant and have access to sufficient food at all times. To this effect, the Association is engaged in a number of development activities that could improve the social and economic status of the people by provision of services at proximities.
"To attain the goal, we have mobilized resources from the community and public servants in various approaches. For instance, last week we held resource mobilization programs to support two special boarding schools in Adama and Bishoftu towns- ODA Special Boarding School Adama Branch and ODA Special Boarding School Bishoftu Branch.
At the fund raising programs, all administrations in the State had taken part and the Association was able to collect over 22 million Birr. As part of the support, 15 zones of Oromia State provided 938 quintals of teff, 50 quintals of sugar as well as 6 oxen and many more items."
ODA is strengthening its involvement in ensuring quality education for all through mobilizing resources because of the high return that education could bring to the State and the country.
"In our ten years' experience, we are able to produce international class students who are now active in the various disciplines. This tells us that if we act in unison, we can make a difference."
According to him, the two special boarding schools are run by the Association and it provides dining as well as dormitory services. Each facility, the lab, the library and the sport fields are fulfilled. Both boarding schools offer quality education in a manner meeting the international standards, as to him.
The effort should be strengthened because there are a number of gaps that should be addressed and resolved through mobilizing resources and promoting peace among the community. "We are hopeful that residents and public servants will keep on supporting the ODA. At this juncture, we would like to encourage the Diaspora community and the development partners further to extend their support in organized fashion."
As he stated, it is much more important now than before to keep on investing in education because education is the sole way to get out of poverty. "On behalf of the beneficiaries, we want to thank all parties who supported the ODA. We would like to remain a catalyst for development; we will succeed because the people are by our side.
As of now, the two boarding schools are providing education to students drawn from all parts of the State. It is also offering scholarship programs for those who passed the entrance exam. Over eight hundred students in both special boarding schools, one in Bishoftu Town from 9th to 10th graders and another in Adama Town from 11th to 12th graders, are attending their education.
The Association is also working with regular schools found in both towns in organizing special classes to ensure quality education and to feed the boarding schools with high performing students.
ODA Chairperson Aba Dulla Gemmeda on his part said that the boarding schools are becoming successful because they have been backed by the people from their inception to this day. "We are grateful for the backing of the people in every step and the leadership at each rank and level."
ODA is working to ensure quality education because the skilled workforce is a gear shifter to break the vicious circle of poverty. What matters a lot is the commitment of the people, development partners and the Diaspora community working with the Association, not the amount of items or financial pledge.
Education helped a number of countries to chart their own future. Countries that have invested in education registered remarkable results and transformed their living standard and lifestyle from poverty to prosperity.
According to the Chairperson, the support, both in items and finance, will be more if it is possible to ensure peace throughout the State. To arrest this challenge, ODA would like to invite everyone to promote peace and unity because through collective efforts, it is possible to create a harmonious and cohesive society that stands for justice, truth and development.
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He further noted the importance of engaging actively in mobilizing resources and building a sense of ownership as it could create collective spirit, reinforce social cohesion and bond among community members.
"We, all Ethiopians, should buckle up effort in ensuring lifelong learning and skill development. We can gain tremendous benefits. Through promoting education and providing opportunities for community members to learn new skills and emerging technology, we are able to empower individuals that could contribute effectively to society as well as to the continental and international labor market," he remarked.
According to documents, ODA is a non-profit association established with a task to back development and improve the lives of people in Oromia State through sustainable integrated community based programs primarily focusing on improving livelihoods, empowerment, health, education, food security, environment and natural resource conservation.
Since its establishment ODA has implemented more than 3,640 community development and relief programs and projects mainly focusing on health, education, livelihood, gender and environmental conservation.
