A transformative milestone has been achieved in the Qonga community, Yirgachefe District, Gedio Zone, South Ethiopia Regional State. The construction of Qonga Secondary School has been completed by Imagine1day through the generous support of the Costa Foundation and the local community contribution, whose participation has fostered a strong sense of ownership and commitment to the school’s future.
The newly completed school includes two classroom blocks with four classrooms each, one laboratory block, one library block, one Menstrual Hygiene Management (MHM) room, four latrine blocks; two gender segregated blocks for students and two gender segregated blocks for teachers, and a clean water supply system. Qonga Secondary School stands as a representative of inclusion, safety, and opportunity for hundreds of children.
Before this project, there was no secondary school in the Qonga community. Students graduating from eight surrounding primary schools were expected to attend Chefe Secondary School, located 14 kilometers away. For many children, particularly girls, this meant walking nearly four hours each day through forested areas, exposing them to significant safety risks. As a result, many female students dropped out after Grade 8, while others never had the opportunity to continue their education.
The completion of Qonga Secondary School brought an end to this reality. It will serve approximately 613 students from the eight surrounding primary schools. By bringing education closer to home, the school will ensure greater safety, improve retention, and reduce dropout rates. Families will also benefit economically by avoiding the costs associated with dormitory rentals, transportation, and additional living expenses for their children.
Access to clean water within the school compound will help protect students from waterborne diseases, while the MHM room will provide a supportive and dignified environment for adolescent girls. Most importantly, the school addresses one of the major barriers preventing girls from continuing their education. For many parents, concerns about gender-based violence and other risks associated with sending their daughters far from home have often outweighed their ability to support them financially. With a secondary school now within their community, those concerns have been significantly reduced.
A Joint Mission to Witness Transformative Change in Schools: MAEIP Donor Monitoring Visit
From May 6–8, 2026, imagine1day facilitated a joint monitoring visit to schools participating in the Modeling, Accountability, and Effective Instruction Program (MAEIP). The visit brought together representatives from the Norwegian Embassy, UNICEF Country Office, UNICEF Hawassa Field Office, Light for the World, and government officials to assess progress across the program’s key intervention areas. Norwegian embassy is back-donor for the project, UNICEF provided technical assistance to the implementing partners and Light for the world has been leading the inclusive education.
The team visited one non-project primary school and two project-supported schools to observe teaching and learning practices and compare student learning outcomes. The visit highlighted encouraging progress in the targeted schools, where students benefiting from the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach demonstrated improved foundational literacy and numeracy skills, including enhanced reading, writing, and mathematical competencies. The observations reinforced the effectiveness of targeted interventions in improving learning outcomes and supporting children’s academic development.
Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL): Strengthening Foundational Learning
The visit confirmed that the Teaching at the Right Level (TaRL) approach is being implemented across all target schools. This evidence-based methodology has significantly improved students’ foundational literacy and numeracy skills. Members of the visiting delegation consistently recognized TaRL as one of the most effective approaches for accelerating learning and helping students build the foundational skills necessary for academic success. The delegation also reviewed progress under the School Improvement Plan (SIP), which focuses on four key domains: teaching and learning, school environment, leadership, and community participation.
Investments in educational resources, school furniture, leadership training for Parent-Student-Teacher Association (PSTA) members, and community mobilization initiatives were observed across schools. Together, these efforts are creating more conducive learning environments and contributing to stronger educational outcomes.
Community Engagement: Building a Foundation for Student Success
Community participation continues to play a vital role in improving educational outcomes. Community dialogue sessions, positive parenting skills education, and broader community engagement initiatives have strengthened support for children’s education and reinforced the shared responsibility of ensuring every child succeeds. These efforts have contributed to improved school attendance, increased enrollment, and stronger collaboration between schools, families, and communities.
Child protection interventions remain a cornerstone of the MAEIP project. Activities focused on reunifying separated children, increasing community awareness of child rights, and providing Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) services to vulnerable children have yielded significant results.
These interventions have helped bring out-of-school children back into classrooms, reduce dropout rates, and increase school enrollment. Beyond protection, they are directly contributing to improved learning outcomes by ensuring that children are safe, supported, and able to participate fully in their education. The monitoring visit reinforced a powerful lesson: improving learning outcomes requires more than standalone classroom instruction. Effective teaching methods, strong school leadership, active community engagement, child protection services, and supportive learning environments are all interconnected to enable children to thrive. The progress observed across MAEIP schools demonstrates that a holistic approach to education is essential for creating lasting and meaningful change in the lives of children.
Empowering Schools with Digital Data Management for Better Educational Outcomes
Imagine1day, through the Leaders in Teaching Ethiopia (LiTE) Program, delivered a large-scale Education Management Information System (EMIS) capacity-building initiative across South Ethiopia, Tigray, and Oromia from May 22–29, 2026. ICT teachers, EMIS experts, education office representatives, trainers, and LiTE staff attended the training to strengthen digital data management, reporting, and evidence-based decision-making across the education system.
A total of 179 participants were trained through seven cluster centers across the three regions, creating a stronger foundation for school-level data management and educational planning. The training reached 94 participants in South Ethiopia, 50 in Tigray, and 35 in Oromia, demonstrating broad regional coverage and commitment to strengthening data-driven education systems.
The training aimed to strengthen participants’ understanding of EMIS policies, frameworks, data privacy, user roles, data collection, validation, reporting, and the use of educational data for planning and accountability. Participants also developed practical skills in school-level data management, dashboard utilization, and evidence-based decision-making.
The learning experience combined interactive presentations, live demonstrations, practical computer-based exercises, group discussions, problem-solving activities, and pre- and post-training assessments. This participatory approach enabled participants to practice real-world EMIS tasks and gain hands-on experience using education data management tools.
South Ethiopia: Advancing Digital Education Management
The South Ethiopia training was delivered through the cluster centers of Wolaita Sodo, Arba Minch, and Jinka, reaching 94 participants, including ICT teachers, zonal EMIS experts, ZED heads, trainers from REB and ZED, and LiTE staff. Participants received practical training on EMIS digitization, user management, data submission and approval processes, dashboard utilization, KPI and data queries, GIS and school location mapping, and reporting systems. To further support educators, additional digital resources were shared, including the Youth Pathway Telegram Group, Grade 12 online examination videos, tutorial platforms, and EMIS reference materials. The region demonstrated remarkable learning gains. Before the training, 61% of participants scored 50% or below on assessments. Following the training, no participant scored below 50%. Participants scoring above 70% increased from 22% to 68%, while those scoring between 81% and 100% rose from 19% to 47%, highlighting substantial improvement in knowledge and practical skills.
Tigray: Strengthening Practical EMIS Skills
In Tigray, the training was conducted at Axum Secondary School and Adigrat at Agaazi Secondary School, reaching 50 ICT teachers and woreda-level participants.
The sessions focused on EMIS access and navigation, school data entry and updating, reporting, data quality, privacy, troubleshooting, and follow-up responsibilities. Practical exercises and demonstrations enabled participants to build confidence in managing school data and supporting EMIS implementation within their institutions. Assessment results showed positive learning progress, with participants moving into higher performance categories after the training. Feedback collected from trainees reflected strong satisfaction, with an overall training rating of 4.06 out of 5, and all respondents who answered the readiness question indicated they were prepared to apply their learning in practice.
Oromia: Driving Accountability and Data Utilization
The Oromia training was conducted in Bale Robe and Shashamane, reaching 35 participants from Bale, East Bale, Arsi, and West Arsi zones. The training was officially inaugurated by regional and PMU leadership and concluded with commitment agreements and certificate awards to participants. Training sessions emphasized the national EMIS framework, educational data collection and entry, analysis, reporting, data quality assurance, and the use of education data for planning and decision-making. Assessment results demonstrated significant progress. Participants scoring 70% and above increased from 23 during the pre-test to 34 during the post-test, while those scoring 90% and above increased from 13 to 20 participants. These results underscore the effectiveness of practical and hands-on learning approaches.
Turning Data into Better Learning Outcomes
Across all three regions, participants strengthened their understanding of EMIS concepts, data quality standards, reporting systems, and digital data management processes. Through practical exercises, participants gained hands-on experience in data entry, validation, approval processes, dashboard utilization, reporting, and troubleshooting. The initiative also strengthened coordination among regional and zonal education offices, PMU staff, and LiTE teams, creating a stronger ecosystem for EMIS implementation. The training further equipped teachers with digital learning resources that can be shared within their schools, helping to expand the impact beyond the immediate participants. Commitment agreements and certification processes reinforced accountability and encouraged participants to apply their learning within their institutions.
While the program achieved significant success, participants identified areas requiring continued support, including connectivity challenges, ICT infrastructure limitations, varying levels of digital literacy, and the need for additional practice and refresher training. These insights will guide future investments in mentoring, technical support, equipment, and ongoing professional development.
Looking Ahead
The EMIS training initiative marks an important milestone in strengthening digital education data management under the LiTE Program. By empowering educators and education leaders with the skills to collect, manage, analyze, and use quality data, the program is laying the groundwork for more informed planning, stronger accountability, and improved educational outcomes.
As schools continue to implement their learning, ongoing mentoring, refresher training, improved connectivity, and strengthened ICT infrastructure will be provided to sustain momentum and ensure that quality education data drives decision-making at every level of the education system.