Education is more than a classroom event. It is one of the strongest foundations for development, opportunity, and a better quality of life. It equips children with knowledge, skills, confidence, and the ability to contribute meaningfully to their communities and country.
But education requires sustained investment. Classrooms, teachers, learning materials, school facilities, training, and supportive learning environments, which require a fundamental amount of resources. When conflict and humanitarian crises strike, these investments can be severely disrupted, leaving children among the greatest victims.
This is the reality facing the Amhara Region of Ethiopia.
A Generation at Risk
Behind this number are millions of individual stories.
In the Amhara region, prolonged conflict and insecurity have severely disrupted education. According to the Amhara Regional Education Bureau, M&E expert Mezgebu Asmamaw, more than 3 million children did not enroll for three consecutive years, and more than 375,000 children dropped out of school in 2026. A significant number of schools have been damaged during the conflict.
Conflict and natural disasters have forced families to flee their homes, damaged and destroyed schools, displaced teachers, and interrupted teaching and learning. For many children, schools are no longer safe or fully functional to return to.
The consequences extend beyond education. The loss of livelihoods has increased poverty, pushing some children toward work and increasing their exposure to risks such as child marriage, child labor exploitation, and illegal migration.
Children who have experienced violence, displacement, and loss of family may also carry psychological and emotional wounds that make returning to school difficult.
The chain is clear:
Conflict → displacement → damaged schools → poverty → disrupted teaching → protection risks → children remaining out of school.
This is not simply an education crisis. It is a crisis affecting an entire generation.
Why Education Advocacy Matters?
This is why education advocacy matters now more than ever.
The government of Ethiopia has made important efforts to expand access to education and improve quality. However, the scale and complexity of the challenges require collective action. Education is too important, and the challenges are too large for government institutions to address alone, which, of course, requires the collaboration of other stakeholders.
Civil society organizations, NGOs, communities, schools, teachers, development partners, and other stakeholders have important roles to play.
Working in education advocacy helps these actors come together, elevate the voices of affected communities, identify priorities, mobilize resources, and encourage stronger coordination and accountability.
Turning Dialogue into Action
Recognizing this need, Kelem Ethiopia organized an education advocacy consultative meeting with key stakeholders and partners in South Wollo Zone, Amhara region. The meeting provided an opportunity to discuss the challenges affecting education, develop a shared understanding of the problems, and identify areas where collective action can make a difference.
Everyone Has a Role to Play
Addressing the education crisis requires a shared responsibility.
Government
The government has a central role in strengthening education financing, implementing policies,
ensuring accountability and improving planning, supervision, management, and coordination.
The ongoing efforts to rehabilitate damaged schools, provide scholastic
Materials and expanded school feeding are important steps toward restoring access and encouraging children to return to school.
Schools and Teachers
Schools have a direct responsibility for improving the quality of teaching, promoting inclusion, strengthening school leadership, and creating safe and child-friendly learning environments.
Teachers, meanwhile, need continuous professional development and psychosocial support so they can effectively support children whose lives have been affected by conflict.
Communities
Communities are essential partners in rebuilding education. Parents and community members can work with schools and government offices to identify and address local challenges. Community participation in resource mobilization can also make a meaningful difference.
According to the Kombolcha City Administration Education Department focal person, Zelalem Fiseha, in Kombolcha City Administration only, the community financial contribution has increased from over 24 million in 2024 to over 37 million ETB in 2026.
When communities invest in their children’s education, they are investing in their own future. Civil society organizations and NGOs contribute equally. Their support can include financing education initiatives, providing learning materials and equipment, strengthening the capacity of education professionals, supporting school rehabilitation, and advocating for policies and resources that improve children’s access to quality education. For instance, Kelem Ethiopia supported 12 schools in the South Wollo Zone, benefiting more than 35,000 students and the school community by investing more than 32 million ETB for comprehensive school support in its Enhancing Education Quality Improvement Project (EQUIP).
But perhaps one of the most important contributions of CSO/NGOs is advocacy: ensuring that children’s educational needs remain visible in policy discussions, funding priorities, and development plans.
Bringing Children Back to School
With significant numbers of children still out of school in Amhara region, “Back to School” campaigns have become increasingly important. However, bringing children back is only the first step. The goal should not simply be getting children in to the school gate. It should be creating an environment where they can learn, heal, grow, and dream again.
What Still Needs Attention?
Despite ongoing efforts, substantial needs remain across conflict-affected communities of the Amhara region.
Key areas for continued advocacy and investment include:
- Rehabilitation and maintenance of damaged schools
- Scholastic materials, furniture, and educational equipment
- School feeding programs
- Teachers training and professional development
- Psychosocial and emotional support for teachers and children
- Laboratory equipment and library resources
- Child-friendly and inclusive learning environments
- Clean drinking water and gender-segregated latrines
- Community participation and resource mobilization
- “Back to School” campaigns and outreach to children who remain out of school
These are not simply infrastructure needs. They are investments in children’s dignity, potential, and future.
A Call for Collective Action
The education crisis in the Amhara regional state of Ethiopia cannot be solved by one institution, one organization, or one intervention. It requires government leadership, committed teachers, engaged communities, responsible partners, and strong civil society advocacy. Most importantly, it requires keeping children at the center of every decision.
As insecurity continues to challenge communities across the region, education advocacy must remain a priority. Every rehabilitated classroom, every trained teacher, every learning material provided, and every child brought back to school represents a step toward rebuilding not only the education system but also the future of the region.
Because when we protect education, we protect a generation. And when we invest in children today, we invest in a more peaceful, resilient, and prosperous Ethiopia tomorrow.
Author – Hassina Ousman
