Ethiopia was granted US$98 million for the period 2010 – 2012. The main focus of the Ethiopia education sector program is to improve the quality of primary and secondary education and to increase access. It supports teacher training programs, curriculum reform, textbook production and dissemination, the revision of learning assessment processes, school improvement programs and the implementation of a school grant system.

A grant of US$90 million was allocated to Malawi for its national education plan which will increase equal access to primary school for the country’s poorest children. With immensely crowded classrooms – on average one hundred children per classroom— Malawi will use the grant for constructing and renovating schools. The grant will also provide direct support to disadvantaged children including HIV/AIDS orphans. An innovative Open Distance Learning program will help recruit and train 12,000 teachers in rural areas.

Togo’s grant of US$45 million will support education activities for the years 2010 – 2013. Togo will build 815 new classrooms and facilities with access for children with disabilities, and latrines with water access (critical for girls’ attendance) in both rural and urban areas. Textbooks in core subjects (mathematics and reading) will be provided to public and community primary schools. Grants will be allocated to ensure quality enhancement at the school level. The program will also support the construction of three regional teacher training institutes.

Lao PDR received US$30 million to help increase the coverage and improve the quality of pre-primary and primary education with a focus on the most disadvantaged children. Currently there are about 315,000 school aged children out of school in the 56 target districts, with a high majority of girls. As an urgent priority, the program will provide new schools and renovate classrooms in 1,500 villages. By the end of the program, nearly half of the out-of-school children will be enrolled and many more children will complete their primary education. They will study in safe, protective and healthy environments, with access to latrines and water.

Liberia’s US$40 million grant will finance 453 new classrooms at the primary school level. It will also provide 100,000 books to pupils and 21,500 sets of teacher guides. A school health component will finance the development of learning materials, the training of about 3,000 teachers and de-worming of 300,000 primary school students.