Ethiopia’s Open Schools Project Closes With New Digital Tools and Lessons for Learning

The Ethiopia component focused on Grades 9 and 10, particularly science and English, supporting 24 pilot secondary schools and reaching approximately 12,000 students and 250 educators.

Ethiopia's UNESCO–Huawei Open Schools initiative has concluded after six years of helping schools build the tools and skills needed to keep education going through everyday challenges and major disruptions. At the closing event in Addis Ababa, representatives from the Ministry of Education, UNESCO, Huawei, educators, education technology specialists and partners reviewed the results and discussed how to sustain and expand them. Implemented by UNESCO and the Ministry with Huawei's support, the project formed part of the global initiative's first phase, launched in Ethiopia, Ghana and Egypt in 2020.

Giving schools equipment and teachers practical support

The Ethiopia component focused on Grades 9 and 10, particularly science and English, supporting 24 pilot secondary schools and reaching approximately 12,000 students and 250 educators. Its approach brought together digital infrastructure, teacher development, teaching methods and curriculum-aligned resources to improve educational quality and continuity, including during the COVID-19 pandemic and climate-related shocks. Equipment delivered in 2023 included 480 tablets, 48 laptops, 48 Wi-Fi routers or access points and 24 smartboards, giving participating schools more ways to bring digital resources into lessons.

Teacher support extended beyond the equipment, with more than 350 educators trained and an EdTech Training Manual and platform developed for online and offline training. A Digital Content Development Manual, ICT Integration/Implementation Guidelines for Secondary Schools and studies on technology-enabled teaching provided further guidance for classroom use. An online Community of Practice gave educators a place to exchange experiences and support one another, helping teachers learn from colleagues facing similar questions about using technology effectively.

Keeping learning at the centre of digital education

One major result was the development of 150 multimedia learning resources for Grade 9 and 10 science and English, combining video, graphics, movement and interactive features. Designed to match the curriculum and meet standards for teaching quality, accuracy, inclusion and accessibility, the materials support scientific reasoning, experimentation and problem-solving. These resources are scheduled for piloting with teachers and students, followed by quality checks and improvements before wider deployment, giving classroom experience a direct role in shaping the finished materials.

Dr. Rita Bissoonauth, Director of UNESCO's Liaison Office in Addis Ababa, stressed that technology should serve education and respond to the needs of learners and teachers. Huawei representative Hu Xiaodong highlighted the importance of quality, inclusive education regardless of location, describing school connectivity as the foundation for better learning opportunities. Challenges involving multimedia expertise, electricity and mobility offered practical lessons for future work, showing where additional support is needed to help schools turn access to digital tools into meaningful learning.

Taking the results into Ethiopia's next education plans

The project's experience contributes to Ethiopia's ICT and Digital Education Strategy and Implementation Plan for 2023–2028 and aligns with Digital Ethiopia 2025, the Education and Training Policy, the Ten-Year Development Plan and Education Sector Development Programme VI. Its work supports Sustainable Development Goal 4 and the African Union ICT and Digital Education Strategy, and complements initiatives such as e-SHE. These connections help bring infrastructure, platforms, content, institutional systems and skills into a more integrated approach to digital education.

The Ministry of Education called for stronger national ownership, sustained collaboration and expansion of successful approaches to other secondary schools. Planned teacher development includes support on AI in education as Ethiopia explores responsible uses of emerging technologies. The Ministry is preparing to revise its Digital Education Strategy and Implementation Plan for 2026/27–2030, with priorities covering more digital content and interactive textbooks, AI pilots, better infrastructure and connectivity, and stronger partnerships. UNESCO reaffirmed its support for this transformation, keeping learners, teachers and human development at its centre.