Addis Ababa, November 23, 2022 (FBC) – Ethiopia has been making education accessible for over 183,000 refugee and asylum seekers residing in the country, Refugees and Returnees Service (RRS) disclosed.
RRS Deputy Director-General, Mulualem Desta told EPA that there are over 878,000 refugees and asylum seekers in the country. The country has been hosting refugees and asylum seekers from 27 countries mainly from neighboring countries like Sudan, South Sudan, Somalia and Eritrea.
“The government has been implementing access to education with partners. Currently, there are 54 primary schools, 85 preschool and 12 high schools for refugees and asylum seekers. Besides, it has helped refugees get technical and vocational training in collaboration with other partners,” he said.
As to him, every year, about 1,200 to 1,500 refugee students join tertiary education or university. In addition to the government, other partners and stakeholders have been supporting the education sector in refugee camps.
He said, “Ethiopia is the third largest country in Africa hosting refugees and asylum seekers next to Uganda and Sudan. It has been giving various human rights and other protections as part of its commitment.”
There are efforts to create access to education for those who are school aged ones. However, only 46.7 percent of them have access to education for different reasons, he opined.
“As refugee operation is not only the duty and responsibility of the government, the international community should play their role to address access to education in refugee camps and achieve quality education there. We are pushing all partners to play their role in accessing quality education for refugees and asylum seekers in Ethiopia,” he added.
He pointed out that the country has a long history of hosting refugees, maintaining an open-door policy and providing humanitarian access and protection to them.