Quarterly Report for Year 2: Reading for Ethiopia’s Achievement Developed Technical Assistance (READ TA) Project

The project aims to improve reading and literacy skills among primary school students in Ethiopia. The project's operations component continued to provide support for the requirements of the Charities and Societies Agency (CSA) Certification for Registration. This included the application for VAT, TIN, Taxation Registration, bank account, and office lease. RTI provided letters from the Board of Directors for bank signatories, and the RTI/READ TA Employee Handbook, Employee Letter of Offer, and Employee Agreement were reviewed by an Ethiopian Legal Counsel. In terms of Curriculum and Capacity Building, Regional Mother Tongue Curriculum Development Teams (RMTCDT) were launched for each of the 7-Mother Tongue languages in partnership with the Regional State Education Bureaus (RSEBs). Each RSEB nominated the best teachers, storywriters, and language experts for 12 positions, which were followed by an interview, reference check, and final selection. RSEBs seconded their staff to RMTCDT for the period of one semester. READ TA provided International Reading/Curriculum Expert, Linguist/Language Expert, and RTI/READ TA Reading and Curriculum Expert for each Team. The RMTCDT aimed to adapt the Revised Mother Tongue Syllabus Grades 1-8, develop a scope and sequence, and develop student textbook and teacher guide. This quarter, READ TA prepared and led workshops for the Mother Tongue Task Group, including adapting the Revised Mother Tongue Syllabus Grades 1-8, developing a Scope and Sequence, and developing the Student Book and Teacher Guide for Grades 1-4 in 7-Mother Tongue languages. The Technical Team visited RMTCDTs and provided support and guidance as needed. The Capacity Building Team, including Capacity Building Advisor and Capacity Building Specialists, developed a Capacity Building Concept Paper with the Ministry of Education. They arranged several meetings with the Ministry of Education, USAID, RSEBs, and READ TA Partners. The draft Capacity Building Concept Paper was shared with the MOE and USAID, and a final draft is anticipated next quarter. The Gender and Inclusive Education Team developed a Gender Checklist for reviewing documents for gender equity and inclusive education. They provided workshops, sessions, and resources to all RTI staff in Addis and the regions. They visited Colleges of Teacher Education (CTEs) and schools to learn about the environment and participated in recruitment to ensure there is opportunity and equity for gender and inclusive candidates. The Communications Team participated in International Literacy Day Events with the Regions, ranging from readings by role models, sharing of books, contests, and give-a-ways of books by various publishers. The Monitoring and Evaluation Director supported the Teams to collect data for activities ensuring disaggregation by gender.