W/ro Roman Tesfaye,
Ato Woissa Bogale, Deputy chief Administrator of Wolaitta Zone,
Distinguished Guests,
Teachers and Students of the Zebo Primary School,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Good morning.  Lo-Akadi, Lo-Haimare-.

I am most grateful to all of you for your very warm welcome today.  This is my first trip to the Wolaitta Zone and the second trip to the Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ Regional State (SNNPRS).  Yet, I already feel like an honorary citizen of Walaitta by wearing this lovely tie and scarf presented by the Zonal Administrator yesterday.

Now, it is a great pleasure for me to have this opportunity to attend the inauguration ceremony for the Zebo School Expansion Project in Zebo Kebele, Kindo Didaye Woreda.  The project was funded by Japan’s grant-in-aid scheme for grassroots and human security projects, amounting to about USD 106,000, based upon the grant contract signed in March this year.  Our project partner is the Wolaitta Development Association, a well known Ethiopian NGO, which has been actively engaged in many social projects in this zone.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Improving the educational environment is a great challenge in Ethiopia, and the Kindo Didaye Woreda is no exception.  The Zebo Primary School was established in 1981 by the community and now comprises around 1,200 students from G1-G8. Although there were three blocks with eight classrooms at the school, two blocks of these were too old to use, and the number of students in each classroom was over 80.

In these circumstances, this project aimed at improving the educational environment by increasing the number of usable classrooms at the school.  Two blocks with eight classrooms have been newly constructed.  All classrooms have been equipped with new blackboards, desks and chairs.  As a result, the average number of students per class will be reduced from about 80 to 40, which is within the government standard, and the days of the overcrowded class will be gone.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

There are one or two more points worth mentioning about this project.  Firstly, this is a community project, in which the residents, particularly PTA members, participated by offering their labor and construction materials.  Secondly, it is also worth noting that the Wolaitta Development Association has completed the construction of two school blocks within five months in collaboration with the community and the local government.  This is probably a record for the shortest construction period for this sort of school project in our history of GGPs.  It is amazing.

Here I would like to pay tribute to our project partner, the Wolaitta Development Association.  This Association has been extensively engaged in education in this zone.  I understand that it has undertaken about 30 school projects since 2000.  Our Embassy has also been involved, enjoying a long partnership with the Association, through our grant-in-aid scheme for grassroots and human security projects.

Our first encounter dates back to 2002 when the Embassy extended the first grant for the Baqlo Sanyo Primary School project.  Since then we worked together on another four school projects in the Walaita Zone one by one (the Suke Bakala Primary School, the Yukara Primary School, the Soddo Primary School, and the Bitena Primary School).  This Zebo School is the sixth GGP project implemented by the Association with our grant.   It is therefore a great honor for us to have been able to contribute to the expansion of educational opportunities for young boys and girls in the Walaita Zone.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The newly built school blocks are now handed over to the community and the Woreda.  I am confident that you will make the most use of them and enjoy great benefits.  At the same time, please keep in mind that it is equally important to maintain the facilities in good condition so that the school will serve the local interests for a long time.  Finally, I do hope that we can work together in the future for the economic and social benefit of underprivileged people in rural areas of Ethiopia.  I have already received a new project proposal from the Walaitta Development Association.  I hope that it will be a good one.

          Thank you for your attention.  Toshimo.