at the Inauguration Ceremony for the Project for the Construction of the Harbu Chulule Preparatory School in Seden Sodo Woreda,
South West Showa Zone, Oromia Region on 31 January, 2013

W/ro Amarech Bekalo, Head of the President’s Office,
Ato Nega Moroda, Administrator of the South West Showa Zone,
Ato Huruma Mechessa,Administrator of the Seden Sodo Woreda,
Distinguished Guests,
Teachers and Students of the Harbu Chulule School,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Endemen Walachehu.  Akkam Oltan.

I am most grateful to all of you for your very warm welcome today.  This is the second time for me to visit your school here in the Seden Sodo Woreda.  I first came here before the construction started.  Therefore, it is a great pleasure for me to have this opportunity to join you to inaugurate this newly launched preparatory school here today.  This project was funded by Japan’s grant-in-aid scheme for grassroots human security projects (GGP), amounting to USD 112,358, based upon the grant contract signed in September 2011.  Our project partner is the Seden Sodo Woreda, a most competent local authority.

Excellency, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Improving access to secondary education is a great challenge in Ethiopia, and the Seden Sodo Woreda is no exception.  Although access to primary education has been improved, access to secondary education is not yet adequate.  Indeed, in this Woreda, while there are more than 16,000 primary school students, there is no preparatory school and only two secondary schools.  The Harbu Chulule Secondary School is one of those.  It was originally built as a primary school in 1960, by H.E. President Girma Woldegiorgis in cooperation with the local community and was later expanded to a secondary school.  In 2009, the local community planned to establish a preparatory school within the same compound to improve access to further education in the Woreda.  However, this proved difficult because of the lack of classrooms, a library and a laboratory, which are requirements for such a school.

Therefore, this project was aimed to help launch a preparatory school by preparing the necessary facilities required by the national standard.  Through this project, one block with five classrooms has been newly built.  The classrooms are fully furnished with 100 combined desks and chairs, five teachers’ desks and chairs and five blackboards.  Another block with a library and a laboratory, also fully furnished, has been constructed as well.  As a result, the preparatory school is now open and thus the secondary school students have access to further education.

Excellency, 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 again in the future for the economic and social benefit of underprivileged people in rural areas of Ethiopia.

Amesegenalehu.  Galatoomaa.  Fayyaa ta’a.