The System Transformation of Education Program for Girls and Learning (STEP), a Global Partnership for Education initiative, was officially launched in Oromia Region, marking a new milestone in our mission to strengthen inclusive and equitable education systems across Ethiopia. The launch event, organized by Geneva Global Ethiopia in collaboration with UNICEF, the Ministry of Education (MoE), Imagine 1 Day (IOD), the Oromia Development Association (ODA), and Oromia Regional Education Bureau (REB), brought together key education leaders, regional representatives, and implementing partners to align on a common vision: transforming education for every child, especially girls and children with disabilities.
The GPE-STEP program is a system transformation initiative that unites government and partners under a coordinated framework. The program focuses on building teachers’ capacity in competency-based and accelerated learning methodologies, ensuring the inclusion of children with disabilities, and establishing a Regional Steering Committee to guide implementation. It emphasizes consortium-led and community-owned approaches, strong collaboration with UNICEF, REB, and CTEs to ensure sustainability, school-based capacity building to strengthen instructional leadership, continuous monitoring, evaluation, accountability, and learning for data-driven decision-making, and a commitment to quality standards while maximizing value for resources.
During the opening, Ato Samuel Asnake, Senior Advisor at Geneva Global Ethiopia, highlighted the importance of cooperation and coordination to ensure the project’s success and lasting impact, “The purpose of this gathering is to build a system that enables us to work collaboratively so we can effectively reach our target learners.”
Representing the Ministry of Education, Dr. Yohannes Wogasso encouraged regional and woreda education leaders to take ownership of change, stating, “You have the power to transform your community through education; you are the models of change.” He also highlighted the Ministry’s commitment to working closely with partners to measure impact across woredas and learn from high-performing areas.
From UNICEF, Ms. Jalene Hirpesa Bulto appreciated the consortium’s commitment, noting that the launch reflects months of collaborative planning and the active participation of all stakeholders.
The GPE-STEP project is guided by a robust Monitoring, Evaluation, Accountability, and Learning (MEAL) framework to oversee implementation, track progress, and ensure accountability. Sustainable success depends on maintaining strong data systems, planning with a long-term vision for future generations, and addressing challenges collaboratively. Partners remain committed to transforming education for all, ensuring that every child–especially girls and children with disabilities—has access to quality learning and the opportunity to thrive and lead change in their communities.
