Addis Ababa (AMECO) — Over 21,000 school children in Dessie are set to benefit from an expanded school feeding scheme funded jointly by municipal allocation and community donations, as 125 schools across the city officially reopened for the new academic year on Monday.
The nutrition initiative—backed by 7m Ethiopian birr raised from local residents alongside municipal budget allocations—forms a central pillar of a citywide strategy to improve academic performance and keep pupils engaged in learning.
Speaking on the first day of term, Samuel Molalign, the first deputy mayor of Dessie city administration, urged students to dedicate themselves to science, technology, and reading, emphasizing that national development depends fundamentally on education.
Pointing to encouraging results in the previous year’s Grade 12 national examinations—particularly at Memhir Akalewold Special School—Molalign called on educators and administrators to build on these successes and replicate them across all municipal schools.
Fikir Abebe, head of the city administration’s education department, confirmed that learning had resumed across all 125 educational institutions in the city, spanning from pre-school through secondary levels.
Abebe explained that extensive preparations were completed prior to the start of term, including teacher capacity-building programmes and targeted instructional planning designed to elevate student outcomes.
Local teachers and pupils welcomed the reopening of classrooms, expressing optimism and confirming their readiness to exceed the previous year’s academic achievements.
