A teacher’s dedication to support her students’ education amid COVID-19

 "I have always wanted to be a teacher or a police officer."

I went to school in a very rural area in south Gondar, and there was a shortage of teachers, so when I was in grade 6, I used to teach grade 1 and 2 students," she shares her journey as a teacher. "I began developing an interest in teaching children when I was in grades 5 and 6. Since then, I have always loved teaching. I now have over 25 years of teaching experience.” 

“In my village, it wasn't common to send girls to school . In an environment whereby getting their girls married as children was a perceived honor for families, my father's preference to send me to school was a rare chance.” Say Endalech, explaining her father’s influence in achieving her dream. “My father told me that some men have requested him to marry me off, but he chose education. I am thankful.”

"Every morning, I wake up so motivated to come to school, I prepare my lecture and come to my students. I have been working as a teacher for such a long time, but I am always happy with my students and look forward to seeing them every day," says Endalech about her enthusiasm to work.

Endalech says that she has a very close relationship with her students, "I have a mother to child relationship with my students. I don't come here to only teach and go home; I make sure I learn about their everyday lives, ask them their challenges and try to be there for them. I am the coordinator of the charity club we have in the school, so I know my students very well. They come to me if they need any support other than my lecture, and my office is always open for my students." The different clubs in the school has helped teacher-student relationships as they spend more time together out of class.

The school charity club supports students who come from low-income generating families. The club provides school materials and uniforms so that students continue to go to school. There is also a school meal programme that's supported by the government. Endalech explains how the club contributes to decreasing the student dropout rates, "There are so many girls who miss their class due to menstruation, and our charity club provides sanitary pads. Personally, I try to be close to my students and open my office for any discussions, and because they open up, I have managed to support many students."

Due to COVID-19, Dil Betigil Primary School has closed school for 7 months, and the closure has made it difficult to follow up with students closely, "Even though it was difficult to follow up with our students closely, we stayed in touch through phone calls. I had two students that I was responsible for, and I often called them to follow up on their daily activities and motivate them to study. They would call and ask for some support too because they had their books with them."

Tigist Bazezew, 16, one of Endalech's students, says Endalech was very supportive throughout school closure, "Teacher Endalech used to call me often to check if I am studying or if I have any question. She encouraged me to read more and also reminded me to wear my mask and wash my hands frequently. She is like a second mother to me."

Some of the students didn't have TV or Radio to follow up the school lectures “after they came back to school, we revised the previous class for a month. That helped students with the gap, but it was also good mental preparation; being away from school for 7 months isn't easy. They needed more push to get into the routine," Says Endalech.

As the schools are opening in two weeks across Ethiopia, Dil Betigil Primary School is ready to welcome students. COVID-19 prevention measures are in place, All teachers are vaccinated against COVID-19, masks are mandatory in the school premises, and there are handwashing stations. Negasi Berhe, Principal at Dil Betigil Primary school says, "on top of a two meter physical distance rule, we have class shifts and one student in one desk rule. We managed it last year, and we hope to continue with our strict protocol in this new school year too."

UNICEF supported the Ministry of Education to develop a guideline for teachers and school management as schools across the country get ready to open school beginning from 11 October 2021.

Schools in Ethiopia are staffed with nearly 800,000 teachers. When schools across the country closed for over 7 months, UNICEF continuously advocated for enlisting schools among the first public business to reopen and subsequent prioritization of teachers to get vaccinated so that the risk of contracting or if they get covid-19, the risk of losing life is mitigated. UNICEF developed and distributed over 400,000 copies of a booklet for teachers on critical facts about covid-19 and pedagogical measures teachers should follow to alleviate the spread of the virus. At the same time, they engage with their students in the classroom.