Ethiopia Education Cluster Quarterly Newsletter Jan – March 2025

Q1 SITUATION UPDATE

As of March 2025, there are more than 8M out of school children (OOSC) in Ethiopia due to emergency situations only, which is a fraction of those estimated to be out of school for other reasons, or those who have never attended school. Most of the children out of school due to emergencies have been out for nearly two consecutive academic school years, and some for longer. In late December and early January, three regions were impacted by a series of earthquakes (over 175 recorded), the strongest with a magnitude of 5.7, and Afar being the most impacted. This damaged 50 schools and pushed nearly 7,000 children out of school. Floods impacted access to learning in four months in four regions. In March, a warning for below average rainfall was sent for Northeastern, Eastern and Central regions of the country (EDRMC, Early Warning Bulleting, April 5, 2025).