Schools Serving as Centres for Dissemination of Alternative Energy Know-How and Technologies: Evidence from Southern Ethiopia

Abstract

The school curricula are widely believed to be the best vehicle for generating public awareness of and action related to areas of energy concern. In an attempt to build the capacity of schools to address key environmental issues in Ethiopia, a pilot project had been designed in 2004. The principal aim of the project was to bring about positive changes on the biophysical environment by using primary schools as change centres and teachers and students as change agents. Eleven upper level primary schools have been selected from most environmentally degraded districts. The major activities meant to achieve the aim of the pilot project include, among others, dissemination of alternative energy know-how and technologies using primary schools. This paper reports the findings of a comprehensive study conducted to examine the extent to which the aforementioned objective has been achieved. The results indicate that alternative energy technologies installed in the school compounds attracted the attention of individuals and community-based organisations such as churches. Tens of such institutions and hundreds of individuals have already presented their requests to buy solar home systems and solar lanterns. The demand for improved cooking stoves was also found to be very high. Though the pilot project is still in progress, there is sufficient evidence to conclude that schools in Ethiopia could act not only as centres of dissemination of knowledge about environmental problems retarding the country's development, but also as centres where skills are developed to seek sustainable solutions to these problems. Recommendations have, therefore, been made to scale up the project and eventually cover all upper level primary schools and their satellite lower level schools.

Keywords:

• community
• energy
• environment
• Ethiopia
• schools
• technology

Acknowledgements

This paper reports part of a larger study on ‘Contributions of Non-Governmental Organizations for Improving Ecological Balance and Food Security in Ethiopia’. The larger study has been financed mainly by Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (EED), Germany and Redt een Kind (ReK), Holland. The writer would like to extend his sincere thanks for their generous support. The pilot project on which the study is based has been co-financed by two international organisations: Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and Serving in Mission (SIM)/Canada; and implemented in collaboration with the Capacity Building and Community Empowerment Program of the Ethiopia Kale Heywet Church and the Education Bureaus of Kembata-Tembaro Zone and Alaba Leyu Wereda. The writer would also like to acknowledge the contributions of all the stakeholders and the project team members particularly Mr Erango Ersado and Mr Getachew Assefa.

Notes

The other activities have also been successfully completed. The writer intends to report the findings related to the other activities in the near future.

Kebele (peasant association) is the lowest level in the Ethiopian government structure. The other levels are Wereda, Zone and Region in ascending order.

A study carried out in Nepal has indicated that SHSs are not helping to promote new kinds of income generating activities. They are, however, assisting the already existing businesses to generate more income (Kayastha, 2000: 107).