ADDIS ABABA, March 4 (Xinhua) -- Preparations have been finalized to resume schools in Ethiopia's conflict-affected northernmost Tigray regional state, according to the sources of the Ethiopian government.
"In the education sector, preparations have been finalized to resume normal school activities at the cost of more than 96 million Ethiopian birr (about 2.39 million U.S. dollars) for repair work and procuring the necessary teaching materials," the Ethiopian Prime Minister's Office said in a statement.
The Ethiopian government's statement came a week after the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) said about 1.4 million children currently have no access to education in the Tigray region.
"Around 1.4 million children currently have no access to education, with around 50,000 teachers being affected due to unpaid salaries and insecurity," the UNOCHA had said last week.
Noting that the sub-national education cluster has been re-activated and has resumed its weekly meeting, the UNOCHA said the cluster plans to conduct school assessments in Mekelle, capital of Tigray region, and mobilize communities for school re-opening.
It, however, stressed that the Tigray Regional Education Bureau (REB) is reportedly facing resource constraints to re-open schools.
Many schools across the region are also currently occupied by internally displaced persons (IDPs) as temporary shelters, as well as by various security forces, according to the UNOCHA.
Meanwhile, the Ethiopian government on Wednesday said that humanitarian assistance has been provided to some 3.8 million people in the country's conflict-affected Tigray regional state.
In addition to the provision of food and non-food items, the Ethiopian government's humanitarian supports in the region include repairing damaged water lines, hospitals and health facilities, as well as other basic services.
The Ethiopian government last week announced unfettered access for humanitarian agencies to provide humanitarian assistance in the region. It, however, stressed that all entities are expected to abide by the laws of the land and any entity or individual abetting criminality under the guise of provision of aid, will be held accountable.
Weeks of fighting in northern Ethiopia's Tigray between the Tigray People's Liberation Front (TPLF), which used to rule the regional state until its defeat, and the Ethiopian Defense Forces had reportedly left hundreds of people dead, thousands displaced, and millions in urgent need of humanitarian assistance.
The Ethiopian government has assigned an interim administration to administer the regional state following the TPLF defeat. Enditem