Mt. Olive Academy is a primary school located in
an urban center of Ethiopia where the average public school classroom
has 90-100 children and the educational standards are minimal compared
to other countries. The government encourages private schools to operate
with the requirement that each school teach the public school curriculum
and not subtract from it. The government allows private schools to
add to their base curriculum, and this is one reason why Mt. Olive
Academy has become a unique school in Ethiopia. Since Mt. Olive Academy
began in 1998, they have been teaching the base Ethiopian curriculum,
then heavily supplementing with other educational materials and texts
in the different subject areas giving each student a well rounded
and progressive education.
Mt. Olive Academy is a much needed educational alternative
in other ways as well. They are committed to providing quality education
while teaching strong moral values. In a society where liberal thinking
is rampant and grossly effecting the youth, conservative parents are
begging for educational alternatives for their children so they may
avoid the liberal morality and philosophies being taught in the majority
of schools. Mt. Olive Academy offers families a morally conservative
approach to education, which is derived from the Scriptures. In just
eight short years Mt. Olive Academy has already been chosen as a model
school by the educational bureau and has proven itself an institution
of academic excellence and positive moral influence.
The founders of Mt. Olive Academy have faced a myriad
of challenges, including financial challenges that nearly closed the
school more than once; however they have persevered and now oversee
398 students, preschool through grade 6. Each year brings more hopeful
parents who are seeking enrollment for their children. It is the school’s
vision to continue expanding in an attempt to meet as much of this
demand as possible without excluding the average income families.
With that purpose in mind, the school fees are kept minimal to accommodate
these families and with significant sacrifice the school is able to
run a balanced budget. However there is no surplus income to purchase
land or purchase school supplies, or equipment, or even textbooks.
Please
continue to Pray –
- for each child enrolled in Mt. Olive Academy
- for the expansion of the secondary level and all that is involved
- that God would provide the desperately needed financial assistance
to keep this school in operation.