Embracing Second Chances

Six students in our Bethany Project passed their university remedial programme exam and are now continuing their university education via regular courses. Having succeeded in these recent exams (from left to right) Ashenafi, Elshaddai, Elias, Serkalem, Daniel and Tadesse now have a second chance to pursue their dreams.

The university remedial programme gives students who narrowly miss the university pass marks another opportunity to join university. After a successful year of extra study, attending various courses, the six students are now able to continue their university education via a regular university route.

The exam results were especially significant for 18-year-old Elias who was disappointed when he failed the university entrance exam: “Last year, I prepared diligently for the university entrance exam and expected to join with great grades. However, the opposite happened, and I lost hope. Just when I was feeling hopeless, the remedial programme opportunity came along. I attended the programme, worked tirelessly, and succeeded. Now, I am living my dream of being a university student.” 

With the difficulties faced at the government high school including overcrowded classrooms, a lack of resources and, for many girls, discrimination from teachers, education for many of the brightest students is brought to a halt.

22-year-old Ashenafi was one of the highest achieving students all throughout his education, even passing his Grade 8 exams top of the class. He had been welcomed into our Bethany Project in 2008, his mother’s single wage as a labourer barely covering the family’s basic needs and not enough to send him to school. Ashenafi had worked hard all throughout his primary and high school education but when the university entrance exam came along he struggled: “My entrance exam result and my class performance were vastly different. I was among the top students in class, and my university entrance result was unexpected. Thanks to the remedial programme, I could work to my full potential and now expect a brighter future ahead." 

The six will soon start their freshman year, after which they will have the chance to choose their field of study. The group are aspiring high: Daniel wants to study Law, Elshaddai and Serkalem are considering pursuing Management and Ashenafi and Tadesse hope to study Computer Science. Elias wants to pursue psychiatry, a career path that very few in Ethiopia choose.

The amazing achievement not only shows what our kids are capable of, but also that in the small, poor town where our Bethany Project stands, second chances are never wasted.