The Italian State School of Addis Ababa began its activities in 1954 as a primary school. Subsequently, the Secondary School and, in the 1960s, the “Technical Institute for Constructions, Environment and Territory” were established. After 1974, Italian-speaking students have become gradually less numerous, while the presence of Ethiopian students has increased. Currently, more than 70% of the students of the Italian School are Ethiopian.
Human Resources
50 teachers are assigned by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to the Italian School of Addis Ababa; 6 teachers have permanent local contracts.
Our students
The School currently has 913 students, distributed over 4 school grades: nursery (from 3 to 6 years old), primary (from 6 to 10/11 years old), middle (from 11 to 13/14 years old) and high school (from 14 to 18/19 years old).
The large majority of the students at the Italian School are Ethiopian citizens (76%) and only a small part are Italian nationals; the presence of students of other nationalities is residual.
The students of the four school levels follow the Italian curriculum supplemented by three hours per week of Amharic Language and Culture. In the afternoons and on Saturday mornings, students attend classes in preparation for the Ethiopian national examination.
At the end of morning classes, students can participate in afternoon projects in theatre, film, sports, polyphonic choir, and deepening of specific subjects (mathematics, physics, computer science and topography).
The High School degree is currently divided into two types of courses:
• Construction, Environment and Territory
• Human Sciences (over 4 years)
University enrolment and job opportunities for the students of the Italian School
A large majority of the students who graduate from the Italian School in Addis Ababa continue their studies in universities in Ethiopia and abroad, in particular in Europe and the U.S.