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Accessing quality primary education is a timely concern wherever in the world. Formal mode of education delivery alone is not able to handle the case. The Alternative Basic Education Program is one of the approaches to support the formal primary education in accessing quality basic education. This alternative mechanism has its own peculiarities of which the primary one is that it requires active and free local community participation. However, the local communities´ involvement in the ABEP seems unsatisfactory, limited and almost all problems that are related to local community participation in the formal program are still persisting. Looking through the process, forms and extents of participation of the local communities, the book identified challenges of local community participation in ABEP and prospects for active participation. Finally, the book includes recommendations. The analysis and the corresponding recommendations would help practitioners in the field of education, education coordinators, program and policy advisors and any development workers who have been working in the area of basic education.

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Mr. Samuel Tadesse, MA: Studied Educational Planning and Management at Addis Ababa University. He has a comprehensive knowledge and experiences on basic education. He has worked for over eighteen years in different positions in the government and NGOs. Now he has been working as a learning advisor in an NGO: Plan International Ethiopia.

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