This study exaillines the contribution of the project known as the ManaBu towards thernatta in illent of educational targets of the nation . The declared ailll of the Project isrn" illlproving access to quality basic education for school age children and constructing andrnIllanaging cOllllllunity-based basic education centers". It is jointly illlpleillented by thernOrollliya Education Bureau (OEB) and Japan In ternational Cooperation Agency (HCA).rnThe study utili zes both qualitative and quantitative resea rch approach to gatherrninforill ation on the attai nill ents and shortcoill ings of the Project. The saillp le schools forrnstud y are the three schools in Chiro and Kunn i Woredas of West I-I ararghe zone.rnThe study fo und out that these schoo ls have expanded access to education as they havernenrolled 11 32 stud ents in the first two years of their operation. But the schools havernbecoille crowded in 1999 E.C. because they have to accolllillodate students in grade I andrn2. The schools have Illanaged to provide textbook for all the ir students in alillost all of thernsubjects they teach.rnThe pupil-section ratio is found to be large and the pupil -teacher ratio also high. Contraryrnto the policy of autoillatic proillotion through continuous assessillent in the lower firstrncyc le prilllary schoo ls, repetition still lingers in two of the schoo ls. The dro pout rate isrnalso high cOlllpared to the nationa l and regional pr illl ary schoo l dropout rate. The teachersrnin these schools are all qualified but, even the teachers who have long yea rs ofrnexperience, are not given long terlll in-service train ing. They have heavy workload andrnare supposed to teach large nUlll ber of students. All thcse factors render the qua lity ofrneducation that is being o ffered in the schools questionable.rnThe cO lllllluni ty participates in the se lection of s ite for the school s; contri butes Illoney,rnlabor and local construction Illateri als for bu ilding the schools, parti cipates in thernIllanageillent of the schools. But the participation is not as seen in other cO llllll un itybasedrnschool ; that is, it does not have a say in the curricu lulll th at its children are