Ethiopian Higher Education

In Ethiopia, research is not only small in size but also largely set as a component of the higher education system. Therefore, policy and strategic decisions at national level are often developed in blended manner that encompasses both aspects. Internationalization has for the first time emerged as a policy issue in the fifth Education Sector Development Program, in which research also gained attention, though less than deserved. This paper examines the practice of internationalization of higher education at institutional level and the existing loose-defined policy space. Finally, the paper outlines possible institutional strategies for the internationalization of research.

This book chapter examines the meaning of tradition and its relevance to education in light of Ethiopia's history and modernist education system. It critically reviews some of the critical literature on the topic. It clarifies the meaning of tradition and argues that the exclusion of Ethiopia’s rich traditions in modern education is a fundamental reason for the failure of education to improve the lives of the majority in the country.

While achieving a remarkable result in expansion in the past two decades, the Ethiopian higher education, suffers a number of challenges. Though the government has undertaken a series of general reforms on higher education, the problem of atching the ever growing demand, and supply of skilled manpower in its public universities is not anywhere near resolved. This by itself interprets into other numerous problems related to the academic profession. Academics is at the center of any higher education system. And hence, ensuring quality of higher education requires, among other things, identifying and resolving problems related to the acquisition and maintenance of skilled manpower. While the subject is under researched in the case of Ethiopia, this descriptive essay draws on related
literature, document analysis and expert interview to reveal the major challenges of the academic profession in Ethiopian public universities and concludes that the recently embarked quality improvement projects cannot be achieved without resolving the problems of the academic profession.

Taking  the  Ethiopian  public  higher  education  as  a  case  in  point,  this  paper  examined  the
influence of the Bologna Process on African higher education. It showed how the goals of the
Process have been reflected on the current reforms undergoing in Ethiopian higher education.
In  doing  so,  relevant  policy  documents  and  national  guidelines  were  reviewed  taking  the
Bologna elements as  a framework  for discussion. Developments of partnership between the
African and European Unions in higher education were also examined to see the influence of
the  Process  at  continental  level  in  the  foreseeable  future.  Though  the  process  might  have
influence in other aspects of Ethiopian higher education, emphasis was given in this paper to
elements  reflected  in  academic  curricula  and  teaching  learning  process.  In  this  regard,
elements  such  as  modularization,  European  Credit  Transfer  and  Accumulation  System
(ECTS), Competence Based Education (CBE), flexibility of learning and recognition of prior
learning were identified. Opportunities and challenges of implementing the spillover effects
of the Process were also discussed.

The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of varying curricular experiences on the psychological well-being and academic achievement of students of higher education in the Ethiopian context. The target population was first-year students who were admitted to the Debub University possessing different entry behaviours. The first group includes those admitted in 2003/4 academic year after two years of pre-university preparatory programs in secondary schools based on the results of the University Entrance Examinations (UEE) (or the PPC group) and the other batch was admitted in 2002/03 based on the ESLCE results (the FPC group). A representative sample was drawn from four randomly selected faculties and colleges affiliated to the Debub University. Data was interpreted using bivariate and multivariate statistical analyses. The results show that PPC and FPC students differed to statistically significant extent in academic self-concept and academic achievement in favour of the latter. However, no variation was found in perceiving the way how their instructors treat them in class. Generally, achievement at the university was significantly predicted (p<.05) by academic self-concept (ASC), perceived instructors treatment (PTT), entry behaviour, and gender. Moreover, majority of the students from PPC group expressed dissatisfaction over their merger with their FPC counterparts (2=48.2, df =1, p<.0001). Implications of the findings for planning instruction in HEIs are discussed.

One of the pillars of the STEM project is higher education and improving the capacity of earth science  programs to deliver effective curricular and pedagogical practices within the project’s partner universities, and technical and vocational education training institutions which are located in the capital of Addis Abeba, and the state of Tigray.

The research and report for the study was completed by academics from Canada and Ethiopia with backgrounds in adult learning, gender equality, human resource development, literacy and and teaching and learning within higher education. Cindy Hanson is a full professor and director of the Adult Education, Community Engagement and Human Resource Development Unit at the University of Regina. The Ethiopian researchers from Mekelle Univeristy in Ethiopia include Dr. Fesseha Abadi Weldemichael, 
an assistant professor in Education and Teaching English as a Foreign Language, and Mebrat Haftu, the department head of Educational Planning and Management  at Mekelle University in Ethiopia. The research team is grateful to the 169 students, faculty, administrators and department heads who participated through interviews, focus groups and other means during the field visits.

The study reviewed the current pedagogical practices in the partner institutions through an examination of training documents, a series of eight focus group discussions – four with students and four with faculty of the partner institutions; four classroom observations and key informant interviews with administrators, department heads, TVET bureau training departments and the director of the pedagogical institute at Mekelle University. The research questions were adapted and in some cases, such as focus groups, were supported by a participatory process adapted from a SWOT(L) analysis to ensure wider participation of study participants and get at some of the nuances in responses to the questions. The key research questions were:

1. What kinds of capacities do the universities involved in this project (STEM) have to deliver mining-related knowledge and skills to a diverse group of male and female students?
Prompts included: a) curriculum, b) resources and c) facilities

2. What kind of pedagogical practices would improve the capacity of faculty to improve the delivery and design of practical skills and knowledge related to the mining sector?

The data collected was sorted into categories of pedagogy/curriculum; human and material resources; and gender-based responsiveness. The findings from the assessment are augmented with recent literature on higher education in Ethiopia. Best practices in higher education often refer to teaching and learning practices that are student- or learner-focused. Good pedagogy for example, includes effective content; good teaching and learning strategies; active learning instructional practices; and timely and effective feedback, and assessment around learning outcomes. As the literature states, without good training in how to teach in HEI, instructors rely on their own experience and traditional lecture is common because that is how they were taught (Kassie, 2018), although a willingness to create changes was evident during the data collection phase. Our recommendations for changes are divided into primary and secondary recommendations as they are both the responsibility of STEM and of the HEI and government bodies consulted.

Our findings, which resonate with the literature, were that most learning in Ethiopia’s higher education institutions is teacher-led and instructional techniques are dominated by lecture, memorization, observation and question and answer. Although most faculty (or staff/teachers as they are referred to in Ethiopia) use teacher-led approaches there is an acknowledgement that additional pedagogical training – both longer term programs and short term workshops would assist them in providing more quality instruction. A longer pedagogical program is already offered through the Higher Education Diploma Program (HDP) and we suggest several adaptations to the HDP including an locally-derived action research project that will assess how it can make inroads into learner-centered teaching and assessment. Similarly, at the level of TVETs, we suggest additional pedagogical research and a re-vamping of the training resources. We recognize training workshops, using a TOT approach, may provide more-immediate interventions that can introduce new instructional practices – for example, it can build 1) differentiated instruction; 2) participatory methodologies of instruction, and 3) capacity to provide effective feedback. A TOT using this building approach will require supports (for example, some follow-up and mentoring), but also demonstrate sustainability if teachers can show they are using alternative pedagogies. Therefore we recommend that participants in the STEM-led TOT who show evidence of building pedagogical change will receive a certificate of acknowledgement.

A series of shorter, more specific and targeted workshops dealing with topics that will lead to student-led pedagogies is also recommended. It might consist of a weekend workshop on participatory methodologies for working with a large class, questioning techniques, critical thinking, student-led assessments and so on. We recognize that the short term solutions will only lead to longer, sustainable change if there are also structural changes including, but not limited to the following:
• Improved internet access and library materials;
• improved leadership for collaboration;
• faculty exchanges between Addis-based and Northern cluster HEI;
• resource applications for practical aspects of work including labs and field visits;
• continued policy development toward student-centered learning; and
• enhanced opportunities for hiring women and understanding gender equality broadly, and gender-responsive pedagogies, more specifically.
The study demonstrated that without adequate resources and materials the success of the learning and teaching pedagogies are mitigated as there are fewer opportunities to learn the practical aspects of the courses. Although many faculty lament that they are teaching so that students can pass the exams, and consequently many students feel bored or unmotivated, there is an acknowledgement that continuous improvement will only occur if it is internally driven and supported. Those supports are required from within the institution itself, from the government bureaus, and the Ministry. Students for example, are concerned that mining programs in the HEI are not well supported outside of the university and that they are essentially an extension of geology. Additional supports might include memorandums of understanding with the Ministry, communities and industry; continuous pedagogical planning, and resource services and materials for laboratory and fieldwork.