5 - Higher Education in Ethiopia: The Vision and Its Challenges
Journal of Higher Education in Africa,
Vol. 2 No. 3 (2004): Journal of Higher Education in Africa
Abstract
Ethiopia is embarked on a higher education expansion and reform programme of impressive dimensions. Expansion will create new universities, establish three sys- tem support agencies, mount new courses, and triple enrolments. Reforms intro- duce increased institutional autonomy, curriculum revisions, new funding arrange- ments and student contributions by means of a graduate tax. This article analyses current higher education reform efforts in Ethiopia. It begins by sketching the so- cial context in which higher education is situated and describing the country’s higher education system. An assessment of tertiary education financing follows. Management capacities and efficiency in the use of these resources are then dis- cussed, noting the particular challenges posed by HIV/AIDS. Educational quality and relevance are subsequently addressed. Analysis points out potential weaknesses in the reform programme but concludes that enrolment expansion targets are likely to be met. However, the dynamics of expansion may well generate difficulties in maintaining educational quality.
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- Abebayehu, A., 1998, ‘Problems of Gender Equity in Institutions of Higher Learning in Ethiopia,’ in A. Asgedom et al., eds., Quality Education in Ethiopia: Visions for the 21st Century, Addis Ababa: Institute for Educational Research, Addis Ababa University.
- Aredo, D., and Zelalem, Y., 1998, ‘Skilled Labour Migration from Developing Countries: An Assessment of Brain Drain from Ethiopia,’ in S. Seyoum, A. Seyoum, eds., Human Resources Development in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa: Ethiopian Economics Association.
- Association of African Universities and the World Bank, 1997, Revitalising Universities in Africa: Strategy and Guidelines, Washington, DC: World Bank.
- Budu, J., 2002, Final Report on Strategic Planning Study in Ethiopia: Consultant’s Report, Addis Ababa: Ministry of Education.
- Chapman, B., 2003 April, Income Contingent Loans for Higher Education: International reform. Draft paper presented at a World Bank Workshop. Washington, DC: World Bank. Discovery Consultants, 2003, Report of the Study on the Impact of HIV/AIDS on
- the Education Sector and the Status and Problems of HIV/AIDS Education in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa: Ministry of Education.
- Fredriksen, B., 1984, 22–25 February, Main Trends in Norwegian Higher Education since 1960. Paper prepared for a conference on the Historical Development of Higher Education in Eastern and Southern African Countries organised by the Eastern and Southern African Universities Research Project (ESAURP), Lusaka, Zambia. Publication no. 293 (B) of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Oslo.
- Government of Ethiopia, 2003, Higher Education Proclamation. No. 351/2003. Addis Ababa: Negarit Gazeta.
- Haileselassie, A., 2004, 23 May, ‘The Looming Disaster in Higher Education,’ Fortune Newspaper, Vol. 5, No. 212.
- Human Rights Watch, 2003, Lessons in Repression: Violations of Academic Freedom in Ethiopia, London: Human Rights Watch.
- Johnstone, B., 2003, 23–25 September, Higher Education Finance and Accessibility: Tuition Fees and Student Loans in Sub-Saharan Africa. Paper presented at the Africa regional training conference: ‘Improving Tertiary Education in SubSaharan Africa: Things that Work!’, Accra, Ghana.
- Kastbjerg, G., 1999, Financing Higher Education in Ethiopia. Sponsored by the European Development Fund. Addis Ababa: Ministry of Education.Ministry of Capacity Building, 2003, National Capacity Building Plan: 2003/2004–2007/2008. Addis Ababa: Ministry of Capacity Building.
- Ministry of Education, 1995, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 1993/94, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education.
- Ministry of Education, 1996, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 1994/95, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education.
- Ministry of Education, 1997, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 1995/96, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education.
- Ministry of Education, 1998, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 1996/97, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education.
- Ministry of Education, 1999, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 1997/98, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education.
- Ministry of Education, 2000, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 1998/99, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education.
- Ministry of Education, 2001a, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 1999/00, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education.
- Ministry of Education, 2001b, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 2000/01, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems.
- Ministry of Education, 2002a, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 2001/02, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education. Ministry of Education, 2002b, Higher Education Capacity Building Programme: Main Document, Addis Ababa: Ministry of Education.
- Ministry of Education, 2003, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 2002/03, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education.
- Ministry of Education, 2004, 27 May, Higher Education Systems Overhaul: Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Governance, Leadership and Management in Ethiopia’s Higher Education System. Draft. Addis Ababa: Ministry of Education.
- Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, 2002, Ethiopia: Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction Programme. Addis Ababa: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
- Mkude, D., 2003, 23–25 September, Contracting Non-Academic Services to Private Providers: The Dar es Salaam Experience. Paper presented at the Africa regional training conference: ‘Improving Tertiary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Things that Work!’, Accra, Ghana.
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1998, Redefining Tertiary Education, Paris: OECD.
- Otaala, B., 2003, 23–25 September, Institutional Policies for Managing AIDS in Africa. Paper presented at the Africa regional training conference: ‘Improving Tertiary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Things that Work!’, Accra, Ghana.Tamrat, W., 2003, 26 July, A Glimpse of Private Higher Education Institutions in the World and in Ethiopia. Proceedings of the First National Conference on Private Higher Education Institutions in Ethiopia, St. Mary’s College, Addis
- Ababa.
- Yizengaw, T., 2003, 23–25 September, Transformations in Higher Education: Experiences with Reform and Expansion in the Ethiopian Higher Education System. Keynote speech presented at the Africa regional training conference: ‘Improving Tertiary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Things that Work!’ Accra, Ghana.
- UNAIDS, 2003, AIDS Epidemic Update, December 2003, Geneva: UNAIDS and World Health Organisation.
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2003, Financing Education—Investments and Returns: Analysis of the World Education Indicators, Paris: UNESCO.
- Wagaw, T. G., 1990, The Development of Higher Education and Social Change: The Ethiopian Experience, East Lansing: Michigan State University Press.
- Wondimu, H., 2003, ‘Ethiopia,’ in D. Teferra, P. Altbach, eds., African Higher Education: An International Reference Handbook, Bloomington: University of Indiana Press.
- World Bank, 1998a, Ethiopia: Social Sector Report, Washington, DC: World Bank.
- World Bank, 1998b, Ethiopia Education Sector Development Project: Project Appraisal Document, Washington, DC: World Bank.
- World Bank, 2002, Constructing Knowledge Societies: New Challenges for Tertiary Education, Washington, DC: World Bank.
- World Bank, 2003, Public Expenditure Review: Public Spending in the Social Sectors—Ethiopia, Washington, DC: World Bank.
- World Bank, 2004a, Higher Education Development for Ethiopia: Pursuing the Vision, Washington, DC: World Bank, Human Development Department, Africa Region.
- World Bank, 2004b, Country Status Report: Ethiopia, Washington, DC: World Bank, Human Development Department, Africa Region.
References
Abebayehu, A., 1998, ‘Problems of Gender Equity in Institutions of Higher Learning in Ethiopia,’ in A. Asgedom et al., eds., Quality Education in Ethiopia: Visions for the 21st Century, Addis Ababa: Institute for Educational Research, Addis Ababa University.
Aredo, D., and Zelalem, Y., 1998, ‘Skilled Labour Migration from Developing Countries: An Assessment of Brain Drain from Ethiopia,’ in S. Seyoum, A. Seyoum, eds., Human Resources Development in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa: Ethiopian Economics Association.
Association of African Universities and the World Bank, 1997, Revitalising Universities in Africa: Strategy and Guidelines, Washington, DC: World Bank.
Budu, J., 2002, Final Report on Strategic Planning Study in Ethiopia: Consultant’s Report, Addis Ababa: Ministry of Education.
Chapman, B., 2003 April, Income Contingent Loans for Higher Education: International reform. Draft paper presented at a World Bank Workshop. Washington, DC: World Bank. Discovery Consultants, 2003, Report of the Study on the Impact of HIV/AIDS on
the Education Sector and the Status and Problems of HIV/AIDS Education in Ethiopia, Addis Ababa: Ministry of Education.
Fredriksen, B., 1984, 22–25 February, Main Trends in Norwegian Higher Education since 1960. Paper prepared for a conference on the Historical Development of Higher Education in Eastern and Southern African Countries organised by the Eastern and Southern African Universities Research Project (ESAURP), Lusaka, Zambia. Publication no. 293 (B) of the Norwegian Institute of International Affairs, Oslo.
Government of Ethiopia, 2003, Higher Education Proclamation. No. 351/2003. Addis Ababa: Negarit Gazeta.
Haileselassie, A., 2004, 23 May, ‘The Looming Disaster in Higher Education,’ Fortune Newspaper, Vol. 5, No. 212.
Human Rights Watch, 2003, Lessons in Repression: Violations of Academic Freedom in Ethiopia, London: Human Rights Watch.
Johnstone, B., 2003, 23–25 September, Higher Education Finance and Accessibility: Tuition Fees and Student Loans in Sub-Saharan Africa. Paper presented at the Africa regional training conference: ‘Improving Tertiary Education in SubSaharan Africa: Things that Work!’, Accra, Ghana.
Kastbjerg, G., 1999, Financing Higher Education in Ethiopia. Sponsored by the European Development Fund. Addis Ababa: Ministry of Education.Ministry of Capacity Building, 2003, National Capacity Building Plan: 2003/2004–2007/2008. Addis Ababa: Ministry of Capacity Building.
Ministry of Education, 1995, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 1993/94, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education.
Ministry of Education, 1996, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 1994/95, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education.
Ministry of Education, 1997, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 1995/96, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education.
Ministry of Education, 1998, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 1996/97, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education.
Ministry of Education, 1999, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 1997/98, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education.
Ministry of Education, 2000, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 1998/99, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education.
Ministry of Education, 2001a, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 1999/00, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education.
Ministry of Education, 2001b, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 2000/01, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems.
Ministry of Education, 2002a, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 2001/02, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education. Ministry of Education, 2002b, Higher Education Capacity Building Programme: Main Document, Addis Ababa: Ministry of Education.
Ministry of Education, 2003, Education Statistics Annual Abstract 2002/03, Addis Ababa: Education Management Information Systems, Ministry of Education.
Ministry of Education, 2004, 27 May, Higher Education Systems Overhaul: Report of the Committee of Inquiry into Governance, Leadership and Management in Ethiopia’s Higher Education System. Draft. Addis Ababa: Ministry of Education.
Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, 2002, Ethiopia: Sustainable Development and Poverty Reduction Programme. Addis Ababa: Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.
Mkude, D., 2003, 23–25 September, Contracting Non-Academic Services to Private Providers: The Dar es Salaam Experience. Paper presented at the Africa regional training conference: ‘Improving Tertiary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Things that Work!’, Accra, Ghana.
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1998, Redefining Tertiary Education, Paris: OECD.
Otaala, B., 2003, 23–25 September, Institutional Policies for Managing AIDS in Africa. Paper presented at the Africa regional training conference: ‘Improving Tertiary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Things that Work!’, Accra, Ghana.Tamrat, W., 2003, 26 July, A Glimpse of Private Higher Education Institutions in the World and in Ethiopia. Proceedings of the First National Conference on Private Higher Education Institutions in Ethiopia, St. Mary’s College, Addis
Ababa.
Yizengaw, T., 2003, 23–25 September, Transformations in Higher Education: Experiences with Reform and Expansion in the Ethiopian Higher Education System. Keynote speech presented at the Africa regional training conference: ‘Improving Tertiary Education in Sub-Saharan Africa: Things that Work!’ Accra, Ghana.
UNAIDS, 2003, AIDS Epidemic Update, December 2003, Geneva: UNAIDS and World Health Organisation.
UNESCO Institute for Statistics and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 2003, Financing Education—Investments and Returns: Analysis of the World Education Indicators, Paris: UNESCO.
Wagaw, T. G., 1990, The Development of Higher Education and Social Change: The Ethiopian Experience, East Lansing: Michigan State University Press.
Wondimu, H., 2003, ‘Ethiopia,’ in D. Teferra, P. Altbach, eds., African Higher Education: An International Reference Handbook, Bloomington: University of Indiana Press.
World Bank, 1998a, Ethiopia: Social Sector Report, Washington, DC: World Bank.
World Bank, 1998b, Ethiopia Education Sector Development Project: Project Appraisal Document, Washington, DC: World Bank.
World Bank, 2002, Constructing Knowledge Societies: New Challenges for Tertiary Education, Washington, DC: World Bank.
World Bank, 2003, Public Expenditure Review: Public Spending in the Social Sectors—Ethiopia, Washington, DC: World Bank.
World Bank, 2004a, Higher Education Development for Ethiopia: Pursuing the Vision, Washington, DC: World Bank, Human Development Department, Africa Region.
World Bank, 2004b, Country Status Report: Ethiopia, Washington, DC: World Bank, Human Development Department, Africa Region.