Higher Education in Ethiopia: Recent Developments and Challenges

Abstract

This paper explores developments and challenges in Ethiopian higher education before 2018. The paper especially focuses on reflecting on issues related to enrolment, staff development, funding, research and graduate studies, internationalization, and continuing education.

Ethiopian-affiliated research in Scopus and Web of Science: A bibliometric mapping

“…Although the research function is given priority in policy documents and university mission and vision statements, research output from the country's higher education system is still considered low. Studies suggest that Ethiopian higher education remains overwhelmingly teaching-oriented (Van Deuren et al, 2016;Yallew, 2020) and the impressive gains made in expanding the country's higher education system do not seem to be accompanied by a parallel expansion in terms of research productivity (Ashcroft, 2011;Van Deuren et al, 2016;Weldemichael, 2014). For example, at Mekelle University, the institution with relatively higher normalized research impact, among a total of 1456 academic staff members not more than 25 articles were published in 2013 (Weldemichael, 2014).…”

“…In addition to poor research culture, research productivity in Ethiopian higher education is also linked to the low or chronic under-investment and financial support allocated to this function of higher education (Kitaw, 2006;Yallew, 2020). The fifth Education Sector Development Program (ESDP V) indicates that research funding in Ethiopian universities accounted for only 1% of their total budget (Ministry of Education (MoE), 2015).…”

Higher Education Enrollment, Graduation, and Employment Trends in Ethiopia: An Empirical Analysis

“…It was stated that higher education in Ethiopia dates back to the the 4th-century common era.. However, higher education in its modern form may be traced back to the founding of Addis Ababa University College in 1950 [63]. The country had only two state higher education institutions and no private higher education providers between the 1950s and the last decade of the twentieth century [64].…”

Are African academic women more emotionally intelligent than men? Exploring emotional intelligence, gender, and leadership in higher education

“…Like in most African countries, higher education (HE) is a relatively new phenomenon in Ethiopia, having only been around for a few decades [ 3 ]. Despite this, Ethiopia's higher education sector has undergone significant changes recently as a result of rapid expansion, rising societal demands, and policy changes by the government.…”

“…Despite this, Ethiopia's higher education sector has undergone significant changes recently as a result of rapid expansion, rising societal demands, and policy changes by the government. Even with its rapid expansion, the industry still faces many obstacles, including inadequate funding, rising quality concerns, student population growth, brain drain, a lack of academic freedom and institutional autonomy, and inadequate facilities and infrastructure [ 3 , 4 ]. Despite the need for more institutional leadership to address these challenges, leadership itself has been a major challenge in Ethiopian universities and colleges.…”