This short communication commemorates the 75th anniversary of Addis Ababa University by tracingthe evolution of the College of Education and Language Studies (CELS), formerly the College ofEducation and Behavioral Studies (CEBS). It explores the college’s transformation from its originswithin the Faculty of Arts into a dynamic academic entity that has significantly influenced Ethiopia’seducational and social development. Through historical analysis and institutional reflection, thepaper highlights key milestones, structural shifts, and the enduring impact of CELS on nationalcapacity building and intellectual leadership.
Academic reading engagement is a fundamental determinant of success in higher education. This study investigates the status of academic reading engagement and its related challenges among Ethiopian higher education, second-year undergraduate students. To address this goal the researchers employed a descriptive cross-sectional survey study design; a total of 200 students were also participated by a census sampling, with a response rate of 91.3%. Data were also collected through closed ended questionnaires and following the assumptions check, the collected data were analyzedusing descriptive statistics and the Friedman Test via IBM SPSS version 27. The findings reveal that overall academic reading engagement was relatively moderate (M = 2.98/4.00). Among the academic reading engagement dimensions, cognitive engagement reported as the most frequent (Mean Rank = 2.13), whereas social engagement was the least frequent (Mean Rank = 1.86). This difference was statistically significant, χ² (2) = 8.09, p = .018. Regarding perceived challenges, Emotional (Mean Rank = 2.73) and behavioral challenges (Mean Rank = 2.70) were significantly impactful than social barriers (Mean Rank = 2.05), χ² (3) = 39.01, p < .001. Based of the findings, the study concludes that students prioritize an independent academic reading engagement style. This lack of social interactionshows that collaborative reading is neither an established practice nor widely recognized as a viable strategy among students. Accordingly, the researchers suggested practical recommendations for instructors, university administrators, students, and researchers aimed to enhance a more integrated and resilient academic reading culture in the context of tertiary education.
This analysis examines how Ethiopian universities view and engage with University-Industry Linkage (UIL). Informed by the triple helix model of university, industry, and government cooperation, this research uses a phenomenological qualitative design, drawing on evidence from policy documents and in-depth interviews with UIL directors from seven public universities. The findings highlight a growing recognition among government officials and academic leaders regarding the critical roles UIL plays in national economic development. The results also indicate that in Ethiopia, the dynamic among the three main UILs resembles a “statist” approach, with the federal government taking aleading role in UIL. However, actual governmental influence over university-industry linkages is found to be weak. University-industry linkage in Ethiopia lacks clear accountability at both institutional and partnership levels. Key challenges include institutional culture, limited commitment to partnerships, lack of ownership in guiding linkages, inadequate organizational structure and leadership support, and a shortage of faculty with industry expertise. The study underscores universities' need to demonstrate their value as reliable partners in addressing industry challengesand promoting development. It also highlights the importance of close collaboration between industries and universities, emphasizing the need for industries to invest in cultivating highly skilled human resources. Moreover, industries must better recognize the impact of research and innovation on their productivity and competitiveness.
In the age of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Higher Education is facing new challenges and opportunitiesfor sustainable quality education. What mechanisms can Ethiopia Higher Education Institutions(HEIs) employ to tap the opportunities and address the challenges of AI in Education withoutcompromising the quality of Education? This research investigates on AI policy enactment byanalyzing the tension between policy level official documents and current practice. Based on StephenBall’s Policy Enactment Framework, the study focuses on Situated, Material, Professional, andExternal contexts of AI policy and practice. First, a PRISMA-guided systematic document analysiswas conducted on official policy documents at continental, country, sectoral and institutional levels.Then, by selecting key informants from applied and research universities, semi-structured interviewswere employed. To appraise the direct and indirect relevance of AI mentioned in the body of the policydocuments, the official documents were analyzed based on a Red-Amber-Green (RAG) analysismethod. One of the findings of the study was, the Material infrastructure and Professional capabilitiesof instructors are not at the required level to meet the objectives of external policies. Rather thanmaking argument on embracing or banning AI, this research provides ways for developing policiessensitive to the contexts of HEIs. The results offer a planned roadmap for policy enactment which isculturally sensitive, ethically rooted, and pedagogically sound in the reality of Ethiopian HEIs.
The study was aimed to assess the relationship between cultural intelligence and diversity tolerance among public university students, with a focus on the mediating role of cross-group friendships. Despite the significance of cultural competence in pluralistic societies like Ethiopia, empirical evidence on these domains remains limited, specifically in Ethiopian universities that sporadically experience ethnic-based tensions. This study was guided by cross sectional quantitative design and involved a sample of 319 regular undergraduate students enrolled at Ambo University. The participants were selected using stratified random sampling and completed validated tools assessing CQ, DT, and CGF. Data were analyzed using SPSS 23, with AMOS program. Thus the confirmatory factor analysiswas conducted using AMOS and Hayes’ PROCESS macro (model 4.2) was employed for mediation analysis. The analysis indicated that 62.4% of participants scored high in overall CQ, with motivational (63%) and behavioral (63.6%) dimensions scoring highest, while metacognitive CQ (49.3%) was relatively weaker. The study also found significant positive correlations between CQ and DT (r = .823), CQ and CGF (r = .655), and CGF and DT (r = .793). The mediation analysis revealed that CGF partially mediated the link between CQ and DT (indirect effect: β = 0.14, 95% CI [0.11,0.18]), accounting for 35.49% of the total effect. These finding highlight the double paths through which CQ promotes DT: directly through cognitive-affective processes and indirectly by fostering meaningful intergroup relation. The study emphasized the need to implement targeted interventions by Universities, such as structured cross cultural training, reflective exercises, and policies promotingcross-ethnic connections, in order to strengthen social cohesion.
English language teachers bear a significant responsibility in ensuring students' proficiency. However, the training of English language teachers has not received adequate attention, with curricula often being perceived as mere replicas of established models. Despite significant effort in training English teachers, the TEFL/ELT program has not been thoroughly examined to determine the extent to which its packages meet workplace demands. This study, therefore, investigated the responsiveness of Ethiopian English language teaching programs by examining the perspectives of English language teacher educators and students, as well as curriculum documents. Results revealed substantial mismatches between curricular content, which is almost a replication across universities,and linguistic, pedagogical, and technological competencies. The data indicated that the program placed inadequate emphasis on English language proficiency development, limited training on contemporary ELT issues, insufficient integration of technology, and curricula and second language teacher education practice were overly dominated by general education topics, with minimal ELT-specific depth. The results suggest a reconceptualization of the TEFL/ELT curriculum that foregrounds workplace-demand-driven TPACK (Technological, Pedagogical, and Content Knowledge) competencies.
This study aimed to identify teachers’ level of formative assessment practice and examine the main personal and contextual factors that influence this practice. A mixed methods research approach, involving an explanatory sequential design, was employed. A stratified random sampling technique was used to select participants for the survey. Teachers’ survey questionnaires, principals’ (key informants) interviews, classroom observation, and students’ focus group discussion guides were used to gather data. Frequency counts, percentages, and multiple regression were used to analyse the quantitative data. The qualitative data were analysed using the deductive organization of responses from participants into themes, and the two data strands were then logically integrated. Findings showed that teachers' formative assessment practices varied widely. Although most teachers self-reported as proficient or advanced uses of formative assessment, classroom observations indicated mainly limited practices of formative assessment. The discrepancies between self-reported data and observed practices suggest potential overestimation in self-assessments. The major factors hampering a successful formative assessment practice in primary schools are teachers’ low level of understanding of the strategies of formative assessment, minimal support from school leaders, the school's tendency to promote the summative assessment type, large class size, teachers teaching subjects they were not trained for or not adequately trained for, and the absence of instructional materials (including textbooks). Implications for practice and policies in the area of formative assessment were discussed.
This study explores what and how host communities utilize social capital to integrate internally displaced persons (IDPs) in conflict-prone situations. Focusing on Ginjo-Jimma-Oromia and Quiha-Mekele in Tigray, Ethiopia, the qualitative research involved key informants (parents, village leaders, school directors, teachers, and students) who were recruited through purposive and snowball sampling. Field observations emphasized the collaborative efforts of host communities and IDPs in facilitating the reintegration of internally displaced children (IDCs) into education. The findings disclosed that host communities enhance their potential by transforming social assets into social capital through supportive networks and norms of reciprocity, crucial for IDC reintegration. Social capital emerged as a cohesive force for relief and recovery, despite challenges like limited resources and emotional strain. Resilience is demonstrated through collective action, with volunteerism and community networking playing vital roles in overcoming obstacles and promoting educational initiatives. This research highlights the importance of building social assets into social capital to foster cooperation and resilience, ultimately enhancing educational opportunities for conflict-affected children in Ethiopia. By exploring the relationship between social assets and community dynamics, the study offers valuable insights into effective strategies for supporting IDCs and rebuilding cohesive communities in crisis.
This study examined the relations between values (Self-transcendence Values, [ST] and Self-enhancement Values, [SE]) and Nonviolent Behavior (NVB). The study employed a quantitatively driven mixed methods design and was conducted on Ethiopian adolescents attending their secondary schools in Addis Ababa. A total of 171 randomly selected adolescents (87 females and 84 males) from two randomly chosen schools participated in the study. Five of these adolescents (3 females and 2 males) participated in a qualitative study. Questionnaire and a semi-structured interview were used to collect data. To analyze the quantitative data, descriptive statistics, correlation, and structural equation modeling (SEM) were employed. Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) and Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) were used for this purpose. Qualitative data were analyzed thematically using Open Code version 4.03. It was found that the two higher order values (i.e., ST and SE) accounted for a substantial amount of variance in NVB independently (50.30% for ST and 32.40% for SE) and jointly (70.60%). The study also found that the structural model that linked ST, SE and NVB fit the data adequately. Moreover, the relations found among these variables are in line with the pattern predicated by Shalom Schwartz’s Basic Individual Values Theory. Implications of these findings are discussed.
This study investigates the contribution and challenges of the School Feeding Program (SFP) on educational outcomes in public primary schools in Gulele Sub-City of Addis Ababa City Administration. The educational outcome variables of this study encompass academic performance, enrollment rates, attendance rates, dropout rates, and repetition rates. The study employed a quasi-experimental design with a mixed-method approach. The study utilized both secondary and primary data collection methods, including qualitative data from an open-ended questionnaire at Hamle 19/67 Public Primary School, which was used to triangulate the quantitative findings. The study analyzed data from 14,898 grade 8 students who took the Primary School Leaving Certificate Exam (PSLCE) from 2018/19 to 2021/22 across 18 public primary schools that benefited from the SFP. The analysis of OLS regression showed that students receiving the program had a 9.6% higher likelihood of promotion and scored an average of five points higher compared to non-beneficiaries. Additionally, the program significantly improved enrollment, reduced dropout rates, and decreased repetition rates. The findings suggest revising the budget allocation per student, expanding the SFP to secondary schools, and ensuring the program’s sustainability, with a recommendation for parents and government to further invest in students' education to enhance future outcomes.
This study explores the challenges and opportunities of curriculum implementation at Ethiopian Defense University (EDU). To this end, the article uses a qualitative case study design, collecting the primary data using semi-structured interviews from 4 commandants, 3 college deans, 1 education quality assurance director, and 6 participants in focus group discussions from department heads and quality assurance experts. We analyzed the data using both thematic and narrative approaches. We extracted three themes from the data. The themes were challenges, opportunities, and strategies of curriculum implementation. The findings showed that there were substantial challenges in the curriculum implementation, including a lack of continuous professional development, lack of resource, constraints on technology, lack of adequate and resistance to pedagogical change. Despite these primary challenges, the research identified substantial opportunity for EDU to implement the curriculum successfully. These prospects include practical training, military alliances that provide access to contemporary technology, advancements in areas such as drone technology, and focused education in leadership, military healthcare, and professional ethics. Using these opportunities, EDU can get a better chance to align its curriculum with the demands of the defense sector and enhance learners’ keenness for military duties. Thus, it was possible to conclude that the EDU was doing a respectable job of implementing the curriculum at the time of this study. However, this study concludes that there is still room for improvement provided the challenges impeding the successful implementation of the curriculum in the EDU addressed. The study recommended individualized training programs, a conducive work environment, and staff engagement in the decision- making process to inspire the implementation of innovative teaching methods as strategies to solve these challenges. In addition, focusing on the importance of continuous professional development and upholding a culture of collaborating, especially in the field of military education, thus, this study reinforces strategies for changing how educational institutions operate. Therefore, it suggests that EDU needs to invest in new technologies, set explicit ICT policies, and involve military stakeholders to establish strategic partnerships.. By doing this, the institution can enhance the quality of education and ensure that its curriculum meets its needs.
This reflection addresses the complex interaction between trauma and resilience based on the experiences of the author who is a researcher and psychotherapist while working withinternally displaced people (IDP) in Ethiopia. Using a reflective practitioner framework, thenarrative applies biopsychosocial, spiritual, and ecological perspectives to address themultifaceted impact of trauma. The embodiment of trauma and the critical role of culturally responsive holistic care were discussed using 'Hiwot’s’ case as a focal point. Byreconceptualizing trauma as both an individual and collective experience, the paperunderscores the profound effect on physical, emotional, and social well-being while advocating for culturally sensitive interventions. This paper emphasizes the importance of a practitioner's humility, active listening, integration of local traditions, and culturally responsive approaches in trauma-informed mental healthcare services.
Coherence in education refers to alignment among systems as well as a mindset andcollective approach that consciously addresses fragmentation among systems, agentsand responsibilities. Effective ECDE design and delivery then calls for coherence, withinand among its various systems and subsystems, towards children’s holistic learning anddevelopment. This paper attempts to conduct systemic analysis of these coherences in theECDE system in Ethiopia employing a blend of four interrelated models: ‘the WholeChild Approach’, ‘the Complexity Theory’, ‘the Coherence Making Model’, and ‘theProgram Implementation Fidelity Model’. The analysis unveils that the ECDE system inEthiopia seems incoherent for holistic learning and development. Children’s holisticlearning and development outcomes appear insufficient mainly because of policy,implementation, and leadership incoherencies. The paper concludes with the need for asystem overhaul to address fragmentation and work toward greater coherence.
Across the globe governments have been implementing school feeding programs (SFPs) aimingat enhancing students’ health and educational outcomes. This study examined the effect of thegovernment funded school feeding program on educational outcomes in Addis Ababa's publicprimary schools. Using an Interrupted Time Series design and a cross-sectional survey design,the research examined changes in enrollment, dropout rates, and promotion levels, as well asstudents' perceptions and satisfaction with the food provision. Data were collected from schoolrecords and 173 students across 27 schools in five sub-cities. Results have indicated that theSFP significantly improved educational outcomes, including increased enrollment, reduceddropout, and enhanced promotion levels. Moreover, regardless of demographics, more than80% of beneficiary students perceived the program as important, with 87.4% reporting highlevel of satisfaction with the food provision. These findings suggest that SFPs can be aneffective tool for improving educational outcomes in developing countries though potentialadverse consequences such as dependency and sustainability need careful consideration.
The study explored teachers’ reflections on management accountability relationships between School Management Bodies (SMBs) and teachers for curriculum implementation in primary schools. An exploratory case study type and a multiple case study research design were employed. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews and documentary reviews. The findings reveal that accountability, as conceived by the teachers, is a necessary commandment that promotes reporting, increases the workload to perform urgent work, and fosters greater fear. The result affirms that SMBs primarily hold teachers accountable for the preparation of student-related reports driven by top-down administrative commandments to satisfy the needs of the district education offices to routinize the teachers’ roles and facilitate accountability at a great level. The study also indicates that lowering teachers’ efficiency was the most compelling pressure as a consequence of holding teachers accountable. This study discloses that rigorous penalties were exercised only for teachers’ code of ethics rather than for failures observed during curriculum implementation that contributed to diverting teachers’ focus from classroom curricula practices. The study recommends that the government should re-conceptualize the shift in teachers’ practices and design an innovative educational accountability policy that will intrinsically drive teachers to classroom curricula practices.
One of the most critical issues in the 21st-century higher education academic discourseincluding the discourse in the Ethiopian context is the extent to which African universities enjoythe status of autonomous universities. An autonomous university is set in the best of conditionsto exercise independence, total control, and management of itself in its overall functioning,including academic, financial, and institutional freedom of inquiry. However, this statement ofautonomy has been threatened by many African countries to an unprecedented degree, asstressed in the Kampala Declaration on Intellectual Freedom and Social Responsibility.Looking at higher education in Ethiopia, it has been influenced by government-favored politicalideology (Ashenafi Aboye & Metcalfea, 2021) for at least three regimes (1916-2018). This studyhas attempted to bring to the forefront the recent Ethiopian experience of reforming its highereducation governance into an autonomous status. The objectives of this study were to explorethe very drives for higher education autonomy in the Ethiopian context and analyze theenabling factors and associated challenges towards it. Taking Addis Ababa University, theoldest and biggest national university in the country, and employing a descriptive researchmethodology where quantitative and qualitative data were collected using a surveyquestionnaire and document review, the study revealed significant challenges and limitedprogress in introducing autonomous governance in Addis Ababa University at both conceptualand practical levels. The dire need for members of the university community and stakeholdersto get all on board for a shared vision, the unwavering commitment of the government tosupport universities, and the need to develop the infrastructural capacities of universitiesemerged as critical requirements for successful autonomy. Furthermore, the study assertedthat the process, nature, and procedures of granting universities an autonomous status varyfrom context to context and from time to time, being so complex that the exercise attracts manyactors such as the government, public universities, external donors, non-governmentalorganizations and different professional societies to play.
Family Environment (FE) contributes to a plethora of positive and negative outcomesin its members. Nonetheless, little is known about the characteristics of the FE as perceivedby adolescents in the Ethiopian context. Aiming at examining characteristics of FEs, this studywas conducted on 477 Ethiopian adolescents (214 males and 255 females, with 8 missingcases) attending two government schools and one private secondary school in Addis AbabaCity. Data were gathered using Family Environment Scale (FES) and demographic items.Descriptive statistics, one-variable chi-square test, independent samples t-test and One-WayANOVA were used to analyze the data. Conflict, Achievement Orientation and Control werefound to be the salient features that characterize a relatively greater number of theadolescents’ families, with a less balanced overall quality of the FE. Moreover, familystructure, fathers’ and mothers’ educational levels and family income were found to contributeto variations in the adolescents’ FEs. Implications of these findings are discussed.
This study aimed to validate the psychometric properties of the Tromso Social Intelligence Scale (TSIS) in its Amharic version. Employing a random sampling method, year three and above undergraduate public university students (n = 343) in the full-time academic program of Dire Dawa and Wollo universities participated in the study. We examined factor structure, model fitness, reliability, and validity of the construct. After removing two poorly functioning items, the result of exploratory factor analysis showed that the measure is a three-factor structure: social information processing, social skills, and social awareness. The result of the confirmatory factor analysis revealed that all the observed variables were significantly represented by their latent variables. A good model fit was finally obtained as indicated in a relative chi-square test (x2/df = 1.576), IFI = .968, TLI = .962, NFI = .917, CFI = .968, RMSEA = .058 (PCLOSE = .178), SRMR = .053. The explained variance ranged from 22.4% (social information processing) to 72.6% (social awareness). Internal consistency reliability of the social information processing, social awareness, and social skills factors yielded .94, .91, and .92 respectively. The average variance extracted (AVE) was also found to be .67, .66, and .65, indicating convergent validity. The square root of AVE was .82, .81, and .80, confirming the discriminant validity of the measurement model. The overall result of the study demonstrated that the Tromso social intelligence scale is reliable and valid enough to measure social intelligence among senior undergraduate students of Ethiopian public universities.
The aim of the study was toinvestigate the contribution of Mettu University in enhancing the provision of Integrated Functional Adult Education through community engagement in IlubaborZone of Oromia national regional state. The study employed descriptive design and mixed method. Data was collected from 134 respondents selected from IFAE program center facilitators, coordinators, zone and district education offices, and Mettu University staff.Simple random and purposive sampling techniques were used in this study. Questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and focus group discussion were used to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. The quantitative information was analyzed by using frequency count and percentage, and the qualitative information were expressed through descriptive statements, interpreted and supplemented with the quantitative data.The major findings of the study were:Mettu University limited itself to the training given inside the university; the academic staff of AECD department of Mettu University engaged with the IFAE program in IlubaborZone only via student practicum and not through academic staff engagement; there is lack of organized communication channel of zone and district education offices withinMettu University with regards to community engagement. It can be concluded that the contribution of Mettu University to enhance the provision of IFAE program is low, and it is limited to the academic setting. It is therefore suggested thatthe academic and non-academic staff of the University should recognize the potential and contributions of instructors; the University should integrate issues of IFAE in its community engagement practices; it should also create an opportunity in which both its university teachers and students can provide service learning in the area of IFAE to enhance the provision of IFAE through community engagement.
