Addis Ababa University seem to be moving in the direction of exercising autonomy but the ethnic policy practices does not seem to be entirely removed
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Toronto – Addis Ababa University on Monday announced changes made to students accepting criteria for the 2017 Ethiopian Academic Year ( 2024/2025).
In a statement it released on its social media pages, the University cited proclamation 1294/2015 and regulation that the council of ministers passed to make the University autonomous ( 537/2016).
It portrayed the change as part of the reform measure in the education sector for higher institutions of learning.
Addressing the quality of education issue, ensuring enhanced equitable access to the university, producing competent students at the international level and the desired number of students the country needs are highlighted as the motives of the introduced change. It also said that it will be focusing on programs with high demands in the labor market.
Among the key changes are students will have to have a required grade for application and also write an entrance exam , and pass it.
However, there is something that sounds like a contradictory approach to result based acceptance of students.
The university has pointed out that there is a desire to “maintain composition of students” – apparently based on ethnicity. There is also affirmative consideration for certain groups of applicants like women, disabled and students from “developing regions.”
The “composition of students” and “students from developing regions” of the country rather seem to be criteria that tend to bypass the required grade to apply and entrance exam result on the basis of which the university claims to accept students.
Students have to finance themselves unless they are on a government funded scholarship.
Education quality has been at the crisis level in the country apparently due to the education system that was designed to advance the ethnic policy in the country. Now Universities are becoming autonomous. It remains to be seen whether the introduced changes could bring about the desired result – if the education form is not sliding back to the role of being a tool for ethnic policy.
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Great article! I think that education should be obtained at any cost. It is important to get a base so that you can expand your knowledge independently in the future.