Higher education in Ethiopia is beset by low levels of quality, relevance, and academic freedom, despite an unprecedented expansion of state and private higher education and rising enrollment, according to experts.

The world marks International Education Day on Monday and Molla Tsegaye, head of the Ethiopian Private Higher Education Institution Association, which represents 117 private universities, colleges, and vocational training institutes, told Anadolu Agency that Ethiopia is in the midst of an expansion of higher education.

Landmark expansion

“By all accounts, the pace of expansion of public and private higher education, which began in the 1990s, was overwhelming,” said Tsegaye. “Ethiopia, which had three public universities at the beginning of the 1990s, enrolling some 18,000 students, has now 306 private higher education institutions and full-fledged five private and 55 public universities.”

He added that the private sector and government have continued to invest in higher education. “We expect more public and private higher education institutions to join the sector.”

Ethiopia’s higher education institutions offer bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees. Distance, evening, and online classes are offered. Since 2003, the cost of learning at government institutions is based on cost-sharing.

Students cover 15% of their tuition fees while the remainder is covered by the government.

According to official figures, there are currently more than 450,000 students enrolled in higher education, while 25 million pupils are enrolled in primary and secondary education.

Pressing limitations

Educators, stakeholders, and the government know about the multi-dimensional problems of the higher education system and have agreed on a national road map, said Tsegaye.

“One of the measurements of success is student enrollment, which has significantly increased over the last two decades,” said Tsegaye. “But still, it is only 12 to 13% which is way below many African countries.”

“Ethiopia is planning to increase this to 22%, and equity in access is our preoccupation,” he added.

Tsegaye said quality, relevance, and learning outcomes in higher education are some of the most fundamental problems created with the expansion.

“Quality is a problem but there are several measures that were put in place to enhance it and increase the relevance of courses and learning outcomes,” he said. “It is a progressive evolution that takes time.”

According to researchers, quality in education has been compromised by a lack of qualified instructors and the infrastructure development of classes, libraries, and electronic networks that lag behind the growth of institutions.

Academic freedom

Mekuria Mekasha, a journalism and communications instructor with Addis Ababa University, told Anadolu Agency that academic freedom at higher education institutions is a direct outcome of the existence of a functioning democracy in the country.

“On many occasions over the last three decades, students and instructors were imprisoned and/or dismissed for exercising academic freedom,” said Mekasha. “However, over the last three years of Ethiopia’s reform, we have been witnessing academic freedom.”

He said despite commendable improvements, with a fear of the past, lack of adequate forums for academic self-expression, and a shortage of research funds, academic freedom has yet to become the soul of the academic establishment.

“What we gained seems to be irreversible but it requires time to reach a convincing and sustainable level of academic freedom,” he said.

Tsegaye agreed.

“Currently, the political thought control administrative structure in the establishment has been removed,” he said, adding that unlike in the past, no one tells researchers what subjects they can look into and which they cannot.

In this regard, what is fundamental is academic autonomy that would close the door to government and private investors’ infringement on the independence of academic functions, Tsegaye added.

“Ethiopia will put in place institutional and financial autonomy at higher education establishments which would improve the overall functions of the establishment,” he said.

He noted, however, that there is a long way to go before achieving largely improved higher education in Ethiopia./aa

The world reported the highest global tally of COVID-19 cases last week, and while the omicron variant spreading like a tsunami may appear milder, it hospitalizes and kills people, the World Health Organization chief said Thursday.

WHO Director-General Tedros Ghebreyesus said at the organization's first webinar of 2022 that "while omicron does appear to be less severe compared to delta, especially in those vaccinated, it does not mean it should be categorized as 'mild.'

"Just like previous variants, omicron is hospitalizing people, and it is killing people," Tedros noted.

He said the "tsunami of cases is so huge and quick" and it is overwhelming the world's health systems.

During the week from Dec. 27, 2021 to Jan. 2, 2022, following a gradual increase since October, the global number of new cases jumped up by 71% compared to the previous week, while the number of new deaths decreased by 10%, according to WHO. This corresponds to just under 9.5 million new cases and over 41,000 new deaths reported during the last week.

To end the acute stage of the pandemic, countries need to share highly effective scientific tools fairly and quickly with the world, he urged.

"Vaccine inequity and health inequity overall were the biggest failures of last year," said Tedros and noted that on current trajectories that 109 countries will miss the WHO's target of fully vaccinating 70% of the world's population by mid-2022 said Tedros.

'Vaccine inequity kills'

"Vaccine inequity is a killer of people and jobs, and it undermines a global economic recovery."

The essence of the disparity is that some countries are moving toward vaccinating citizens a fourth time, while others have not even had enough regular supply to vaccinate their health workers and those at most risk, said the WHO head.

He had asked everyone to make a New Year's resolution to get behind the campaign to vaccinate 70% of people worldwide by the middle of 2022.

The WHO chief said cases reported worldwide last week were an underestimate because the numbers do not reflect testing backlogs from burdened surveillance systems, holidays in many parts of the world, and positive self-tests that were not registered.

The WHO's coronavirus technical lead, Maria Van Kerkhove, said: "The vaccines that are available for COVID-19 work against all variants that are circulating.

She cautioned against people who speculate that the omicron would be the last coronavirus strain.

"Unfortunately, omicron will not be the last variant, the virus continues to evolve," she said.

WHO has so far confirmed over 296.4 million coronavirus infections globally and registered more than 5.46 million deaths since the disease came to the fore two years ago after being discovered in China./aa