Ethiopia Launches Investigations on Private Colleges Education

In an attempt to rescue the deteriorating education quality, the government of Ethiopia has launched investigations on all private higher institutions.

The investigation launched by the Higher Education Relevance and Quality Agency of Ethiopia (HERQA) aims to penalize the institutions that are compromising the quality of education and engaged in teaching the subjects they are not licensed for. The investigation may lead up to shutting the colleges and universities, which have been frequently failed to comply to the Agency’s rules and regulations, according to Andualem Admasse (PhD), Director of HERQA, who spoke to FBC, the ruling party owned media outlet.

He stated that during its recent sudden investigation on over 100 private higher education institutions, HERQA has identified 46 types of violations of the rules and regulations of the land, which has compromised the quality of education of the country.

Recent reports show the existence of higher education institutions that are issuing Masters degree providing only few months of courses. While others are engaged in selling Degrees and diplomas on demand to people who didn’t take any courses.

This week the Addis Ababa Transport Authority has fired 8 employees whose credentials were fake. While 9 other employees were pardoned because they exposed themselves during the deadline set by the Addis Ababa Transport Authority.

In Ethiopia currently there are 174 private higher institutions licensed by HERQA, out of which 27 are found to rebrand themselves as university colleges without meeting the criterion set by the Agency. HERQA has also found thirteen higher institutions engaged in brokering business, renting machinery and stationery materials, instead of teaching what they are licensed for.

As a state agency, HERQA has been established to help ensure a high quality and relevant higher education system in the country. In Ethiopia hundreds of thousands of students are enrolled higher institutions including those in around 40 public colleges and universities.

Ethiopia has opened higher institutions for the private sector about 20 years ago. The enrollment into higher education at first degree level excluding distance education has substantially increased in the last five years. It reached to about 220 thousand in 2005/06. It has increased by about 380% from the 2001/02 level.

Source: NewBusinessEthiopia.com