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Ethiopia Higher and Vocational Education since 1975
In 1977 the revolutionary regime issued Proclamation No.
109, which created the Commission for Higher Education. This
document also outlined the main objectives of higher
education institutions as follows: to train individuals for
high-level positions in accordance with the national plan of
development and to provide qualified medium-level personnel
to meet the immediate needs of the economy; to improve the
quality of education, strengthen and expand tertiary-level
institutions, and establish new research and training
centers; and to contribute to a better standard of living
among the masses by developing science, technology, the
arts, and literature.
Additionally, Addis Ababa reoriented institutions of higher
education to reflect the new regime's objectives and
modified admission criteria to benefit students from small
towns and rural areas. But the government also assigned many
students to specialize in certain fields, which denied them
the opportunity to decide on careers of their choosing.
Higher education expanded modestly in the period after
1975. The College of Agriculture at Alemaya, which was part
of Addis Ababa University, was granted independent
university status in 1985. A postgraduate studies program
was established in 1978, which had an enrollment of 246
students in 1982/83, of whom 15 were women. Graduate
programs were offered in several fields, including
engineering, natural science, agriculture, the social
sciences, and medicine. Several research institutes
supported these institutions of higher education. Addis
Ababa University also provided an evening extension program
offering courses in many fields.
Other diploma-granting independent colleges trained middlelevel manpower in several fields. These included the College
of Teacher Education, the Junior College of Commerce, and
the Municipal Technical College, all in Addis Ababa. There
were also junior colleges of agriculture in Ambo and Jima,
the Institute of Animal Health Assistants in Debre Zeyit,
and the Institute of Health Sciences in Jima. Altogether,
there were approximately twelve colleges or universities in
the country in the early 1990s, with intense competition
among students for admission.
Enrollment in higher education grew from 4,500 in 1970 to
more than 18,400 in 1985/86, of whom nearly 11 percent were
women. But enrollment was low, considering the size of the
population. Space limitations at the colleges and
universities caused the government to raise admission
standards. To narrow the gap somewhat, the number of
students sent abroad on scholarships and fellowships grew
from an annual average of 433 during 1969-73 to about 1,200
during 1978-82.
The number of Ethiopians on teaching staffs also grew. The
faculty of Addis Ababa University increased from 437 in 1970
to 1,296 in 1983, with a corresponding increase in Ethiopian
faculty from 48 percent to 74 percent of this total during
the same period.
There was also more emphasis on the creation of technical
and vocational schools, most of which were operated by the
government. The Ministry of Education operated or supervised
nine such schools scattered around the country. These
schools had an enrollment of more than 4,200 in 1985/86, and
their graduates were in great demand by industries. With
Soviet assistance, Ethiopia established its first
polytechnic institute, in Bahir Dar, in the 1960s. It
trained personnel in agromechanics, industrial chemistry,
electricity, and textile and metal-working technology. In
addition, a system of general polytechnic education had been
introduced into the senior secondary school curriculum so
that those who did not continue their education still could
venture into the skilled job market.
The government also introduced vocational training to
upgrade peasant skills. The peasant training centers,
operated by the Ministry of Agriculture, provided training
in vocational trades related to agriculture for periods
ranging from three weeks to six months. The country had
twelve such centers, which trained more than 200,000 farmers
from 1974 to 1988.
Data as of 1991
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