Partnership between Public and Private Higher Education Institutions in Ethiopia: Some Key Policy Options

Abstract

“PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS IN ETHIOPIA: SOME KEY POLICY OPTIONS” presents possible options for the advancement of partnership between public and private higher education institutions in Ethiopia. This consultative research also describes the challenges in forming the partnership. To collect the views of the executive management of private higher education institutions (PHEIs,) using stratified and cluster sampling procedures, a questionnaire was distributed to the top management of a cluster of nine (old) public universities. The respondents included were the presidents of the Universities, vice presidents, faculty deans and campus deans, officers of the university and heads of departments. With great concern, all executives responded urgently to the questionnaire except a single university management team. Parallel to this, the views of selected managers of 41 private higher institutions were included in the study. The major criterion for selecting these PHEIs was membership of the association of PHEIs, years of establishment, location and type of program. In-depth interviews focus group discussions, a consultative seminar which was attended by 44 institutional delegates and document analysis was made to gather data. After the consultative seminar which was attended by delegates of 44 institutions, finally, possible policy options were further refined. These policy options are assumed to advance the partnership between private and public higher education institution in Ethiopia. The partnership, in turn, can support massification and advance the quality of higher education. On the basis of these options, to advance the quality of private higher education provision, the following recommendations were made: promotion and implementation of public private partnership options for Ethiopian Higher Education Institutions aggressively, establishment of the Ethiopian Council for Public and Private Partnership (ECPPP), provision of government incentives to quality PHEIs, creation of access to donor support, improving options for overall management and creation of international/national twining (linkage).