Assessing the Roles and Challenges of PHEIs in Creating Access and Human Capital Development

Abstract

creating access, employment opportunities as well as program diversity in Ethiopian higher education system. It also explores the policy issues, challenges and shortcomings of the sector, aiming to assess to what extent PHEIs are contributing to the growing demand of higher education in providing access, in program diversity as well as in human capital development. The study also indicates the challenges of PHEIs in the contemporary higher education system of the country. Evidence was mainly gathered through document analysis of relevant policy as well as institutional documents. In addition, review of related literature and researches in the area as well as the researcher’s personal diaries were used as data sources. The study found out that most private institutions in Ethiopia are playing crucial roles by creating access and offering courses that open up good employment opportunities in the current trend of massive higher education expansion. Hence, the sector is significantly contributing to human capital as well as economic development of the nation. However, private higher education institutions appear to have limited access and poor program diversity, focusing only on few disciplines. Thus, this study indicates that PHEIs need to rethink their policies regarding their reach to the mass of potential users as well as their limited program diversity by considering the current 70:30 natural - social sciences ratio.