| Abstract: | the government. So those students who failed to score the minimum result in Ethiopian
School Leaving Certificate Examination (ESLCE) had no chance to attend tertiary
Education. With the adoption of a market-oriented economy policy, the EPRDF regime
opened a space for the flourishing of Private Higher Education Institutes (PHEIs) in the
country. This created opportunity for many citizens who failed to score the minimum
entrance result in ESLCE to join higher education institutions. Even though the
contributions of the PHEIs to the country as whole are significant, the change of policy
for student placement (the so called 70:30 ratio) becomes an issue in recent years. In
fact, the educational policy is the major factor that affects (positively or negatively, the
strategic plan of the PHEIs. Therefore, it is essential for the policy makers to recognize
what motivates and discourages the PHEIs in order to improve their quality, productivity
and ensure their success. Thus, the following main questions were inquired to assess the
answer and to recommend possible solution: Why there is the 70:30 placement? Which is
the implication of the 70:30 placement policy for higher learning education, particularly
for Private Higher Education Institutions? How would it be possible to implement the
70:30 placement policy by Private Higher Education Institutions? And how do the
Private Higher Education Institutions evaluate the 70:30 placement policy? The general
objective of this research is to analyze the main trends of educational policy of Ethiopia
and its implications on Private Higher Education Institutions. The specific objectives of
the research are: to analyze the Ethiopian Educational Policy documents and their
implications on educational process, to analyze the 70:30 placement policy with respect
to PHEIs, to check whether the implementation of the new placement policy is affordable
or not in terms of investment cost, and to investigate whether the PHEIs can cope up with
the in acting placement policy. This research used the quantitative research method and
the collection of primary data was undertaken using sampling technique, through
questionnaire filled in by a number of students, instructors, and higher education
managers. The results of the research indicate that the new in acting 70:30 placement
policy of the MoE doesn’t satisfy the interest of student, the implementation for PHEIs
seems difficult and not affordable, while the contribution of the PHEIs to increase the
qualified labor force is significant. Even though such macro policies need strong
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research, it is possible to conclude that the implementation of the new policy bears many
of its difficulty on PHEIs. Therefore, in my opinion the policy needs: Re-thinking, reconsideration,
and participation of all stakeholders for its proper implementation. |
