Enhancing the Quality of Teaching and Research in Ethiopian Private Higher Education Institutions through International Cooperation

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to assess the contribution of international cooperation to the enhancement of the quality of teaching and research in private higher education in Ethiopia. To this end, a qualitative research design was employed. That is, primary data were gathered from 20 respondents: one higher education desk officer and one curriculum expert from the Ministry of Education (MoE), two experts from the Higher Education Relevance and Quality Agency (HERQA), three higher education experts from Addis Ababa University (AAU), three instructors from Ethiopian private higher education institutions (PHEIs), and 10 Master’s program students of the Department of Curriculum and Teachers Professional Development Studies at AAU who were undergraduate students in PHEIs. To supplement the data from primary sources, secondary data were also gathered from relevant policy documents. The respondents from the MoE and HERQA were selected by using purposive sampling technique, whereas those from AAU and PHEIs were selected by using availability sampling technique. Semi-structured interview guide was employed to elicit in-depth information from the experts and the instructors while focus group discussion was used with the students. Finally, the information obtained from the diverse sources were categorized into themes, analyzed, and interpreted. The findings indicated that privatization of higher education sector had become a global trend; international cooperation played a significant role in private higher education to elevate the quality of teaching and research; thematic research and interdisciplinary approaches were encouraged in private higher education; the growing need for access to higher education boosted the role of private higher education; and Ethiopian PHEIs had a comparative advantage for building international cooperation with a multitude of international organizations working in the education sector, the African Union and a growing number of Ethiopian PHEIs. However, it was found out that ICT support for teaching and learning as well as professional development training for theacademic staff were not given due attention in Ethiopian PHEIs. Hence, based on the major findings, it was recommended that Ethiopian PHEIs should strengthen and expand their international cooperation so as to further enhance the quality of teaching and research, and they should provide their academic staff members with institutionalized professional development training in order to update their knowledge, skills, values and attitudes.