| Abstract: | Last few decades have witnessed the emergence of various forms of
educational exports, e.g. distance-education, online-education etc., mainly
caused by the phenomenon of globalization and advancement of Information
Technology (IT). This placed education at the threshold of transformation,
by allowing the society to demand quality education, and the government to
create additional partners, specifically from private domain, to satisfy such
needs. However, in recent times, many Higher Educational Institutions
(HEIs) are also delivering programmes, pertaining to some degree/diploma
or certificate, being offered by foreign universities, and often viewed as an
adjunct to distance-education or study abroad, at least in the Ethiopian
context. Despite the growth of ‘at home’ mode of delivery of educational
services, many researchers still focus on the traditional public-private
competition, rather exploring the perspectives for getting benefitted in a
more marketing-oriented manner. This paper attempts to investigate the
issues associated with ‘at home’ delivery of educational services by the
private HEIs in Ethiopia. Specifically, the paper examines the expectations
and attitudes of 215 Ethiopian students pertaining to the delivery of postgraduate
programmes by foreign universities. Furthermore, ‘at home’ mode
of delivery, through Ethiopian private HEIs, is not only found to be helpful in
narrowing the gap between the demand and supply aspects, but also
reported to be adding value and quality to the higher education system of the
nation. |
