ABSTRACT

This study explored academics’ and institutional leaders’ perception of the empowerment of various actors in Ethiopian higher education institutions. Little is known about university autonomy in Ethiopian higher education in the context of the Bologna Process. Three public universities were selected from the 31 public universities using a stratified sampling technique. A mixed method exploratory research design was employed. The study used descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (ANOVA and Tukey’s posthoc test) for the quantitative data analysis while thematic analysis was used to identify the emerging themes and meanings within qualitative data. The findings of this study showed that the Ethiopian public universities are hierarchal (top-down) in terms of autonomy as power is highly centralized, and the autonomy of the academic units is constrained. Both academics and institutional leaders expressed dissatisfaction with the current situation. They noted the need for more autonomy for the University, which they expected would subsequently lead to them having greater academic freedom. From the findings of the study, there is a critical need for a flexible and responsive system of governance, where academics and institutional leaders are empowered to execute their core activities. University autonomy should be supported by more collegial and less hierarchical systems of governance. The study suggests shared governance or consultative governance for mutual accommodation if Ethiopian universities are to maintain their academic freedom and institutional autonomy and optimize their contribution to national development.

摘要

本研究探讨了学术界和机构领导者对埃塞俄比亚高等教育机构各种行为者赋权的看法。在博洛尼亚进程的背景下，埃塞俄比亚高等教育的大学自治知之甚少。使用分层抽样技术从 31 所公立大学中选择了三所公立大学。采用混合方法探索性研究设计。该研究使用描述性统计（均值和标准差）和推论统计（ANOVA 和 Tukey 的事后检验）进行定量数据分析，而主题分析用于识别定性数据中的新兴主题和含义。这项研究的结果表明，埃塞俄比亚公立大学在自治方面是等级制（自上而下）的，因为权力高度集中，学术单位的自主权受到限制。学术界和机构领导都对目前的情况表示不满。他们注意到大学需要更多的自主权，他们预计这将随后导致他们拥有更大的学术自由。从研究结果来看，迫切需要一个灵活且响应迅速的治理系统，让学术界和机构领导者有权执行其核心活动。大学自治应该得到更多的合议和更少等级的治理系统的支持。如果埃塞俄比亚大学要保持其学术自由和机构自主权并优化其对国家发展的贡献，该研究建议共同治理或协商治理以实现相互协调。