University-Industry Partnership in Ethiopia (PDF)

Doctoral Thesis / Dissertation from the year 2013 in the subject Pedagogy - School System, Educational and School Politics, grade: Excellent, Addis Ababa University (College of Education and Behavioral Science), course: Education Policy and Leadership, language: English, abstract: The main purpose of this paper was to explore university-industry partnership practices in Ethiopia and examine challenges since the practice began in the country. The study utilized a sequential exploratory mixed approach, drawing data from students, instructors, schools' deans/directors of universities, industry officials and experts from federal ministries, selected using non-proportional stratified and purposive sampling techniques.

Data were collected using questionnaires, semi-structures interviews, focus group discussions and document analysis. Findings indicated that the practice of university-industry partnerships is still weak, and many barriers remain that undermined its growth and potential benefits for both sectors. Limited awareness of universities and industries regarding university-industry partnership's benefits, absence of clear and specific policies and appropriate organizational structures, and lack of resources were among the most critical challenges that undermine successful partnerships in Ethiopia.

Additional challenges that negatively influenced university-industry partnership's success include inadequate incentives for researchers and industry as they engage in partnership initiatives, absence of adequate monitoring and evaluation, and inadequate industry participation in the design of engineering education curriculum at universities. All these suggest that, in Ethiopia, the roles played by the universities, industries, and the government in enhancing university-industry partnerships were insignificant, thereby weakening the contributions such partnerships would provide to the country's economy while at the same time creating efficient working systems in universities and industries.