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The role of Ethiopia’s public universities in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

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Abstract

In recent years, the Ethiopian government has embarked on an ambitious agriculture development strategy aimed at raising Ethiopia to the status of a middle-income-level country by 2025. Encouraged by the international development push behind the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the rapid expansion of public universities has taken centre stage in facilitating the country’s aim of equipping a new generation with the expertise needed to fuel the country’s economic development. While impressive strides have been made over the last two decades, various development challenges threaten to derail this promising progress. This article examines three of the main challenges – urbanisation, climate change and food security – and the potential for universities to address them. Based on a study using key informant analysis research with 50 experts in Ethiopian education and development, the author concludes that the developing public university system offers promising capabilities to assist the country on its developmental path despite many inherent problems.

Résumé

Rôle des universités publiques d’Éthiopie dans la réalisation des Objectifs de développement durable des Nations Unies – Au cours des dernières années, le gouvernement éthiopien a lancé une stratégie ambitieuse de développement agricole visant à hausser l’Éthiopie au rang de pays à revenu intermédiaire d’ici à 2025. Favorisée par l’élan international de développement insufflé par les Objectifs de développement durable (ODD) des Nations Unies, l’expansion rapide des universités publiques est d’une importance centrale pour servir l’ambition du pays de doter une nouvelle génération de l’expertise nécessaire pour alimenter le développement économique du pays. Si des progrès impressionnants ont été réalisés au cours des deux dernières décennies, divers défis au développement menacent de faire échouer ces avancées encourageantes. Le présent article analyse trois des défis majeurs – urbanisation, changement climatique et sécurité alimentaire – ainsi que le potentiel des universités de s’y atteler. À partir d’une étude fondée sur l’analyse scientifique des intervenants clés impliquant 50 experts éthiopiens en éducation et développement, l’auteur conclut que le système universitaire public en expansion possède des capacités prometteuses de soutenir le pays sur la voie de son développement, en dépit de nombreux problèmes intrinsèques.

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Notes

  1. The eight MDGs were adopted in 2000 at the UN Millennium Development Summit with the aim of achieving the following by 2015: Goal 1 – eradicating extreme poverty and hunger; Goal 2 – achieving universal primary education; Goal 3 – promoting gender equality and empowering women; Goal 4 – reducing child mortality; Goal 5 – improving maternal health; Goal 6 – combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; Goal 7 – ensuring environmental sustainability; and Goal 8 – developing a global partnership for development. The Millennium Development Goals report 2014 Ethiopia commended Ethiopia for being on track to achieving Goals 1, 2, and 6. It noted that while efforts have been made, the country is far from achieving Goals 3 and 5 (NPC and UN 2015).

  2. The United Nations Sustainable Development Summit on 25 September 2015 adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which includes a set of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, fight inequality and injustice, and tackle climate change by 2030. The goals are outlined on the United Nations’ online “Sustainable development knowledge platform” at https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdgs [accessed 7 September 2016].

  3. A study conducted by the consultancy firm New World Wealth found that between 2007 and 2013 the number of dollar millionaires in the country grew from 1,300 to 2,700 (New World Wealth 2014).

  4. Speaking at a UN briefing in Geneva on 13 May 2014, World Food Programme Spokeswoman Elizabeth Byrs expressed concern about the growing need to help feed nearly 6.5 million people in 2014 due to an influx of refugees from South Sudan, droughts in the north of the country and a potentially devastating locust invasion in the east (Reuters 2014).

  5. Roughly 3.2 million people live in Addis Ababa (UNDATA 2016).

  6. There are at least 80 different ethnic and linguistic groups in the country (GoFDRE 2016).

  7. The CRGE aims for Ethiopia to achieve carbon–neutral and climate-resilient middle-income status before 2025. These goals are far from being achieved, but at least a vision has been set out (GoFDRE 2011).

  8. The effects of this project on indigenous communities in the Omo valley are indeed devastating, as Sandra Postel (2015) reports.

  9. Development programmes in Ethiopia which receive more than 10 per cent of their funding from international bodies and non-governmental organisations are required to be government-run according to Ethiopia’s 2009 Proclamation to provide for the registration and regulation of charities and societies (CSP) (GoFDRE 2009). The law has been accused of prohibiting non-governmental organisations (NGOs) from carrying out independent human rights and advocacy work within Ethiopia. For a critical analysis of the law see ICNL 2016.

  10. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) estimates that Ethiopia received USD 3.681 billion in overseas development aid in 2014 (OECD 2016).

  11. Initially HERQA’s methods relied heavily on quantitative data for assessing courses, curricula and institutions. By looking at student numbers, course completion, numbers of teaching staff etc. HERQA could easily compare data with international standards in a way that made assessment easily understandable for bureaucrats. The major criticisms for the methods employed revolved around a lack of in-depth appreciation of the actual courses students studied. In recent years there has been a move away from these crude quantitative methods to a more a sophisticated qualitative approach where subject level assessments are looked at against benchmarks (Raynor and Ashcroft 2012).

  12. The lack of female-only bathrooms is one major facility problem which has contributed to lower female education levels. Due to social embarrassment, many girls, particularly in secondary school, take days off to avoid using communal bathrooms when they are menstruating, thus affecting their educational attendance.

  13. Ethiopia has 52 million cattle, including 10.5 million dairy cattle (USAID 2013).

  14. Ethiopia’s annual meat exports amount to USD 79 million out of a world total of USD 105 billion (USAID 2013).

  15. The University of Gondar gained formal university status in 2003. More information about its Climate Change Research Centre is available at http://www.uog.edu.et/research/research-centers/climate-change-research-center/ [accessed 23 September 2016].

  16. Extreme poverty went down from 55% in 2000 to 29.6% in 2011 (Bomba and Glickman 2014).

  17. The population below the poverty line was down from 77.6% in 2012 to 66% in 2013 (Bomba and Glickman 2014).

  18. Teff [eragrostis tef] grain is indigenous to Ehtiopia and is a main ingredient for baking Ethiopian bread. Despite its small size, its nutritional value is high; it provides carbohydrates, protein, iron and dietary fibre. Moreover, the fine stalks of teff are mixed with mud for building purposes.

  19. Ensete, [ensete ventricosum], also known as “Ethiopian banana”, is a traditional local root crop (the fruit do not taste of much). The leaves are used to make rope etc.

  20. A zoonotic disease can spread from animals to humans. It can be caused by viruses, bacteria, parasites or fungi.

  21. A kebele (the Amharic term for neighbourhood or ward) is the smallest administrative unit in Ethiopia.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Social Science Faculty, La Sapienza University of Rome, Via Salaria 113, Rome, Italy

    Paul O’Keeffe

  2. Jamiya Project, Rue Adolphe Lavallée 39, 1080, Brussels, Belgium

    Paul O’Keeffe

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  1. Paul O’Keeffe
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Correspondence to Paul O’Keeffe.

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O’Keeffe, P. The role of Ethiopia’s public universities in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Int Rev Educ 62, 791–813 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-016-9599-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-016-9599-9

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