The Governance of Higher Education System and Institutions in Ethiopia: A Case Study

Like other developing countries, Ethiopia has been investing a lot in higher education (HE), since the coming of the incumbent government to power in 1991. The number of Ethiopia’s higher education institutions (HEIs) and their enrolling capacity has been rapidly increasing, particularly since 2000. Parallel to the physical expansion, the country has been formulating new lows and policies and guiding its HEIs to introduce several reform programs/tools so that they would achieve the expected level of performance and conformance. However, Ethiopian public HEIs have been criticized for not performing and conforming up to the expected level. So far, the reason for this is under-investigated and hence it is the focus of this study. The study is expected to contribute to a broader understanding and improvement of HE governance in Ethiopia.