Ethiopia is a rapidly growing economy with an annual economic growth rate of around 10%. With almost 100 million inhabitants it is the second most populated country in Africa and the 13th most populous country in the world. The Ethiopian Higher Education sector has grown from 6 public universities in 2003 to 32 public universities in 2014.
The number of academic staff grew by almost 55% within 5 years. The shortage of qualified lecturers is the gap that urgently needs to be bridged. The Ethiopian Government sees the development of the nation primarily through education and aligns the economic development with the development of the higher education sector and vice versa.
The main aim of the ETHINNO project, which has been submitted under ERASMUS+ for funding from the European Union and of which EiABC is one of the partners, is to raise the pedagogical capacity of Ethiopian universities. It shall be achieved by adapting selected European active learning practices – following main principles of the Innovation Pedagogy learning approach - in all levels of education: strategy, planning, implementation and assessment of education. Active university-enterprise cooperation is a key for more efficient as well as cost-effective higher education. In 21st century higher education the teachers’ role should be more like a mentor and facilitator of learning rather than a teacher in the traditional way.
If approved then under the ETHINNO project six Ethiopian universities have a chance to test selected European pedagogical practices and methods and embed the best ones into their structures.
