Influence of the Bologna Process on African higher education: Ethiopian higher education in focus

2014 IJRSE – Volume 3 Issue 4

Author/s:

Gebremeskel, Haftu Hindeya*
Graduate Student, School of Management, University of Tampere, Finland (haftu_hg@yahoo.com)

Abstract:

Taking the Ethiopian public higher education as a case in point, this paper examined the influence of the Bologna Process on African higher education. It showed how the goals of the Process have been reflected on the current reforms undergoing in Ethiopian higher education. In doing so, relevant policy documents and national guidelines were reviewed taking the Bologna elements as a framework for discussion. Developments of partnership between the African and European Unions in higher education were also examined to see the influence of the Process at continental level in the foreseeable future. Though the process might have influence in other aspects of Ethiopian higher education, emphasis was given in this paper to elements reflected in academic curricula and teaching learning process. In this regard, elements such as modularization, European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS), Competence Based Education (CBE), flexibility of learning and recognition of prior learning were identified. Opportunities and challenges of implementing the spillover effects of the Process were also discussed.

Keywords: ECTS; competence based education; modularization; prior learning; flexibility of learning path

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DOI: https://doi.org/10.5861/ijrse.2014.785

*Corresponding Author