Social responsibility in higher education: The case of Ethiopia

Abstract

As the primary organizations charged with studying social issues, universities are responsible for addressing society's practical problems. This is, perhaps, even more true in a context such as Ethiopia's, characterized by impressive growth, strong economic development, and ethnic federalism. The chapter's objective is to improve our understanding of social responsibility as part of the public mission of higher education by comparing how this is interpreted and executed in universities operating in Ethiopia. The chapter is based on interviews and a review of strategy and policy documents. Data show that Ethiopian universities engage in social responsibility without a clear stated focus, policy, or strategy. Among other issues at play, this situation has led society to lose trust in universities' capacity to tackle its problems. What is needed are robust policy and strategy frameworks and a stronger involvement of society in defining what is a "socially responsible university".