The New Paradigm of Integrating Community Engagement Concept in Ethiopian Public Universities: Challenges and Opportunities

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to assess the new paradigm of Integrating Community Engagement Concept in Ethiopian Public Universities. Several publications, institutional documents, and websites such as UNESCO, Ethiopian Ministry of Education, and Ethiopian universities searched as an approach. At start universities started by the concept of ‘community service’ and gradually coming to a paradigm of the concept of ‘community engagement’ with the new paradigm working “with” community partners and not “for” them. As assessment of establishment showed that 49 out 50 As time Ethiopian universities are young with average and less than 20 years except Addis Ababa University, which established half a century before the country’s first-generation universities. Staff passed through curriculum design not considering corporate social responsibility role of higher education sowing and strengthening the culture the paradigm still requires a lot of work. The paradigm importance of shifting to community engagement in that it is a good strategy to pool of resources from all concerned stakeholders this can sustain the development of the society. A strong foundation for fostering and improving higher education institutions in developing countries like Ethiopia will be extremely important for the capacity of the country's higher education sector and economic development. International higher education institutions around the world have been helping staff from higher education institutions of developing countries to enhance their institutional capacity through scholarship. It is important to keep strengthening the staff by expanding postgraduate study options and fostering collaboration between Ethiopian university personnel and international university personnel.