ABEBAW YIRGA ADAMU Ethnic and Religious Diversity in Higher Education in Ethiopia The Case of Bahir Dar University ACADEMIC DISSERTATION To be presented, with the permission of the Board of the School of Education of the University of Tampere, for public discussion in the Paavo Koli Auditorium, Kanslerinrinne 1, Tampere, on May 22nd, 2014, at 12 o’clock. UNIVERSITY OF TAMPERE ABEBAW YIRGA ADAMU Ethnic and Religious Diversity in Higher Education in Ethiopia The Case of Bahir Dar University Acta Universitatis Tamperensis 1939 Tampere University Press Tampere 2014 ACADEMIC DISSERTATION University of Tampere School of Education Finland The originality of this thesis has been checked using the Turnitin OriginalityCheck service in accordance with the quality management system of the University of Tampere. Copyright ©2014 Tampere University Press and the author Cover design by Mikko Reinikka Distributor: [email protected] http://granum.uta.fi Acta Universitatis Tamperensis 1939 Acta Electronica Universitatis Tamperensis 1423 ISBN 978-951-44-9461-1 (print) ISBN 978-951-44-9462-8 (pdf) ISSN-L 1455-1616 ISSN 1456-954X ISSN 1455-1616 http://tampub.uta.fi Suomen Yliopistopaino Oy – Juvenes Print 441 729 Tampere 2014 Painotuote Dedicated to my selfless mother Yirgedu Meshesha with love! Table of Contents List of Abbreviations ..................................................................................................viii Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... ix Abstract ........................................................................................................................ xi 1. Introduction ............................................................................................................... 1 1.1. Background ....................................................................................................... 1 1.2. Rationale and Purpose of the Study ................................................................... 4 1.3. Context of the Study .......................................................................................... 7 1.4. Significance of the Study ................................................................................... 8 1.5. Delimitations of the Study ................................................................................. 9 1.6. Structure of the Dissertation .............................................................................. 9 2. Diversity in Ethiopia and its Higher Education ..................................................... 11 2.1. A Historical Overview of Diversity in Ethiopia ............................................... 11 2.1.1. External influences on diversity in Africa ................................................. 12 2.1.2. Diversity in the history of modern Ethiopia .............................................. 13 2.2. Overview of Diversity in Ethiopian Higher Education ..................................... 26 2.2.1. Development of higher education in Ethiopia ........................................... 27 2.2.2. Diversity in Ethiopian higher education .................................................... 30 2.3. Summary ......................................................................................................... 33 3. Campus Climate for Diversity: Theoretical and Empirical Foundations ............. 36 3.1. Understanding the Campus Climate for Diversity ............................................ 36 3.1.1. Historical legacy of inclusion or exclusion ................................................... 39 3.1.2. Compositional diversity ............................................................................... 39 3.1.3. Psychological climate................................................................................... 40 3.1.4. Behavioral climate ....................................................................................... 40 3.2. Enhancing a Positive Campus Climate for Diversity ........................................ 41 3.2.1. Structural diversity ................................................................................... 44 3.2.2. Classroom diversity .................................................................................. 45 3.2.3. Informal interactional diversity ................................................................ 48 3.3. Summary ......................................................................................................... 50 4. Methodology ............................................................................................................ 53 4.1. Qualitative Research ....................................................................................... 53 4.2. Case Selection ................................................................................................. 54 4.3. Data Collection ............................................................................................... 55 4.3.1. Sources of data ......................................................................................... 56 4.3.2. Data collection methods ........................................................................... 58 4.4. Data Analysis .................................................................................................. 62 4.5. Trustworthiness ............................................................................................... 64 4.6. Ethical considerations...................................................................................... 66 5. Student Diversity and Intergroup Relations .......................................................... 69 5.1. Student Diversity ............................................................................................. 69 5.1.1. Diverse student population ....................................................................... 70 5.1.2. Ethnic composition................................................................................... 72 5.1.3. Religious Composition ............................................................................. 85 5.2. Intergroup Relations ........................................................................................ 89 5.2.1. Friendships ............................................................................................... 89 5.2.2. Factors facilitating intergroup relations .................................................... 94 5.2.3. Factors impeding intergroup relations....................................................... 99 5.3. Summary ....................................................................................................... 109 6. Ethnicity and Religion: Discussions, Tensions and Conflicts............................... 111 6.1. Discussions about Ethnic and Religion-Related Issues among Students ......... 111 6.1.1. Discussing ethnic-related issues on campus ............................................ 112 6.1.2. Discussing religion-related issues on campus ......................................... 116 6.2. Ethnic and Religious Tension and Conflict on Campus .................................. 118 6.2.1. Ethnic tension and conflict ..................................................................... 119 6.2.2. Religious tension .................................................................................... 125 6.2.3. Causes of ethnic and religious tension and conflict ..................................... 142 6.3. Summary ....................................................................................................... 156 7. Managing Diversity in the University ................................................................... 158 7.1. Strategies in Managing Diversity ................................................................... 158 7.1.1. Units working to address issues of diversity ........................................... 159 7.1.2. Diversity programs and activities ........................................................... 166 7.2. Factors Impeding the Process of Managing Diversity .................................... 178 7.2.1. Lack of good strategies........................................................................... 178 7.2.2. Lack of implementation and institutional support ................................... 179 7.3. Summary ....................................................................................................... 183 8. Conclusion ............................................................................................................. 185 8.1. Summary and Conclusion .............................................................................. 185 8.2. Implications .................................................................................................. 189 8.3. Limitations of the Study ................................................................................ 193 References .................................................................................................................. 194 Appendices ................................................................................................................. 217 Appendix 1: Interview Guide ................................................................................... 217 Appendix 2: Focus Group Guide ............................................................................. 221 Appendix 3: Document Review Guide ..................................................................... 222 Appendix