Higher diploma program: A centrally initiated and successfully institutionalized professional development program for teachers in Ethiopian public universities

Abstract

Higher Diploma Program (HDP) was introduced in 2003 as a professional license program for practicing teacher educators in Ethiopian public universities. Initially, it was introduced across seven public universities in Ethiopia by the federal Ministry of Education. Gradually, the program has been adapted and institutionalized as a mandatory pedagogical training program for all teachers in the 45 public universities in Ethiopia. The duration of study for HDP is 9 months, with two face-to-face sessions per week. It is not common to find such an extended pedagogical training program being institutionalized and implemented across universities in the nation. Hence, this study attempts to investigate the institutionalization process of the HDP program across public universities in Ethiopia with a focus on the initiation and early years’ implementation phases of the program. The paper analyses the process on the basis of data collected through document reviews and interview. The study applied key informant interview and data collected from seven respondents in which one was from the Ministry of Education and the rest from the four HDP implementing universities. The author also drew on his personal and professional experiences in the Ethiopian higher education sector in the last two decades. The study identified characteristics of HDP that contribute to its institutionalization. These include evidence-based program design and implementation, strong moderation system, systematic institutional capacity development, engaging leaders, the preparation and use of tools or artifacts, and adaptability to ongoing changes. These characteristics can be taken as lessons for the future policy reform initiatives in the Ethiopian higher education sector.