Human Resource Development Climate in Higher Education Institutions in Ethiopia: Empirical Analysis on Selected Public Universities

Abstract

Favorable Human Resource Development Climate (HRDC) is an instrument for the development of human capital. Setting up an effective and quality education provision in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) depends on the prevailing HRDC. Unfortunately, most government, non-government institutions particularly HEIs in Ethiopia as learning institutions, have not so far given considerable attention to the development of the HRDC prevailing in their own institutions. As a result, there are little or limited studies conducted in Ethiopia. This study is intended to study the prevailing HRDC in three selected public universities and draw lessons for further strategic intervention in the institutions and the rest of public universities. The results obtained signify that the overall HRDC in the three public universities is found to be average. There, however, exists a significant difference among the three public universities where the overall HRDC of Ethiopian Civil Service University is better than the University of Gondar and Adama Science and Technology University, respectively. The study identified items that favor favorable HRDC and deserve due attention for strategic intervention. Keywords: Human Resource Development, Human Resource Development Climate, Public Universities