Affirmative Action in Higher Education: Experience from Bahir Dar University

Abstract

: This article discusses affirmative action implementation experiences in
Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. The study mainly focuses on affirmative action
employed in the recruitment of female academics. Data was generated from
interviews with university managers and heads of departments; focus group
discussions with female academics and from policy and strategic plan document
reviews. The study indicated that although the number of female academics has
increased quite significantly and female academics benefited quite a lot from the
affirmative action practices, the outcome was achieved without having a clear policy
guideline, without clear communication among stockholders, without proper
involvement of departments, faculties and other concerned bodies, and with no
follow up support for affirmative action beneficiaries. Due to these problems, female
academics face variety of workplace challenges. Many of the University community
consider female academics less deserving of the position they hold. Female
academics are also harassed by their male students in particular. These created
frustrations in female teachers and a feeling of being insecure to work in an
unhealthy environment.