Assessment of the Contributions of Madda Walabu University to the Regional State of Oromiya

Abstract

The objective of this research was to assess the contributions of Madda Walabu University to the Regional State of Oromiya. There is a need for conducting a research on the above topic due to the government’s policy of investing in education, especially in expanding and upgrading higher educational institutions so as to bring sustainable development in Ethiopia. According to the plan of the government, three additional universities will be set up in the Regional State of Oromiya, out of which Madda Walabu University, which was opened at Bale-Robe, is one. A descriptive survey research method was used for this study. The subjects of the study include officials working at various positions and 250 people selected as samples using purposive sampling technique. To gather the data, questionnaire, interviews, focus group discussions, and document analysis were employed. The data was analyzed using qualitative approaches. Results of the study revealed that Madda Walabu University could contribute a lot to the Regional State of Oromiya in various aspects. To further promote the contributions of the university to the region, some recommendations are given at the end of the paper.