Ministry Launches Home-Grown Collaborative PhD Programs Project

February 17, 2021(Walta) – The Ministry of Science and Higher Education launches one of its flagships Project aimed to secure 5,000 Ph.D. graduates in the coming five years.

The Home-Grown Collaborative Ph.D. Programs Project (HCPP) which aims to produce 5,000 Ph.D. graduates in the coming five years is expected to enhance the relevance and quality of Higher Education and Training programs in Ethiopian Higher Education Institutions, according to the Ministry of Since and Higher Education.

During the launching ceremony held yesterday at Addis Ababa University, Dr. Samuel Urkato, Minister at the Ministry of Science and Higher Education has remarked that the project is one of the Ministry’s flagships project aimed to succeed in the Development of Higher Education and Teachers’ Training Development Program.

The Minister also noted that the HCPP aims to create platforms to mobilize professors in academia, research, industry, and the diaspora to teach, supervise and mentor the Ph.D. students across all host and co-host universities in Ethiopia.

Professor Afewerk Kassu, State Minister at the Ministry on his part has called the head of the Universities to strengthen their reform actions in a bid to step up the relevance and quality of research and scientific approaches in their respective institutions so as to speed up the various national development goals.

He noted the importance of local and international partnerships and networking among HEIsresearch institutions and industries.

Dr. Samuel kifle, State Minister at the Ministry on his part has also demanded to strengthen interventions that are helpful to improve institutional capacity building which is the foundation to secure relevance and quality of the Ph.D. programs in the HEIs. In line with that, he has urged the Institutions to expand local and international collaborations in order to fill gaps and utilize local and international resources.

On the other hand, Research University Presidents who participated in the event have expressed their readiness to align and implement the HCPP in line with the undertaking programs of their respective Universities. According to the presidents, the HCPP is very crucial to expand and strengthen their research and Ph.D. programs.

Developing new and reviewing existing Ph.D. program curricula, placing professors nationally, employing expatriate professors, subscribing scientific journals and e-books, establishing online learning facilities, and/or building renovating laboratories, workshops, classrooms, libraries, are among the major initiatives of the HCPP project.