Interculturalizing Ethiopian universities. Students’, lecturers’, and administrators’ views.

Ethiopia, which is the hub of Africa and the seat of the African Union, is a typical multilingual and multi-ethnic country in which more than 81 ethno-cultural groups with a total population of 120 million inhabitants live together. Hence, diversity (linguistic and cultural) is a fact of life in Ethiopian society. This fact is also reflected in the Ethiopian university population. In response to local and global demands for democratic culture and intercultural dialogue, Ethiopian universities have recently adopted multiculturalism as a pedagogical and policy model. As a result, universities admit students from various nations, ethnic groups, and cultures, hire staff from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds, and modify their policies and legislation to address equity, diversity, and cultural pluralism. Yet, the current approach has not led to a substantial increase in successful intercultural contacts or cooperation among graduates from different ethnicities and cultures. Consequently, this Ph.D. study aims to propose a pedagogical model for the enhanced promotion of intercultural competence among students. To achieve this aim, it studies existing models and assesses them critically in the light of (1) students’, administrators’, and lecturers’ views regarding their university’s current approach, and (2) students’, administrators’, and lecturers’ current levels of intercultural competence. The study takes the format of a two-site (Jimma University and Hawassa University) mixed-methods investigation. Interviews and quantitative data are triangulated to meet the project’s aim. In total, 638 participants (480 students, 104 lecturers, and 54 administrators) partake in the project. The expected impacts of this PhD project are: first, the project results contribute to the education of future generations of Ethiopian University students by proposing an evidence-based grounded model for the promotion of intercultural competence. The model takes account of students', lecturers', and administrators' current levels of intercultural competence and of their views about the teaching of intercultural competence at the tertiary level. The model thus takes account of local circumstances and takes issue with Western models that may not meet Ethiopian and African contexts. Second, the proposed model, developed on the basis of data collected at Jimma University and Hawassa University, can inspire other institutions in Ethiopian tertiary education. Thus, the project potentially has a large societal impact. Finally, the Ph.D. research project’s results contribute to the study of the mastery of intercultural competence on the African continent, where there is a dearth of studies looking into this issue, contrary to the situation in the West and Asia. Taking account of local African history and circumstances, the study contributes to stepping up research on intercultural competence acquisition on the African continent.