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.