Private colleges warn strict state rules threaten viability

Borkena reported on Tikimt 6, 2019 E.C. (16 October 2026) that leaders of private higher education institutions have raised serious concerns about newly introduced re-registration requirements and policy frameworks. They said strict state criteria are pushing private colleges toward closure rather than expansion. The report carries a Nairobi, Kenya dateline, but it names Ethiopian bodies as the forum's organizers and does not say where the forum was held.

The grievances were presented at a consultative forum organized by the Association of Private Higher Education and Technical and Vocational Training Institutions, the Ministry of Education and the Education and Training Authority. The association said private institutions are expected to compete with state-funded universities, but regulatory disparities and bureaucratic burdens stand in the way of fair competition.

The concern is about accredited private institutions. Association President Dr. Molla Tsegay said many have been given temporary grace periods of six to twelve months to meet the new criteria, and many have struggled to do so. He said the association does not defend non-compliant or illegal institutions, but asked authorities to build frameworks that reflect the realities of the private sector.

The report also says enrollment has fallen across public and private higher education, partly because of the recent institutionalization of the remedial university entrance program. Dr. Molla recommended reviewing university entry cut-off thresholds. Association board member Dr. Terefe Feyera called for a study of pass-rate differences in exit exams. The report does not say how many students are affected.

The report does not give the date of the forum, the date the new re-registration rules took effect, or the deadline for compliance. Those dates have not been announced, and the report does not say when the Ministry's policy studies will finish.

• Ministry of Education notices on the re-registration requirements and any revised criteria.
• Any decision on the university entry cut-off thresholds that the association asked the authorities to review.
• Results of the exit exam pass-rate study, if the Ministry or the association publishes one.

The report refers to newly introduced re-registration requirements and policy frameworks, but it does not explain the decision behind them. Dr. Iba Mijena said the country's 47 public universities currently function with excessive program overlap, and urged private colleges to differentiate their offerings rather than replicate public university curricula.