About the Department


About the School

Background Information:

Official Name: Department of Civics and Ethics Studies

Background:

Department of Civics and Ethics Studies was established in July, 2018 by College of Law and Governance. Before the establishment of the department, Civics and Ethical Studies program has been offered in both under graduate and Post-Graduate as summer program under the Department of Governance and Development Studies.  In addition to this, Civic and Ethical Education course has also been offered as a common course to all colleges of the university under the same department for a long period of time. Furthermore, the ministry of education directly assigned first degree students in Education Program (BEd. in Civic and Ethical Education Degree Program) in 2018 in Jimma University under the Department of Governance and Development Studies.

Thus, College of Law and Governance launched the department mainly due to a great emphasis given to the necessity of Civics and Ethics Education in producing active, responsible, competent and well-informed citizens in the current Ethiopia by the government, the direct assignment of first degree students in Education Program (BEd. in Civic and Ethical Education Degree Program) in 2018 by ministry of education and the serious challenges faced by the Department of Governance and Development Studies in running many programs at the same time including the two common courses  ( Civic and Ethical Education and Logic and Reasoning Skills) in general and for the sake of ensuring the quality of education in particular.

Vision, Mission, and Objectives

Vision

The Department of Civics and Ethics Studies envisions or seeing professional secondary school and above teachers who are capable of producing responsible and competent citizens, committed to their profession and ready to lifelong learning, and who respect and behave in accordance with the democratic principles enshrined in the constitution.

Mission

  • To produce professional teachers who have the desired academic knowledge, sufficient professional skills, good citizenship, attitudes and skills, and those ethical and democratic values enshrined in the Ethiopian Constitution;
  • To promote reflective and social pragmatic principles and practices of teaching and learning;
  • To undertake relevant research, creates and leads transparent, democratic and cost effective institutional behavior and
  • To endeavor for the successful implementation of Ethiopia’s short and long-term plans of providing quality secondary civics and ethical education for all appropriate age group

Objectives

The Department of Civics and Ethics Studies is intended to achieve the following objectives:

  • To provide the widest needs of the national market with graduates who have a civic knowledge and competence in the vast area of Civic and Ethical Studies; who have developed a remarkable degree of  capacity and responsibility so that they could effectively participate in the socio-economic and political problems of the Country;
  • To Provide graduates equipped with multidisciplinary approach that could effectively contributes in addressing the multifaceted problems of Ethiopian societies;
  • To provide Graduates that are bound to democratic and Ethical standards, skilled with the art of deliberation and reasoning that play exemplary role in the society.
  • Provide Civic and Ethical Education teacher trainees with the theoretical and practical
  • experience they need to achieve all the standards and competencies set by Ministry of
  • Education;
  • Equip trainees with the knowledge, skills and dispositions required to
  • become effective secondary school Civic and Ethical Education teachers;
  • Develop understanding of the nature of teacher professionalism, the responsibilities of
  • teachers and the professional values and ethical practice expected of them;
  • Develop trainees’ capacity to engage in research to inform and develop their practice.
  • Provide Civic and Ethical Education teacher trainees with the theoretical and practical
  • experience they need to achieve all the standards and competencies set by Ministry of
  • Education;

Strategic Directions

Our department has a strategic direction to be upgraded to the level of school or institute under Jimma University Center of Excellence for Education by strengthening itself through human resource capacities and the expansion of various relevant programs.

Management Structure

The chief executive of the department is the head of department.

Admission Criteria

  • The university entrance cut off point  set by the MOSHE, or
  • Entrance examination (interview)
  • To assess students’ readiness, predisposition, and motivation to become secondary school Teachers or above
  •  To assess students’ language and communication skills
  • To assess any previous engagement with children or schools.
  • Interview will also be used to assess the competence of students