Leadership & Management Capacity Development

Leadership & Management Capacity Development
LMCD-EHE (NPT 272)

PROJECT

May 25, 2009
Submitted by the project partners
Ministry of Education of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia
Centre for International Cooperation of the VU University Amsterdam

 

The LMCD-EHE project (NPT/ETH/272) was granted to the Centre of International Cooperation of the VU University (CIS/VU) with the grant letter from Nuffic dated November 28, 2008 (Grant number CF 5695). The period of the grant is from November 1, 2008 to June 30, 2012.

 

  1. Description

1.1 Title:

 

Leadership and Management Capacity Development in the Ethiopian Higher Education System (LMCD-EHE)

NPT/ETH/272

Name of the Southern organization:

 

 

 

Ministry of Education, Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

1.3 Name of the Applicant organization :

 

Centre for International Cooperation of the VU University in Amsterdam

1.4 Country and/or region towards which efforts are directed:

 

 

Ethiopia

1.5 Proposed starting and finishing dates of the project:

 

1 November 2008 – 30 June 2012

Estimate of costs:

Budget requested from the NPT:

 

 

3.000.000,–

Contribution from Southern organization:

 

 

In kind

Jimma Subproject

 

NPT/ETH/272/7

Total budget = €194,000

 

Summary
The overall objective of this project is that the higher education sector will produce responsible and competent citizens who meet the quantitative and qualitative demand for a high-level trained labor force based on the socio-economic development needs of the country through quality education and research. This project will create capacity for the implementation of the envisaged institutional reforms and transformation agenda of higher education system at the eight participating universities in close consultation with the beneficiaries. Key themes of the current reform and transformation in the Higher Education System in Ethiopia that will be addressed are governance, leadership and management, quality and relevance, institutional efficiency, financing, and access and equity. They will equip board members, presidents, vice presidents, senior staff from the Ministry of Education, deans, department heads, reform teams and administrative managers with knowledge, skills and attitudes for improving their functions. For a number of participants, exposure visits will be organized for benchmarking in ‘look alike’ universities. This project focuses primarily on the change processes in all institutions involved, by paying attention to their change agendas and corresponding implementation plans. The eight universities will be guided and supported intensively in these change processes and institutional transformation to enhance decentralized management at the universities. Each university has prepared a sub project that focuses on university governance, management and administration for the implementation of the core functions of a university in line with the outcomes of the Business Process Re-engineering process. The sub projects will be implemented by the Northern and Ethiopian partners. The MA study program in Addis Ababa University and Bahir Dar University will be strengthened and reviewed in accordance with new insights and knowledge from this project. This project will also develop a new organogram for the MoE-Higher Education Sector, in line with the changes resulting from the BPR process including the BPR outcomes of the Ministry itself.
Summary of the sub-project Jimma
The title of the sub project is building leadership and management capacity for improved institutional performance and transformation. The specific results are threefold:

(a) Top and middle management have enhanced human, financial and physical resource management knowledge and skills
One of the main outcomes of this activity is to develop a performance measurement and management tool that monitors the performance of decentralized units. One important component will be the development of strategic five year plans for each academic and research office and the support service departments. All academic, research and support service directors should in 2011 report quarterly their strategic plan performance. A budget system will be in place that is fully linked to the respective cost centers plan performance. The performance system should show data that 75% of the administrative and academic staff perceived the human resource management training. The system should also monitor the involvement of academic staff in research. Furthermore a system must be in place that shows that the distance education programme doubled. Also a number of activities should outsourced so that more attention to strategic issues could be devoted.

(b) Top management introduces effective decentralized resource management systems at all levels of the university operation
A new job structure and organizational configuration of the university will be developed. A decentralized financial system will be in place in which all faculties and cost centers have full power to manage their affairs and resources. The managers possess effective managerial skills in decision making over human and financial resources. This should be done in such a way that there is a balance between responsibility and authority. In 2010 85% of the staff should feel that they understand the division of responsibility, accountability and control. The same is true for the promotion rules and regulations of the university. Finally, a MIS should be developed that facilitates a smooth information flow and support decision-makings of the university. In order to be able to do this a need assessment on appropriate information technology for automation and management of university business workflows is completed.

(c) The sustainability of own staff management knowledge and skills development and consultancy services to external stakeholders are ensured

A fully equipped and staffed management development center in Goma becomes operational and at least 60 university staff received modular training. Furthermore consultancy service and modular management training will be provided to external stakeholders

On top of these activities the university recognizes that the “gender issue mainstreaming in the university is in its infancy”. The university sees it as important to further strengthen the position of female students and to increase the number of female managers. The university has a strong gender affairs department and will continue with its current activities. Female staff will get additional attention within the leadership and management program of this sub project.

The university will execute different activities. Firstly, performance measurement and management tools will be developed. Secondly, need assessments will be executed. Thirdly, strategic plans for each of the departments will be developed and all units will further strengthen international collaboration programs. Another major activity is the development of a Management Information System including new job descriptions and a different university structure. Finally, a Management Development Center becomes operational in Goma 70 kilometers away from Jimma. This new center will serve the university for its future capacity building needs. At the same time, the center will be used to generate external resources in management capacity building.

The university has a total budget of 4.457.937 birr of which it will contribute 1.621.058 birr through own resources.
Table Expenditures Jimma University per output and per cost category


The university will spend 11% on exposure visits, 10% on management & leadership training and 9% on the training for academic department heads. Also a small amount for cascading programs is integrated in the budget. The procurement of MIS is 11% of the budget. 13% is for the development of an organizing module that also will be necessary for the new Management Development Center. The university also invests 24% in the procurement of equipment of the Goma training Center. Most of these resources will be paid through its own contribution. This is also true for the recruitment of staff for the Management Development Center.

The LMCD coordinator is Dr. Abebaw Gashaw

 

Click here to download presentations of the workshop on 17-09-2009