Social Work Education in Ethiopia: Past, Present and Future

Abstract

The study presents the history and current status of social work education in Ethiopia. Five heads of social work schools, eight social work educators and 35 social work professionals participated in the study. Data from participants were gathered through online survey. Qualitative tools were designed for each group and distributed by email. In addition, review of literature was made to generate data about history of social work in Ethiopia. Results of the study revealed that social work education was closed for 30 years [1974-2004]. In less than two decades since its re-birth in 2004, social work education is expanded to 13 universities. The study further revealed that social work education in Ethiopia experiences various challenges related to poor curricula contents, limited number of social work educators, and absence of coordination to regulate the quality of education and practice. The study suggests the need for immediate revision of curricula and creating harmonized and modularized curriculum. The study also suggests to establish a national social work council and professional association to regulate the quality of social work education and practice.