Bahir Dar University

About US

The Adult Education and Community Development (AECD) Department, College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Bahir Dar University, is a pioneer in Ethiopia in training adult education professionals and community development practitioners. The department dates back to the establishment of Bahir Dar University. Bahir Dar University (BDU) was formed in 2000 as a result of the unification of two higher education institutions - Bahir Dar Polytechnic Institute and Bahir Dar Teachers College. The Bahir Dar Teachers College was established in 1972 as Bahir Dar Academy of Pedagogy by the tripartite agreement of the Government of Ethiopia, UNESCO, and UNDP. Educating community development workers and adult education organizers were among the objectives of the Academy of Pedagogy. Although it was the only institute to train adult education and community development experts in the country, the adult education programme was terminated in 1997, while all other diploma programmes were upgraded to Bachelor level.  Recently, almost after a decade, adult education and community development came into the picture, at Bachelor level (being offered in regular and summer modalities). The department has also launched an MA in Adult Education and Community Development in 2016.

Our Mission

The mission of the department is to:  contribute to qualified personnel in the area of adult education and community development; conduct problem-solving research; provide needs-based community services and thereby contribute to the development endeavours of the country. The department currently has six female and five male staff (two assistant professors, four lecturers, three graduate assistants II and two graduate assistants I). The department has been recording many successes. For instance, 456 (101 Females and 355 Male) students have graduated with BA degrees.  Several researches have also been conducted in the area of AECD and some of them have been published. For instance, some of the titles include: Developing a lifelong learning system in Ethiopia: Contextual considerations and propositions; Impact of Gender Roles on Women Involvement in Functional Adult Literacy In Ethiopia: A Review; The Working and Living Conditions of Female Ethiopian Domestic Servants in Middle East Arab Countries and Challenges for their Socio-economic Reintegration upon Return; Correctional Education Teachers’ Teaching Competence and Use of Adult Learning Principles: Inmates and Teachers’ Views in Selected Correctional Institutions;  Improving Experiential Learning Courses in Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia (Poster in Spanish); An Assessment of Ethiopia’s Progress towards Attaining Integrated Functional Adult Literacy; Alternative Basic Education in Benishangul-Gumuz Region, Ethiopia.

In addition, the staff of the department have supported Bahir Dar City Administration to achieve the UNESCO Learning City Award (2015) and through the efforts made by the staff of the department and the City Administration, Bahir Dar City is registered as a member of the Global Network of Learning Cities. For the last three years, the department has been providing short term training for adult literacy facilitators as part of community service. The department collaboratively works with the Ministry of Education; Bahir Dar City Administration; Amhara Regional Education Bureau; DVV International, UNESCO, ANFEAE (Adult and Non-Formal Education Association in Ethiopia) and Facilitator for Change (a local NGO).

Future Aims

In the future years, the department aims to strengthen capacity development trainings for the staff; establish a PhD programme to respond to the national human power needs and development; establish model community learning centres (CLCs) in Bahir Dar; collaboratively conduct and publish research works that can impact on the national AECD policy and practice; strengthen collaborative works to access up-to-date books and journals, and contribute to capacity development for adult literacy facilitators. Moreover, the department aspires to launch the first Journal of Adult Education in the country.

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  Turuwark Zalalam Warkineh

  Turuwark Zalalam Warkineh is an Assistant Professor and a course chair in the Department of Adult Education and Community Development (AECD), College of Education and Behavioural Sciences, Bahir Dar University. Working with Professor Anna Robinson-Pant and Professor Alan Rogers, she has developed experience in ethnographic research. She has been involved in various national adult education research studies as well as conducting research for an international IFAD-UNESCO project as a member of country research team. Her research interest areas include adult literacy, informal learning, gender, intergenerational learning and indigenous knowledge systems. She is currently working as a core team member and coordinator of the UNESCO Chair (for Adult Literacy and Learning for Social Transformation) activities at Bahir Dar University, including leading the GRTA family literacy project. Apart from her teaching and research engagements, she has been extensively working on enhancing the life skills of youths and adults by preparing life skills training manuals for adult learners, secondary school and university youths as well as for married couples. Email: tiruworkzelalem@gmail.com
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  Abiy Menkir Gizaw

  Abiy Menkir Gizaw is an Assistant Professor and a course chair in Adult Education and Community Development (AECD) Department; Executive Director for Community Services Technology Transfer and University-Industry Linkage; and UNESCO Chair core team member at Bahir Dar University. He has a background in Sociology and Social Anthropology; Linguistics, Adult Education, and Lifelong Learning policy and management (Erasmus Mundus Scholarship). He has an internship experience at the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning in Hamburg. Being a coordinator of the UNESCO Learning Cities Project in Bahir Dar, he has led the AECD team and worked extensively to contribute to Bahir Dar City receiving the UNESCO learning cities award and making Bahir Dar City a member of the Global Network of Learning Cities (GNLC) in collaboration with the City Administration. He has led a national adult education study and is currently researching with the GRTA family literacy project. His main research interests include adult literacy and learning, lifelong learning, crafts learning, indigenous and intergenerational learning, and livelihood diversification, inequality, among others. Email: abiymenkir@yahoo.com
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  Tizita Lemma Melka

  Tizita Lemma Melka is assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, and UNESCO Chair core team member at Bahir Dar University. She earned her MA degree in Social Psychology and MPhil in Higher Education. She was the former head of the Department of Psychology. She had also been involved in different studies and community service projects that are related to both of her expertise. She worked in collaboration with a team of researchers from McGill University on a project studying child cognitive development in Ethiopia and conducted a research on entrepreneurial intents of students in higher education. Her primary research interests are in the field of education, early childhood education and higher education, gender, culture and psychology. She is a researcher on the UNESCO Chair GRTA family literacy project. Email: tzlemma@gmail.com
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  Yeraswork Megersa

  Yeraswork Megersa is a lecturer and a course chair in Adult Education and Community Development (AECD) Department; and UNESCO Chair member (assistant) at Bahir Dar University, including researching on the GRTA-funded family literacy project. She has studied both her BA and MA at the department of AECD, Bahir Dar University. The topic of her MA thesis was “The Practice and Challenges of Distance Education at Bahir Dar University” which was conducted using a mixed research (both qualitative and quantitative approaches). Her main research interests include: adult literacy and learning, lifelong learning, distance learning, indigenous and intergenerational learning, and gender, among others. Email: yerasworkmegersa2007@gmail.com
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  Fantu Debele

  Fantu Debele is a lecturer in, a course chair and head of Adult Education and Community Development (AECD) Department; and UNESCO Chair member (assistant) at Bahir Dar University. She has studied MA in Regional and Local Development Studies at Addis Ababa University and BA in AECD at Bahir Dar University. She studied her MA thesis in the area of indigenous knowledge. Her main research interest areas are adult literacy, development, indigenous knowledge, and gender, among others. Email: fantudebele@gmail.com
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  Tiumekal Maru

  Tiumekal Maru is a lecturer and a course chair in the Adult Education and Community Development (AECD) Department; and UNESCO Chair member (assistant) at Bahir Dar University. He has studied MA in Regional and Local Development Studies at Addis Ababa University and BA in AECD at Bahir Dar University. He studied his MA thesis in the area of Small and Micro Enterprises. His main research interest areas are adult literacy, development, rural development, women’s literacy, small and micro enterprises, indigenous knowledge and Ge’ez Language, and church education, among others. Email: tiumekalmaru@gmail.com
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  Atale Tilahun

  Atale Tilahun is a lecturer in Adult Education and Community Development (AECD) Department; and UNESCO Chair member (assistant) at Bahir Dar University. She has studied both her BA and MA at the department of AECD, Bahir Dar University. She studied her MA thesis in the area of traditional church education using qualitative research approaches. Her main research interests include: adult literacy and learning, lifelong learning, workplace learning, church education, and gender, among others. Email: ataletilahun2008@gmail.com
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  Muluwork Asrie

  Muluwork Asrie is a lecturer in Adult Education and Community Development (AECD) Department; and UNESCO Chair member (assistant) at Bahir Dar University. She has studied both her BA and MA at the department of AECD, Bahir Dar University. She studied her MA thesis in the area of women’s leadership in the context of higher education. Her main research interests include: adult literacy and learning, lifelong learning, workplace learning, leadership, and gender, among others. Email: muluworkasire@gmail.com