Exploring neoliberal influences on higher education curriculum reform: Insights from Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia
Keywords:
Neoliberal policy, curriculum reform, Ethiopian higher education, Legitimation Code Theory (LCT), vocational knowledge
Abstract
This study explores the influence of neoliberal policy agendas on curriculum reform at BahirDar University, Ethiopia. Using Legitimation Code Theory, it examines how the neoliberal policy agenda prioritizesvocational knowledge andjob-oriented skills,often marginalizing critical thinking and holistic learning. Through a qualitative case studyapproach, the researchanalyzed higher education policy documents, Bahir Dar University’sstrategic plan, and interview data. Purposive sampling was employed to select nine experienced academics as study participants, and data were analyzed using thematicanalysis. Results revealed a significant shift toward vocational knowledgeandincreasing disparities,bothof which reflectthe influence of neoliberal policies. The study recommends re-evaluating curriculum reform to ensure that workforce preparation encompasses critical engagement, social equity, and civic responsibility. It calls for curriculum frameworks that integrate vocational knowledge with liberal arts and critical thinking to prepare students not only for professional success but also for lifelong personal and societal fulfillment
References
Adams, A., & Cooke, T. (2022). Beyond neoliberalism: curriculum innovation in higher education.Studies in Higher Education,47(4),773-787. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2021.1889630Agbaje, O. (2023). Curriculum reform in African higher education: solving society’s problems and meeting its needs.Curriculum Perspectives. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41297-023-00206-xAmsler, S., & Bean, C. (2021). The impact of neoliberalism on curriculum and pedagogy in higher education: an alternative vision. Educational philosophy and theory, 53(6),665-678. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2020.1818361Asabu, M. D. (2017). Successes and failures of international financial institutions in exporting neoliberalism in Africa: The case of Ethiopia. International Journal of Political Science and Development, 5(6), 203-209.BDU-Bahir Dar University.(2020).Strategic plan:Transforming BDU into a research-intensive university. Bahir Dar, EthiopiaBall, S. J. (2017). The education debate(3rded.). Policy Press.Brown, P. (2021). The neoliberal university and its discontents: A critical examination of higher education reformsin the US. Journal of Education Policy, 36(2), 1-17.Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (3rded.). SAGE Publications.Crouch, C. (2018). The marketisation of higher education: A critical review. Cambridge University Press.Gale, T., & Tranter, D. (2022). Theoretical knowledge and vocational learning in higher education: A global perspective.Routledge.
Bahir Dar Journal of EducationVol. 25 No.2 May2025 Yibeltal A. et al.61Giroux, H. A. (2014). Neoliberalism’s war on higher education.Haymarket books.Groeger, C. V. (2021). The education trap: Schools and the remaking of inequality in Boston. Harvard University Press.Hay, C. (2014). Learning to inhabit the chair: Knowledge transfer in contemporary Australiandirector training[PhD Thesis]. University of SydneyJimma, T.T., &Tarekegn, W. M. (2016). The prevailing practices and challenges of curriculum reform in Ethiopian higher education: Views and responses from within.Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 41(10).http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2016v41n10.6Jones, R., & Gough, R. (2020). Neoliberalism, education and the knowledge economy: Policy implications for the UK.Educational Research, 62(1), 45-60.Kallio, K. M., & Haring, E. (2021). Marketization of knowledge in European higher education: Policies, practices, and consequences. Journal of higher education policy and management, 43(4), 370-386.Marginson, S. (2021). Higher education and the common good.Melbourne universitypublishingMartin, J.R &Zappavigna, M. (2013). Beyond redemption: Choice and consequence in Youth Justic Conferencing.In F. Yan and J. J. Webster (Eds.).Developing Systemic Functional Linguistics.EquinoxMaton, K. (2014). Legitimation code theory: Building knowledge about knowledge.Educational philosophy and theory, 46(6), 645-654.Maton, K. (2016). Knowledge and knowers: Towards realist sociology of education.Rutledge.Melkam,Zewdu, Dawit, Asrat. Reda, Darge.(2024) Faculty and academic leaders’ conceptions of competence and competence-based education, Cogent Education, 11:1, 2372187. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2372187MOE -Ministry of Education. (2013).Harmonized academic policy of Ethiopia: Policy for higher education institutions. Ministry of Education.MOE -Ministry of Education. (2018).Ethiopian Education Development Roadmap.Ministry of Education.MOE -Ministry of Education. (2020). Higher education policy andstrategy.Ministry of Science and Higher Education.MOE -Ministry of Education. (2023). Revised education and training policy. Ministry of Education.MOSHE -Ministry of Science and Higher Education.(2019).Ethiopian higher educationcurriculum framework.Ministry of Science and Higher Education .MOSHE -Ministry of Science and Higher Education. (2020).Higher education policy and strategy.Ministry of Science and Higher EducationMolla, T. (2021). Critical policy scholarship in education: An overview. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 29(2). https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.29.5655Muller, J. (2009). Forms of knowledge and curriculum coherence. Journal of Education and Work, 22(3),205–226.Nilsson, S. (2022). Balancing vocational and theoretical education: The Scandinavian model. Educational Review, 44(3), 125-139.
Bahir Dar Journal of EducationVol. 25 No.2 May2025 Yibeltal A. et al.62Nussbaum, M. C. (2016). Not for profit: Why democracy needs the humanities. Princeton University PressPatton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research and evaluation methods(4thed.). SAGE PublicationsPerkins, R. (2019). The commodification of knowledge: Marketization in higher education. Critical Studies in Education, 60(2), 152-166.Santos, B. D. S. (2020). The education of the future: Knowledge beyond neoliberalism. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 52(9), 953-966. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2020.1751992Savage, G. (2017). Neoliberalism, education and curriculum. Powers of curriculum: Sociological perspectives oneducation,143-165.Shay, S. (2013). Conceptualizing curriculum differentiation in higher education: A sociology of knowledge point of view. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 34(4), 563–582.Shay, S. (2014). Curriculum in higher education: Beyond false choices. In R. Barnett & P. Gibbs (Eds.). Thinking about higher education(pp. 139–156). SpringerShin, J. C. (2022). Globalization and higher education reform in East Asia: The impact of neoliberal policies in South Korea. Asian Journal of Higher Education, 13(1), 29-44.Tadesse, F., &Thapliyal, P. (2021). Aligning higher education with national development: The Ethiopian experience.Higher Education Development, 45(3), 291-308.Tebeje, M. M. (2013). The neoliberal policy agenda of the World Bank and higher education reform in Ethiopia: The problem of inequality in focus[Doctoral Dissertation]. Monash UniversityTeferra, D. (2019). Higher education in Ethiopia: Development and policy challenges. International Journal of African Higher Education, 6(1), 7-28.Teklu, T. (2016). Globalisation and its impact on higher education policy in Ethiopia [Doctoral Dissertation). University of South Africa.Thomson, E. A. (2014). Battling with words: A study of language, diversity and social inclusion in theAustralian Department of Defence. Australian Government.Trowler, P., & Barrie, S. (2020). Higher education and the neoliberal challenge: Rethinking curriculum, teaching, and learning.Teaching in Higher Education, 25(4), 481-496. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2019.1665514Tsegaw,P.(2023).The nexus between higher education expansion and economic growth in Ethiopia: An empirical examination. International Journal of AfricanHigher Education, 10( 3) . https://doi.org/ISSN:2313-5069Sara, JehiOumar. Amera, SeifuBelayeh&Meskerem, LechisaDebelle. (2023). Examining employability skills acquisition of students in some Ethiopian universities through legitimation code theory.BahirDar Journal of Education, 23(1), 40–58.Schwartz, S. (2022). Balancing theory and practice in higher education: Revisiting Aristotle’s doctrine of the golden mean. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 54(6), 647-661.Wheelahan, L. (2010). Why knowledge matters in curriculum: A social realist argument. Routledge.
Bahir Dar Journal of EducationVol. 25 No.2 May2025 Yibeltal A. et al.63Woldehanna, T., &Tesfaye,A. (2014). Curriculum development and reform in Ethiopia: Challenges and opportunities. Educational Research and Reviews, 9(8), 252-259.Wondwossen, T. (2008). The anatomy of private higher education in Ethiopia current landscape: Challenges and prospects.St. Mary’s University CollegeYin, R. K. (2014). Case study research: Design and methods(5thed.). SAGE Publications.Yizengaw,T.(2007). Implementation of cost sharing in the Ethiopian higher education landscape: Critical assessment and the way forward.Higher Education Quarterly, 61(2), 171-196. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2273.2007.00345Young, M. (2008). Bringing knowledge back in: From social constructivist to social realism in the sociology of education. RoutledgeYoung, M., & Muller, J. (2016). Curriculum and the specializationof knowledge: Studies in the sociology of education.Routledge
Bahir Dar Journal of EducationVol. 25 No.2 May2025 Yibeltal A. et al.61Giroux, H. A. (2014). Neoliberalism’s war on higher education.Haymarket books.Groeger, C. V. (2021). The education trap: Schools and the remaking of inequality in Boston. Harvard University Press.Hay, C. (2014). Learning to inhabit the chair: Knowledge transfer in contemporary Australiandirector training[PhD Thesis]. University of SydneyJimma, T.T., &Tarekegn, W. M. (2016). The prevailing practices and challenges of curriculum reform in Ethiopian higher education: Views and responses from within.Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 41(10).http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2016v41n10.6Jones, R., & Gough, R. (2020). Neoliberalism, education and the knowledge economy: Policy implications for the UK.Educational Research, 62(1), 45-60.Kallio, K. M., & Haring, E. (2021). Marketization of knowledge in European higher education: Policies, practices, and consequences. Journal of higher education policy and management, 43(4), 370-386.Marginson, S. (2021). Higher education and the common good.Melbourne universitypublishingMartin, J.R &Zappavigna, M. (2013). Beyond redemption: Choice and consequence in Youth Justic Conferencing.In F. Yan and J. J. Webster (Eds.).Developing Systemic Functional Linguistics.EquinoxMaton, K. (2014). Legitimation code theory: Building knowledge about knowledge.Educational philosophy and theory, 46(6), 645-654.Maton, K. (2016). Knowledge and knowers: Towards realist sociology of education.Rutledge.Melkam,Zewdu, Dawit, Asrat. Reda, Darge.(2024) Faculty and academic leaders’ conceptions of competence and competence-based education, Cogent Education, 11:1, 2372187. https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2024.2372187MOE -Ministry of Education. (2013).Harmonized academic policy of Ethiopia: Policy for higher education institutions. Ministry of Education.MOE -Ministry of Education. (2018).Ethiopian Education Development Roadmap.Ministry of Education.MOE -Ministry of Education. (2020). Higher education policy andstrategy.Ministry of Science and Higher Education.MOE -Ministry of Education. (2023). Revised education and training policy. Ministry of Education.MOSHE -Ministry of Science and Higher Education.(2019).Ethiopian higher educationcurriculum framework.Ministry of Science and Higher Education .MOSHE -Ministry of Science and Higher Education. (2020).Higher education policy and strategy.Ministry of Science and Higher EducationMolla, T. (2021). Critical policy scholarship in education: An overview. Education Policy Analysis Archives, 29(2). https://doi.org/10.14507/epaa.29.5655Muller, J. (2009). Forms of knowledge and curriculum coherence. Journal of Education and Work, 22(3),205–226.Nilsson, S. (2022). Balancing vocational and theoretical education: The Scandinavian model. Educational Review, 44(3), 125-139.
Bahir Dar Journal of EducationVol. 25 No.2 May2025 Yibeltal A. et al.62Nussbaum, M. C. (2016). Not for profit: Why democracy needs the humanities. Princeton University PressPatton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research and evaluation methods(4thed.). SAGE PublicationsPerkins, R. (2019). The commodification of knowledge: Marketization in higher education. Critical Studies in Education, 60(2), 152-166.Santos, B. D. S. (2020). The education of the future: Knowledge beyond neoliberalism. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 52(9), 953-966. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131857.2020.1751992Savage, G. (2017). Neoliberalism, education and curriculum. Powers of curriculum: Sociological perspectives oneducation,143-165.Shay, S. (2013). Conceptualizing curriculum differentiation in higher education: A sociology of knowledge point of view. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 34(4), 563–582.Shay, S. (2014). Curriculum in higher education: Beyond false choices. In R. Barnett & P. Gibbs (Eds.). Thinking about higher education(pp. 139–156). SpringerShin, J. C. (2022). Globalization and higher education reform in East Asia: The impact of neoliberal policies in South Korea. Asian Journal of Higher Education, 13(1), 29-44.Tadesse, F., &Thapliyal, P. (2021). Aligning higher education with national development: The Ethiopian experience.Higher Education Development, 45(3), 291-308.Tebeje, M. M. (2013). The neoliberal policy agenda of the World Bank and higher education reform in Ethiopia: The problem of inequality in focus[Doctoral Dissertation]. Monash UniversityTeferra, D. (2019). Higher education in Ethiopia: Development and policy challenges. International Journal of African Higher Education, 6(1), 7-28.Teklu, T. (2016). Globalisation and its impact on higher education policy in Ethiopia [Doctoral Dissertation). University of South Africa.Thomson, E. A. (2014). Battling with words: A study of language, diversity and social inclusion in theAustralian Department of Defence. Australian Government.Trowler, P., & Barrie, S. (2020). Higher education and the neoliberal challenge: Rethinking curriculum, teaching, and learning.Teaching in Higher Education, 25(4), 481-496. https://doi.org/10.1080/13562517.2019.1665514Tsegaw,P.(2023).The nexus between higher education expansion and economic growth in Ethiopia: An empirical examination. International Journal of AfricanHigher Education, 10( 3) . https://doi.org/ISSN:2313-5069Sara, JehiOumar. Amera, SeifuBelayeh&Meskerem, LechisaDebelle. (2023). Examining employability skills acquisition of students in some Ethiopian universities through legitimation code theory.BahirDar Journal of Education, 23(1), 40–58.Schwartz, S. (2022). Balancing theory and practice in higher education: Revisiting Aristotle’s doctrine of the golden mean. Educational Philosophy and Theory, 54(6), 647-661.Wheelahan, L. (2010). Why knowledge matters in curriculum: A social realist argument. Routledge.
Bahir Dar Journal of EducationVol. 25 No.2 May2025 Yibeltal A. et al.63Woldehanna, T., &Tesfaye,A. (2014). Curriculum development and reform in Ethiopia: Challenges and opportunities. Educational Research and Reviews, 9(8), 252-259.Wondwossen, T. (2008). The anatomy of private higher education in Ethiopia current landscape: Challenges and prospects.St. Mary’s University CollegeYin, R. K. (2014). Case study research: Design and methods(5thed.). SAGE Publications.Yizengaw,T.(2007). Implementation of cost sharing in the Ethiopian higher education landscape: Critical assessment and the way forward.Higher Education Quarterly, 61(2), 171-196. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2273.2007.00345Young, M. (2008). Bringing knowledge back in: From social constructivist to social realism in the sociology of education. RoutledgeYoung, M., & Muller, J. (2016). Curriculum and the specializationof knowledge: Studies in the sociology of education.Routledge
Published
2025-09-02
How to Cite
Asfaw, Y., Yayeh Worku(Ph.D.), M., & Melesse(Ph.D., T. (2025). Exploring neoliberal influences on higher education curriculum reform: Insights from Bahir Dar University, Ethiopia. Bahir Dar Journal of Education, 25(2), 44-63. https://doi.org/10.4314/10.4314/bdje.v25i1.1
Issue
Section
Articles
Copyright (c) 2025 Yibeltal Asfaw, Mulugeta Yayeh Worku(Ph.D.), Tadesse Melesse(Ph.D.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
