ADDIS ABABA – Two new Universities built with an out lay of more than 749 million Birr have gone operational recently. The newly inaugurated higher learning institutions are Mekdela Amba University, located in Mekdela Woreda, South Wollo Zone of Amhara State and Injibara University, located in Awi Zone of the same state. Both Universities have commenced operation each enrolling a first batch of 1,500 students. The students in each University are attending firsrt degree level study in 22 departments under four colleges.
According to Administrative and Development Vice President of Mekdela Amba University, Mohammed Yimam and Administrative and Development Vice President of Injibara University, Dr. Dargachew Worku the Opening of the Universities have addressed the years old quest of the respective local communities as the colleges under each University were established based on needs assessment conducted on the local community.
The Vice Presidents also mentioned that the enrolled students are getting introductory training to begin their regular classes. The training covers the topics Secularism and Constitution, Civic and Ethical Education, Academic Laws and Library Usage. And the university is budgeted by eighty one million Birr regular budget.
The Universities which are located in two zones of Amhara Sate part of the 11 new Universities under construction by the government in various parts of the country. Each University has an initial intake capacity of 1500 students would raise the current number of Universities in the country to 43 and the total University enrollment to more than 800,000, according to information from the Ministry of Education.
The universities will enroll three thousand students each in the coming Ethiopian budget year as their second phase construction completes and at the end they will enroll ten thousand each every year.