External Curriculum Review Workshop Held at the College of Agriculture.

Hawassa University College of Agriculture reviewed four new PhD programs and two revised MSc programs under the School of Animal and Range Sciences on the 10th of July 2021 at Geremew Haile Building Hall. The programs reviewed externally are PhD in Livestock Science and Production, PhD in Dairy Science and Technology, PhD in Animal Biotechnology, PhD in Animal Breeding and Genetics, MSc in Animal Breeding, and MSc in Range Ecology and Management. During the event, Dr, Tarekegn Yoseph, Dean, College of Agriculture, welcomed Dr. Tafese Matios (the speaker of the day), distinguished guests, and other workshop participants expressing his internal feeling that it is a great event happening this day after stepping over those processes to launch these programs. The programs will be expected to minimize the limitations revealed in the relevant sectors at region and nation levels throughout the country. When he explicates the college situation, he said that the available human capital and research facilities in the college will allow us to run the proposed programs. He further conveyed a message to the participants explaining the steps made to launch the programs may not be enough so that the constructed ideas or suggestions are today also very important that is expected from you. Dr. Tarekegn, finally, appreciated the organizing committee, the management, and all the respected individuals including the school head, Dr. Sintayehu Yigerem, those who played a great role in leading such actions which improve the education quality in the college. Dr. Tafese Matios, Vice President for Research and Technology Transfer, made the opening speech and explained that the proposed programs hopefully contribute much towards poverty alleviation and the betterment of the livelihoods of the Ethiopian society. In this regard, producing skillful professionals is always the homework of higher institutions. Therefore, to achieve the goal aimed at and planned for the coming ten years in the country, widening and strengthening PhD programs in the research universities is an expected action. HE Prof. Fekadu Beyene, Commissioner for the Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Commission, Professor of Dairy Sciences, made the speech and said that the launching programs at Hawassa University ensure that the emphasis that given for education in the country’s 10 years plan in order to reduce problems rooted in agriculture using scientific methods. Prof. Abera Melese presented on PhD in Livestock Science and Production and explained that the complex challenges in the area could be tackled thru research so that one of the objectives of this program is to produce graduates capable of developing livestock-related policy formation and advice. According to him, the program has 3 streams: Dairy Animal Stream, Poultry Stream, and Meat Animal Stream. Dr, Sintayehu Yigirem also presented on PhDin Dairy Science and Technology and pointed out that its objective is to create human power for academic institutions because higher education needs to support the sector in this regard. The presenter of the other PhD program in Animal Biotechnology was Dr. Mestawet Taye and she elucidated that the objective of this program is to produce professionals that can lead and manage animal biotechnology incubation centers. The other presenter on PhD in Animal Breeding and Genetics, Dr. Haile Welaregay, stated that the objective of the program is to produce qualified manpower who can teach in higher institutions. Two revised MSc programs, MSc in Animal Breeding and MSc in Range Ecology and Management, were also reviewed in line with fulfilling the lacking components in the previous curricula. Mr. Samuel Bekele the presenter on MSc in Animal Breeding reasoned out that it is revised in order to fit its coverage into a current situation which enables to give an analysis of binary and count data based on the conducted need assessment. Dr. Yonas Berhanu presented on MSc in Range Ecology and Management illustrated the need for revising is that to fill some lacking components and one of its objectives is to give students knowledge, skills, and expertise in line with Ethiopia’s qualifications framework. Following the impressive presentations, Dr. Yoseph Mekasha and Dr. Mitiku Eshetu, the external reviewer, at one parallel session, forwarded their observations, suggestions, and valuable comments and feedback on significant issues of the launching program (PhD in Livestock Science and Production). Moreover, the discussions were conducted in different parallel sessions and invited external reviewers, namely, Prof. Fekadu Beyene, Prof. Shimelis Admasu, Prof. Ayana Angassa (online session), Dr. Solomon Abegaz, Dr. Yosepf Tadesse (online session), and Dr. Mengiste Taye have given the feedback on different bases of the presented programs.