3.

6 Graduation Rate and Employment of Graduates in Appropriate Level Posts

3.6.1 The Number and Graduate Rate

The data about the number and rate of students who graduate from Ethiopian law schools
providing graduate programs was collected from the leaders of the respective schools in the form
of questionnaires. The data showed great variations with few schools graduating almost hundred
per cent of the enrolled students and some schools graduating less than half of the enrolled
students. Some of the schools have got more than 80% their students graduated.

The following table presents the number and rate of graduation of LL.M graduate students of the
ten law schools surveyed.

Table 11: Graduation Rate of LL.M Students

Total No of students Active Total Number of students Graduation rate Remarks
enrolled students graduated in per cent
Name of
the M F T ? M F T Per cent
University

1. AAU 818 220 1038 181 724 147 871 83.91

2. AMU 63 6 69 55 13 1 14 100

3. AU 99 11 110 8 60 8 68 66.66

4. BDU 237 31 268 97 217 25 242 90.3

5. DBU 33 7 40 28 10 0 10 83.33

6. HU 261 32 293 79 93 16 109 50.93

7. JU 142 18 160 8 115 12 127 83.5

8. OSU 54 15 69 34 18 10 28 80

9. WSU 99 5 104 30 31 1 32 43.24

10. WU 19 3 22 22 NA NA NA NA Not yet

graduated

Total 1835 347 2,157 542 1,281 220 1,501 75.75

Source: Questionnaires filled by the deans of ten selected law schools providing LL.Mgraduate programs
 From the survey data collected, the number and rate of graduate LL.M students graduated from
the graduate schools varies widely across the sampled Universities. As far as the graduation rate
from the graduate programs of the sampled law schools, is concerned, the situation is quite
diverse ranging from a 100 per cent at Arba Minch University and 90.3 per cent1 graduation rate
at Bahir Dar University law schools to a graduate rate of as low as 43% by Wolaita Sodo
University law school2. In some graduate schools such as Addis Ababa University School of
Law, Bahir Dar, Jimma, Arba Minch, Debre Berhan and Oromia State Universities, the rate of
graduation is more than 80 per cent. The graduate rate of Wachamo University is not determined
since it has yet not graduated.
Among the sampled Universities, Wolaita Sodo University Schools of Law is the lowest in
graduation rate by graduating average of 43 per cent among those enrolled followed by
Haramaya University school of law with graduate rate of only 51 per cent of its enrolled
students. The average graduation rate of LL.M graduates compared to the total students enrolled
since the start of the graduate programs is 75.75%, which shows that twenty four out of one
hundred enrollees drop out before graduation.

3.6.2 The Employment of Graduates

To find out about the employment opportunities for graduate program students in their fields and
the mechanisms that law schools’ leaderships have for job placement, the research team collected
relevant data from the law schools’ leadership through questionnaire. However, our research
participants response shows postgraduate schools do not apply tracer studies to follow up
whether their graduates have gotten appropriate employment and whether their graduates are
satisfied with their education. For instance, one of our respondents responded that the
employment rate is up to 99% of students who graduate (if not 100%). 3 His reason for the 100%
employment figure is that almost all students came from the industry and already have jobs
before they enrolled in graduate school, so they don’t seek jobs. Another respondent said that
“There has not been tracer study but it is a known fact that students both in the regular and
evening programs have job security even before they join the graduate study. One other
participant said that there has not been report of unemployment upon completion of graduate

1
Assessment and Evaluation of Graduate Programs of Ethiopian Law Schools, Questionnaire, HU.
2
Assessment and Evaluation of Graduate Programs of Ethiopian Law Schools, Questionnaire, DBU.
3
Assessment and Evaluation of Graduate Programs of Ethiopian Law Schools, Questionnaire, HU.
studies. Most of the students retain job during their studies”. 4 Yet another participant says that
the majority of their students are university instructors who will return to their parent institution
upon graduation. The employment rate of the others is also high, though the school has not yet
carried out comprehensive research in this area.5 Similarly, another participant responded:
Though tracer study was not conducted by the school, since most of the students who
joined the program were employees on study leave in case of the regular program and
employees of different organizations in the case of the weekend program employment rate
of graduates in appropriate graduate level posts does not seem to be a problem.6

Another participant said that many of their graduates are employees of a certain institution or
already have a private job. They will join their previous job after graduation. Thus, there is no
need to follow-up the alumni for this purpose. Tracer study as a rule applies to undergraduate
students only.7

Another participant answered the question similarly:

Most of the students are already employed either as University instructors or by other
governmental institutions or self- employed (Lawyers). As we know, there is shortage of
legal professionals due to different factors such as prohibition of teaching law in private
higher educational institutions, presence of exit exam, the 70/30 national curriculum,
Proliferation of Law School in the newly emerging Universities etc. Due to these factors
almost all graduates are either already employed when they start their LL.M or
immediately got a job upon accomplishment of their LL.M Degree. The senate legislation
of Bahir Dar University imposed the duty to follow up alumni on the University’s
registrar and alumni Directorate. The Alumni has an address form that used to trace
alumni. But the directorate did not have any additional mechanism. 8

It is clear from the collected information that schools do not apply any mechanism to check the
employment rate of their graduates and to check whether their graduates are satisfied with their
jobs or whether their graduates are employed in an appropriate post. This is due to their belief
that most of their graduates will find appropriate employment since they came from industries
and will go back to their former employers. Some of them believe that tracer study applies only
to undergraduate students since graduate students already have a job. Some participants believe
that it is the duty of the University’s registrar and alumni directorate and not the duty of the law
4
Assessment and Evaluation of Graduate Programs of Ethiopian Law Schools, Questionnaire, AAU.
5
Assessment and Evaluation of Graduate Programs of Ethiopian Law Schools, Questionnaire, JU.
6
Assessment and Evaluation of Graduate Programs of Ethiopian Law Schools, Questionnaire, JU, WSU.
7
Assessment and Evaluation of Graduate Programs of Ethiopian Law Schools, Questionnaire, JU, DBU.
8
Assessment and Evaluation of Graduate Programs of Ethiopian Law Schools, Questionnaire, JU, BDU.
school to follow up and conduct a tracer study on graduates. Hence, it is plausible to conclude
that almost all law schools providing graduate program believe that tracer study is unnecessary
since their graduates have already secured their jobs when they join the graduate programs.
3.7 Contribution to Professional Development of Graduate and Realization of Employers’
Expectation

Program Contribution to the Students’ Professional Development

Alumni and employers we interviewed and discussant professors and students in the FGDs
addressed the issue of the relevance of the graduate programs of the selected ten law schools to
the professional development of students in terms of knowledge, skill, and attitude. Concerning
the relevance of the program, the views of research participants fall into two classifications:
There are research participants who believe that the programs are relevant, and there are also
research participants who do not believe in the relevance of the program. The following
paragraphs present and analyze the data describing these two opinions.

The interviewed alumni at the selected law schools stated that LL.M programs run by the
respective law schools helped them in their profession in terms of knowledge, attitude, and skill.
For instance, an interviewed alumnus at AAU mentioned that the program in business law helped
with the development of his profession in terms of knowledge, attitude, and skill. 9Another
interviewee shared the same opinion and stated that the program in human rights law helped him
develop his knowledge (even though he is working as a legal expert in an area not linked to
human rights that he studied), attitude (it gives me a broader understanding of realities and how
to proceed); and research skills.10 The view of this alumnus is also shared by an interviewed
alumnus from AMU. That alumnus described the relevance of the program in the following way:

The program allows me to understand human rights as enshrined in the

international human rights instrument the Constitution, and compare it with what
is practiced. In particular, as I have developed my previous knowledge, I am now
better able to understand what it is in practice, and in the future, I will have a

9
Interview with AAU School of Law alumnus 1, Federal Tax Appeal Commission Judge, Addis Ababa, 22 April
2021.
10
Interview with AAU School of Law alumnus 2, Federal Attorney General, Prosecutor, Addis Ababa, 23 April
2021.
 better understanding of the gaps in this area and do more research to solve the
problems related to human rights, especially in the justice sector.11

In addition to the interviews conducted with the alumni, employers of the graduates were also
interviewed on the relevance of LL.M programs for the professional development of the
graduates. Like the alumni, employers also pointed out that the programs run by the respective
law schools are relevant to the professional development of the students. For instance, the three
employers of the graduates of HU unanimously whom we interviewed said that the graduate
program contributes to the professional development of the students.12 An employer of the
graduate of OSU, whom we interviewed, describes the relevance of the program as follows: “It
contributes a lot. We have observed the difference between undergraduate employees and
graduate employees. Graduate employees are better both in terms of experience and
knowledge.”13

In our focus group, professors teaching in the LL.M programs explained their opinions about the
relevance of the graduate program for the student’s professional development, and they shared
the opinion of alumni and employers. For instance, one of the discussant professors at AAU
School of Law stated that “after graduation, we see that the students have grown up
professionally, benefiting their country and themselves. I find many of the students I taught in
the business program in a better place.”14

In addition to alumni, employers, and professors, students attending LL.M programs at the
selected law schools mentioned the relevance of the programs to their professional development.
A discussant student in an FGD from OSU describes how the program is relevant to his
professional development and how it has changed his attitude and skill as follows: “Yes, the
study in commercial and business law helps me to support my families engaged in private
business. It also drives my interest in private business rather than working in a government
institution.”15
11
Interview with AMU School of Law alumnus 3, Gamo Zone Attorney General Department, Tax and Economic
Crimes Prosecutor, 22 April 2021.
12
Interview with employers, Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples Region Supreme Court Judge, Hawassa
City First Instance Court, Delegate of the President,andHead of Public Prosecutors Administration Office, Sidama
Regional State Attorney General, 15-16 April 2021.
13
Interview with employer 3, Wasasa Micro Finance Institution, Manager, 16 April 2021.
14
FGD with professors, AAU School of Law, 21 April 2021.
15
FGD withstudents, OSU, 16 April 2021.
There were research participants who declared that LL.M programs are not relevant to the
professional development of students in terms of knowledge, attitude, and skill. For instance, a
student discussant from the Department of Commercial and Investment Law of JU expressed that
he didn’t get that much in terms of both knowledge and skills. 16 The other three participants in
this program said that they did not acquire additional skills.17 The issue of the relevance of the
program in terms of skill was also the concern of LL.M students of JU from the Department of
Human Rights and Criminal Justice. The discussants noted that they have not acquired that much
in terms of skills, especially research skills and making presentations.18

Like the discussants in an FGD, some interviewed alumni and professors from different law
schools gave qualified responses about the relevance of LL.M programs to the professional
development of students. One of the interviewed alumni from AU stated that even if the program
in law and development did not have direct relevance to what he is doing as a judge, it helped
him to expand his thinking and develop his skills relevant to the job.19 The second interviewed
alumnus has also the same opinion.20

An interviewed professor from DBU School of Law took a more extreme view and said that “I
don't think that the program contributes to the expected level. Because I don't think the course
delivery and the assessment can do this. It is difficult to say that the student will be able to
develop the required policymaking, writing, and research skills.”21Another interviewed professor
from WU did not believe that the program is relevant to the professional development of students
with a different justification. He said “students who are joining the program do not care about
whether or not the program allows them to excel professionally and could meet the aspirations of
employers in the market. Their interest is the assumption of the title ‘LL.M’ at any cost
irrespective of the value it adds to their career development.”22

16
FGD with students, JU School of Law, 14April 2021.
17
FGD with students, JU School of Law, 14April 2021.
18
FGD with students, JU School of Law, 14April 2021.
19
Interview with AU School of Law alumnus 1,Arsi Zone High Court Judge, 14April 2021.
20
Interview with alumnus 2, AU School of Law, Attorney General Department, Prosecutor, 14April 2021.
21
Interview with professor 2, DBU School of Law,18April 2021.
22
Interview with professor 2, WU School of Law,22 April 2021.
There were also research participants from BDU School of Law, the Department of Construction
and Dispute Resolution,23 and alumnus of DBU24 who questioned the relevance of the programs
to the professional development of students.

The Second Chapter of the Report proposes that the professional development of students should
be evaluated in light of the acquisition of skills, knowledge, and attitude. The existing literature
also lists and describes the qualities that graduate program students are expected to have. For
instance, SeethaSriraman25states that a graduate should acquire the following five top qualities:
research; and critical thinking skills; presentation and communication skills; project-based
work/multi-tasking; interpersonal skills; and team activities and attention to detail and taking in
complex information. As described and stated earlier, based on the opinion of almost all of the
interviewed alumni, employers, and students and professors discussants in the FGD, it is possible
to conclude that the LL.M programs run by the selected ten law schools are relevant to the
professional development of students. As described by the research participants from the
sampled law schools, the programs are relevant to the professional development of students in
terms of knowledge, skill, and attitude. Even the research participants who expressed
reservations about the relevance of the program to the careers of graduates affirmed that the
programs are relevant to the professional development of students. However, it has to be also
emphasized that there are also research participants who questioned the relevance of the
program.

Program Contribution to the Overall Realization of Employers’ Expectations

Like the issue of the relevance of the LL.M programs to the professional development of
students, research participants received mixed opinions on the role of the programs for the
overall realization of the expectation of the employers of graduates. Sixty-six research
participants believe that the programs play a role in the overall realization of the employers’
expectations. There are also research participants whose belief is to the opposite. In the following
paragraphs, the data describing these two opposing views and opinions will be presented and
analyzed.

23
FGD with students, BDU School of Law,29 April 2021.
24
Interview with DBU School of Law alumnus 1, 18 April 2021.
25
SeethaSriraman, Top 5 Qualities That You Can Acquire from Doing an LL.M,
http://www.findyourLL.Mcom/news/top-5-qualities-that-you-can-acquire-from-doing-an-LL.M/1034.
Alumni of AAU were interviewed about the relevance of graduate programs for the overall
realization of the employers’ expectations. A graduate in business law mentioned in the
interview that the program plays a role in the overall realization of his employer’s expectations,
and he stated that he is easily and promptly resolving tax cases. 26A graduate of public
international law stated in the interview that he works for the Ethiopian Federal Attorney in the
sphere of public law, and he believed that the program is indispensable to understand the
international perspective.27 One of the discussant professors of AAU in the FGD stated that he
finds graduates of the LL.M programs to be good lawyers, corporate advisers, teachers, judges,
and prosecutors.28 He said, “Yes indeed it makes a difference. In the program I teach, I know
many of the graduates have advanced in various career fields (good lawyers, consultant to big
organizations, professors, and judges.”29

An interviewed alumnus from AU mentioned that what he has studied in the program (law and
development) helped him to investigate financial fraud, to have more knowledge about
economics and development, and this knowledge has assisted him in understanding crimes
committed in economic and development activities. 30 He stated that this knowledge helped to
make his employer more successful.31

An interviewed employer of the graduate of DBU mentioned the role of the program (Business
and Investment Law) for the overall realization of the expectation of his office as follows: “The
opening of the university in DebreBirhan highly benefited our office. We have seen that the
students were productive, and we have seen that our public prosecutors who have come from
there have been increasing their capacity over time.”32 An interviewed employer of a graduate of
OSU believes that his employee helps to achieve the expectation of the employer. He described
the role of the program and the employed graduate as follows: “Students who are graduated with
this program can assist institutions which work especially on investment and commercial

26
Interview with AAU School of Law alumnus 1, Federal Tax Appeal Commission Judge, Addis Ababa, 22 April
2021.
27
Interview with AAU School of Law alumnus 3, Ministry of Peace, Legal Expert, Addis Ababa, 23 April 2021.
28
FGD with professors, AAU School of Law,21 April 2021.
29
FGD with professors, AAU School of Law,21 April 2021.
30
Interview withAU School of Law alumnus 3, Arsi Zone Attorney General Department, Prosecutor, 14 April 2021.
31
Interview withAU School of Law alumnus 3, Arsi Zone Attorney General Department, Prosecutor, 14 April 2021.
32
Interview with employer 1, Head of Amhara National Regional State North Shewa Zone Attorney General
Department, 19 April 2021.
activities. For instance, our legal advocate after his graduation from OSU changed or improved
so many legal documents that are inconsistent with the existing current legal environments.” 33
An employer of a graduate of WSU stated the relevance of the program in human rights and
justice in the following manner: “When our employees return after studying [graduating] in the
criminal justice and human rights program offered by law School of WSU, it is clear that the
benefit is higher. Because we are observing how much change it brought in their profession after
our professionals graduated. The program is in criminal justice and human rights area and hence
has a direct relationship with what we are doing and gives very many benefits to the justice
system.”34 An interviewed employer of graduates of BDU believes that the program in human
rights and criminal justice benefits employers; he said, “As far as it helps us to deliver a fair
decision, there is no doubt that they come up with better knowledge and skill. They share their
skill and knowledge they have acquired by giving training for other judges.”35

The opinion of these research participants was also shared by a graduate interviewee from HU
who described the relevance of the program from the perspectives of his career and the
expectation of his employer. He said, “While being prosecutor, I graduated with LL.M in
commercial law which does not have a direct relation to career. But still, it will benefit my
institution in relation to economic crimes.”36

The quoted research participants are not the only participants who believe that the graduate
programs are relevant for the overall realization of the employers’ expectations. Space does not
allow describing the opinion of all research participants from the selected law schools. From the
presented and described data, it is possible to infer that the interviewed alumni and employers
from different law schools believe that the respective graduate programs are relevant for the
overall realization of the employers’ expectations.
In contrast, there were also research participants who believe that graduate programs run by law
schools are not entirely successful in the overall realization of the employers’ expectations.
Concerning the relevance of programs, one of the interviewed employers of graduates of AAU,

33
Interview with employer 2, Manager at Yetebaberut Micro Finance Institution, 16 April 2021.
34
Interview with employer 1, Southern Nations Nationalities and Peoples’ Region Supreme Court WolaitaSodo
Bench President, 15 April 2021.
35
Interview with employer 3, Amhara National Regional State Supreme Court Judicial Administration Council
Office Director,29 April 2021.
36
Interview with HU School of Law alumnus 1, 14 April 2021.
an interviewee from the Federal Attorney General’s Office, stated that the program produces
quality human resources, graduates are good for them, but he suggested that the program be
practice-based because it is not fully satisfactory for practicability-analysis of cases. 37 This
employer seems to have questioned the skill of the employee, which is one of the competencies
graduates should acquire. Interviewed employers of the graduates of AMU described the role of
the program for the overall realization of the employers’ expectation as follows: 38 “It is not a
useless program. However, the work that is being done by courts and the things that the judges in
the trial court should learn or additionally take are not directly related to the course offered.” The
second interviewee shared the same opinion and said the following:
I think one learns to change his knowledge into practice. Thus, a master's degree
in this field [human rights and justice] does not contribute much to one's
judgment except to increase one's knowledge of human rights and justice. In the
current justice system, if a person with a degree or less knows the codes in the
legal system and updates himself or herself, these are tasks that he or she can do.
For example, a person educated in federalism cannot do any special work in this
court. The same goes for comparative laws. It may increase the person's
knowledge, but it does not add anything to the High Court. LL.M courses are not
related to the realities of life on earth.39

Like the opinions of these two employers, an interviewed alumnus from AU believes that the
program in law and development does not have direct relevance to what he is doing as a judge.
He said that even if the program does not have direct relevance to what he is doing as a judge, it
helped him to expand the horizon of his thinking and develop his skills relevant to the job. 40 An
alumnus from WSU shares the same opinion. In the interview, he said, “I am working in
Ethiopian commercial bank and hence the program [in human rights and justice] has no
relationship with my work. Simply, it may help when vacancies looking for master’s holders are
advertised.”41

37
Interview with employer 1, Federal Attorney General, Legal Awareness and Training Directorate Deputy
Director, Addis Ababa, 22 April 2021.
38
Interview withemployer 1, Arba Minch City First Instance Court Judge, 22 April 2021.
39
Interview with employer 2, Arba Minch City First Instance Court Judge, 22 April 2021.
40
Interview with AU School of Law alumnus 1, Arsi Zone High Court Judge, 14 April 2021.
41
Interview withWSU School of Law alumnus 4, Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, Consultant at Sodo District, 15
April 2021.
The opinion of the aforementioned employers and alumni is also shared by professors from HU.
In an FGD, discussant professors stated that graduate programs do not play a role in the overall
realization of the employers’ expectation and they hinted the reason for this as follows: “The
graduate program may not play a role for the realization of employers’ expectation. This is
because the labour market requires generalists, or general practitioners, not specialists.”42

From the presented and described data, one can infer that research participants’ views can be
classified in two ways. The first factor is related to the demand of the existing labour market. In
this regard, the labour market does need specialists; therefore, graduate programs may play a role
in the realization of employers’ expectations. The second factor is related to the choice of the
field of specialization of graduates in school and their actual careers; the interviewed alumni
mentioned that their fields of specialization in the graduate program did not have a direct relation
to their careers.

Concerning the role of the LL.M programs for the overall realization of the employers’ mission,
it is possible to draw the following conclusion. Based on the opinion of most research
participants it is possible to conclude that LL.M programs run by the selected ten law schools
play a role in the overall realization of the employers’ missions. However, a good number of
research participants do have reservations about that. According to the interviewed alumni and
employers, even if the programs are relevant to the professional development of students, they
are not always aligned with the careers of graduates. Research participants from the remaining
selected law schools have expressed their reservations on this.

Alumni from different law schools mentioned that they are not working in their field of LL.M
specialization. As professors from HU hinted, one of the reasons for this could be the need or the
demand of the labour market. According to one professor, the labour market does not need
specialist graduates, so the program may not play a role in the realization of employers’
expectations. This reason can be also coupled with the justification given by a professor from
WU, who states that “students who are joining the programs do not care about whether or not the
program allows them to excel professionally and could meet the aspirations of employers in the
market. Their interest is the assumption of the title ‘LL.M’ at any cost irrespective of the value it

42
FGD with professors, HU School of Law,14 April 2021.
adds to their career development. Hence, the manner of doing needs assessment has to be
examined again.”43 The beliefs of professors from the two universities can be explained and
triangulated in light of what an alumnus working for the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia
stated.44He graduated with a specialization in human rights and criminal justice, but he is
working as a consultant for the Bank.

4. Links and Contacts

4.1 Program Relevant National and International Links

As discussed in the Second Chapter of this Report, HERQA makes it clear that developing
international and national program-related links is a precondition for accreditation. The literature
based on empirical studies also reveals the importance of developing and expanding international
links. International links will help to develop the capacity of universities in developing countries,
like Ethiopia, by building institutional capacity, academic effectiveness, internationalization; and
academic, cultural, economic, and strategic personal benefits. Program-related national and
international links of the selected ten law schools running LL.M programs were evaluated. Out
of the ten selected law schools, AU, DBU, HU, and JU do not have national or international
program-related links. The national and the international links of the remaining six law schools
are summarized in the following table.

Table 12: The Existing National and International Links Relevant to the Program
University Program Existing Links/Networks Nature of links Level of the link
National International
AAU LL.M University of Pretoria, Centre for Student and staff 1
Human Rights exchange
LL.M Federal Supreme Court Capacity building 1
training
PhD Martin Luther University, Hale, Joint 1
Germany program/Teaching
AMU Human Rights Oxford Brooks University Research, 1
and Justice academic/teaching,
Studies professional, student
exchange
University Macerate Research, 1
academic/teaching,
professional, student
exchange
ManonmaniamSundaranar University Research, 1
academic/teaching,

Interview with professor 2, School of Law, WU, 22 April 2021.

43

Interview with WSU School of Law alumnus 4, Consultant for the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, Sodo District,15
44

April 2021.
 professional, student
exchange
BDU Environment
and Land Law
Criminal ANRS Supreme Court Academic, 1
Justice and Research,
Human Right Professional,
Industry
Business and Pennsylvania State university (Penn Academic, 1
Corporate Law State Law) Professional

Construction Academic, 0 0
and Dispute Professional,
Resolution
OSU Commercial research, 4 2
and investment academic/teaching,
law professional

WU LL.M in EFCCC Professional and 1

Environmental industry
Law and Policy

WSU Criminal Lawyers for Human rights Research and 1

justice and professional
human Rights SNNPR Attorney General 1

The national links of law schools and the respective programs with industries, businesses, and
professions are essential to strengthen university-industry linkage and to have practice-oriented
education. Among the six law schools, OSU School of Law has 6 program-related links (4
national and 2 international); AAUhas developed3 national and international program-related
links (1 national and 2 international). BDU has created 2 national and international program-
related links (1 national and 1 international); AMU has developed 3 international program-
related links; WSU has developed 2 national program-related links; WU has developed 1
national program-related link. WU and WSU do not have developed international links.

The established international links of law schools focus on student and staff exchange, joint
program teaching, and research. This can be interpreted as a good move from the perspective of
developing the institutional and professional capacity of law schools. However, as mentioned in
this research report, all law schools except AAU lack a sufficient number of full-time professors;
other law schools are dependent on guest professors. Therefore, developing and strengthening
international links will help law schools create student and staff exchange, and most importantly
will contribute to teaching staff development, capacity building, and joint teaching.

4.2 Contacts with Alumni/graduates and Employers

Having a formal contact with alumni and their employers is one of the best methods of
improving the quality and relevance of the education provided by the higher education
institution. Alumni play many valuable roles, such as helping to build and grow an institution’s
brand through word-of-mouth marketing.45 When an educational institution creates strong
contacts with graduated students, it benefitted them through support, expertise, promotion,
employability, fundraising, and so on.46

With this in mind, the researchers engaged in this research project have tried to assess the
existence and the magnitude of the University-Alumni and the University-Employer contacts in
Ethiopian law schools providing graduate programs. The following data addresses the existence
or non-existence of formal contacts with alumni and employers at Ethiopian law schools
providing graduate programs.

Law schools Formal Contacts with Alumni

Among those surveyed to assess the existence or absence of formal University- Alumni contacts
were the law school’s leadership and the graduated students of the respective schools providing
graduate programs. Based on the survey results, almost all the graduated students of all schools
surveyed responded that there was no formal contact (except very few who claim to have
informal contacts)47 with their former institution,48 whereas only Addis Ababa Universty reported
the existence of formal contacts with its alumni.

One of the alumni interviewed by our research team responded:

Personally, I have a very good relationship. I have a strong relationship with the
profession. I give them the opportunity to share their thoughts on phone and in-person on
any issues that require consultation. I have also invited them to give training on the
45
Rachel Bishop, Why Alumni are Important for Higher Educational Institutions (February
3/2020),https://www.signalvine.com/alumni/why-alumni-are-important-for-higher-ed-institutions .
46
Tom Cannon, The Importance of the Alumni Network (October 2015)
https://www.redbrickresearch.com/2015/10/29/the-importance-of-the-alumni-network/ (Accessed May 05, 2021).
47
Interview with OSU Alumnus 1, April, 2021; Interview with AMU School of Law Alumni 2 and 4, April, 2021. It
seems that the relation between these students and their former graduate school doesnot amount to a formal link.
Based on their response the link they have is a personal relation with few of the teaching staff who were formerly
their teachers rather than institutionalized links. For instance one Alumnus (2) from AMU responded as follows: “I
graduated recently. But my relationship with the university is strong. The University has a free legal aid service
center. We have also a good relationship with the school and teachers. As a result, you have the opportunity to
participate in almost anything.”This doesnot show institutional or formal link, it is simply an individual link.
48
Interview with of AAU School of Law alumni (all); Interview with DBU school of law alumni (all); also alumni
of HU School of Law, JU School of Law, AU School of Law and OSU.
 violations of rights of persons in prisons. They invite me when the university organizes
various workshops. They also invite me to attend defense sessions organized for
graduating students. In addition, when the university conducted research in the South
Omo area, I was invited to facilitate the process. I would like to thank them for letting me
involved in the affairs of the university.49

Despite this, most alumni respondents did not like the nonexistence of formal contacts with the
law schools they attended for their graduate educations. One particular example is taken from the
alumni of DBU who said that, “There is no any kind of professional contact with the college
since the college does not provide such like opportunities until now”. 50 Another alumni
respondent says: “I have no relationship with the institution and teachers currently. Before
studying my masters, I was invited and given courses. I have worked as an attorney, judge and
defender and if I am given courses to teach, I think students will benefit”.51

Another alumni respondent describes the best example of the absence of formal contacts:
“No, I don’t have the contacts. The university has never tried to check where we are and
what we are working. It is even for the first time that I’m asked about my relation with
the institution that I graduated. To my knowledge, in some other countries, there is a
trend to conduct a tracery study not only in graduate level but also in under graduate
level. This is mainly conducted to assess and identify the status of their graduates after
their graduation. But, in our case, it is very rare to witness such studies conducted to
trace the where about of their graduates and the success of the program. I have no
contact with the institution. Nevertheless, I have seldom contacted staffs when I need
some help in relation to my current job. So I think the reason is lack of such tracer
study.”52

Among ten Graduate Programs we surveyed, only one school leadership, AAU, responded that
the school had formal mechanisms for contacts with their Alumni, whereas the rest of the schools
reported nonexistence of any formal system to have contacts with their former students.53 One of
our respondents from the law schools told us that there are no formal and regular systematic
49
Interview with AMU School of Law Alumni 4, 22 April, 2021.
50
Interview with DBU School of Law Alumni 1, 18April, 2021.
51
Interview with WSU School of Law Alumni 4,Consultant for the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia, Sodo District,
April, 2021.
52
Interview with HU School of Law Alumni 3, 15 April, 2021.
 contacts with their alumni beyond some incidental communications, whereas they do have strong
formal contacts with employers but employers seldom give them feedback. 54 Another respondent
told us that they have a closer contact with both employers and alumni in various aspects
including scholarship, employment, and externship.55

The following table shows the existence and extent of the formal contacts established by law
schools providing graduate LL.M programs with their alumni, as gathered from the graduated
former students of the respective law schools.

Table 13: Law Schools’ contacts with Alumni

Description List of names of the Percentage from the
school total respondents

Schools that have established a formal contact with their Addis Ababa University 10%
alumni

Schools that do not have established any kind of formal AMU School of Law, 90%
work related links with their alumni
WSU School of Law,

OSU School of Law,

DBU College of Law,

AAU School of Law,

HU School of Law

BDU School of Law,

JU School of Law

AU School of Law

WU School of Law
Source: graduated students’ (Alumni) interview with former PG students of with ten selected
schools
As can be seen from the data presented, the existence and extent of formal contacts with their
alumni created by Ethiopian law schools providing graduate legal education is scant. Though the
literature and the practice of countries with advanced academic system use an HEI-Alumni

53
Assessment and Evaluation of Graduate Programs of Ethiopian Law Schools, Questionnaire, AU, AAU, AMU,
BDU, JU, DBU, OSU, WU,WSU, HU.
54
Assessment and Evaluation of Graduate Programs of Ethiopian Law Schools, Questionnaire, JU.
55
Assessment and Evaluation of Graduate Programs of Ethiopian Law Schools, Questionnaire, DBU.
contact as one of the best tools to ensure quality and relevance of their programs, Ethiopian law
schools are quite different in that there is no effective system by which an HEI-Alumni contact
could be implemented.

Law schools contacts with Employers of the Graduates

One of the success factors for higher education institutions is the nature and extent of the formal
contacts they create with the businesses/employers who are the major stakeholders of the HEIs.

To have a clear picture about the nature and extent of the formal contacts (if any) created
between the law schools and their employers, the research team has collected the required data
from the school leaders in the form of questionnaires and from employers through interviews.

Among those employer respondents who reported having formal contacts with a graduate school,
one of them said the following.
“We have a working relationship with the University regarding the free legal aid service.
Most of our employees are graduates of HU and many other are still pursuing their study
in the same institutions. Our institution and the law school of the university have signed
MOU to collaborate particularly in area of teaching learning. Our institution and the
university also have worked together in offering short term legal trainings to our
employees. Our institution has also hosted to undergrad students while the latter has
been working their externship and clinical courses.”56

Another research participant who reports having contacts with the university says they have a
strong contact with BDU on areas of training and academics.57

There are also employers who reported no formal contact with the education provider of their
employee. One respondent said that they have not had any work-related contact with institutions
which provide legal training but they are thinking of establishing contacts.58 The other employer
also responded that “It is difficult to say that we have a strong relationship. However, we have

56
Interview with employer of HU school of law graduates, Hawassa city first instance court, delegate of the
president,16 April, 2021
57
Interview with employers of BDU school of law graduates, employers 2 and 3, 29 April, 2021.
58
Interview with employer of WSU school of law graduates, employer 2,April, 2021.
some sort of relationship with BDU School of Law. We also have a considerable contact with
Gonder University since they provide training for our experts.”59

The survey data collected from the leaders of law schools providing graduate programs also
shows differences, with the majority of the respondents reporting that they do not have formal
mechanisms for contacts with employers. But one school dean said that they have a closer
contact with both employers and alumni in areas including scholarship, employment, and
externship.60Among ten of our respondents, three of them -- BDU, OSU and DBU-- responded
positively that they have a formal contact with their employers, while the rest of them said there
is no formal mechanism of contacts. For instance one school leader responded:
There is no formal mechanism developed by the school to communicate with the alumni,
most communications are informal. Regarding employers especially courts and the
attorney general, there is a frequent interaction, communication and consultations as a
result of the interactions the school has with the institutions as a result of the MoU signed
with them and other engagements like Legal Aid. The school is currently planning to
consult them regarding the existing program and to engage them in the curriculum
revision program.61

The following two tables show the existence and extent of contacts with employers as gathered
from employers’ and the school leaderships’ responses respectively.

Table 14: Law School contacts with Employers

Description List of names of the Percentage from
school thetotalrespondent
s

Employers that have established a strong formal WSU School of Law 20%
contacts with PG program
BDU School of Law

Employers that do not have any kind of formal work DBU School of Law 80%
related contacts with PG programs
HU School of Law

AAU School of Law

59
Interview with BDUschool of law graduates employer, employer 2, 29April, 2021.
60
Assessment and Evaluation of Graduate Programs of Ethiopian Law Schools, Questionnaire, DBU.
61
Assessment and Evaluation of Graduate Programs of Ethiopian Law Schools, Questionnaire, WSU.
 OSU School of Law

AMU School of Law

AU School of Law

WU School of Law

JU School of Law
Source: from Employers response to an interview

Table 15: The Existence and Extent of Contacts with Employers

Description List of names of the school Percentage from
the total
respondents

Schools that have established formal DBU school of law 50%

contacts with their Employers
BDU, school of law

WSU School of Law

JU school of Law

OSU School of Law

Schools that do not have established AAU School of Law 50%
any kind of formal contacts with their
employers AMU school of law

AU school of law

WU School of law

HU School of Law

Source, from the school leadership

Despite a widespread consensus on the importance of strengthening HEI-Employer contacts to

bolster the quality and relevance of education, the situation in the sampled law schools is not
good. The information obtained from both employers and HEIs shows that there is a very
limited effort in creating formal contacts with employers and in engaging employers in various
aspects of the HEI. While a few graduate schools have maintained closer contacts with their
employers, some schools do not have any contact at all. The data obtained from the employers
and the school leaderships shows discrepancy. Based on the questionnaire filled by the school
leaderships half of the surveyed participants confirmed that they have created formal contacts
where as employers from only two postgraduate schools have proved the existence of contacts. A
considerable number of graduate schools, however, have some kind of informal communications
with their employers. But this shows that little has been done to create formal mechanisms for
creating contacts with the potential employers.