Strategic Planning, Implementation and Evaluation Directorate (SPIED) is an eye and ear of the university that periodically monitors and evaluates Annual Plan against the set targets across all sectors. Its quarterly analysis and remedial suggested measures pave way for reforms and corresponding study of fiscal cycle involving institutional activities serve as a beacon to brace up for future challenges; following report deals with its overall strategic protocol.


SPIED Director, Mr Asfaw Demissie, exemplifying budgetary provision, said, AMU’s 2018 budget was ETB 970,173,890, of which ETB 959,836,225 (98.6%) was earmarked and remaining amount was siphoned to other areas. Similarly, capital budget was ETB 728,203,208 but expenses went up to ETB 843 Million and finally all institutional activities of last year cost us ETB 1.833 Billion in totality.

Citing achievement, he said, AMU was fortunate to gain monetary aid for its research endeavors of around ETB 17 Million from different external stakeholders that’s being utilized in different projects. But the expectation of internal revenue pegged at ETB 36 Million could just yield 32 Million.

On gender equity, he adds that last year under UG category female students constituted 37% of total enrolment, in post-graduate 12.8% and at PhD-level it was 2.3%. While only 14.3% of females could make to the total academic staff pool. Presently, the teacher-student ratio in AMU is said to be 1:18, in some department it’s around 1:20. Barring few gaps, he maintained that teaching-learning process was peacefully carried out. He stressed that more teachers with appropriate academic qualification is required.

Laying bare AMU staff’s academic status, he said, last year, we had 9% PhD holders while 2019-20 Strategic Plan puts it should to be 30%. Master-degree holders are 76% (761) that’s above expected level but there is a huge gap at UG-level as it’s just 15% (86), however, in the course of time, university is likely to do away with UG-level teachers. Presently, 554 are on PG and 170 teachers on PhD study within Ethiopia and abroad.

Citing last year’s major achievement, he said, we were expecting the overall figure of undergraduate students to be around 19,000 but it went up to 19,645 (103%), PG had 3,807, at PhD level, we expected 95 students but had to satisfy with 86 (95.5%) that put to the total enrolment at 37,433, which includes evening, weekend and summer students, of which 6,857 graduated in the last academic session.

The study further reveals that 59.1% male and 48.7% female teachers were involved in research that might rise in this New Year. Till date, 136 new proposals and 243 from across university are underway, of which 46 got completed and 269 are being reviewed; pre-feasibility study on Guge Observatory Station has been completed.

On administrative front, he said, there are gaps as many employees are leaving university in search of better pasture elsewhere that affects normal function of administrative machinery. National job reform called - Job Evaluation and Grading and rising dissatisfaction of employees are issues to be addressed on priority basis.

His office has suggested need of a strategy to deal with plummeting performance of ICT Directorate; he clearly maintained that many of its skilled staff members have already left university in search of better pasture. And there is need to orient existing staff, new manpower must be recruited, etc. Likewise, Purchase and Procurement Directorate needs to be revamped, he signed off.

(Corporate Communication Directorate)