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Background of the Department
As the experience of developed nations reveals, preparing middle level professionals for vocations is the most effective approach for economic development. Particularly it is important for developing nations such as Ethiopia to fulfill their educated manpower needs with a relatively minimum cost and time. Consequently, government has given due attention for the expansion of TVET schools across the nation. In line with the opening of such schools, it is important to produce adequate number of competent teachers. Business Education department, Bahir Dar University, became operational in the year 2004 with the aim of fulfilling the manpower needs of junior colleges and preparatory schools.
Mission of the Department
The department of Business Education, Bahir Dar University has the mission to be the leading business and IT teachers education center as experienced pedagogy and business teachers run the program. Therefore, the department will train competent and professionally qualified teachers for junior business colleges and vocational schools and researchers in the areas of business education and vocational training. In addition, the flexible nature of business education curriculum allows graduates to be practitioners. The department will also provide community services in areas such as providing short-term training for the local traditional business people, providing technical assistance for the government and private business schools in the region, and expand entrepreneurial skills among the unemployed youngsters in the region so as to enable them to create employment opportunity for them selves.
Objectives of the department
To realize the stated mission, the department has the following objectives:
- Train professionally qualified business teachers for junior colleges and for technical vocational schools (10+1, 10+2, and 10+3) in the six aforementioned specialization areas.
- Conduct research in the field of Business/Vocational education in each focus of study.
- Provide subsequent short-term training and technical assistance for local business people.
- Provide professional assistance for local TVET and preparatory schools and private business colleges.
- Work with other institutions/ faculties/departments to strengthen and maintain the standards share experiences and conduct joint research in teacher education.
Programs of the department
The department runs a Bachelor Degree program in Business Education in the following six focuses of studies:
- Accounting Education
- Banking and Finance Education
- Information Technology Education
- Marketing and sales Management Education
- Purchasing and supplies Management Education
- Office Administration and Office Technology Education
Currently, the department runs in the regular and continuing undergraduate programs. The department has completed its preparation to begin in-service and distance education programs in 2005/2006 academic year. It also plans to arrange short-term professional training for teachers from different government and non-government TVET centers. As far as the short-term training is concerned, the department plans to provide training for practitioners in such areas as salesmanship, purchasing, secretarial science, records management, and IT.
Graduate profile
After successful completion of the Bachelor Degree in Business Education with a focus area, the graduates will be able to:
- Teach, which includes planning, conducting and evaluating, business education subjects in their specific focus areas offered in junior colleges and Medium level Vocational training programs (10+1, 10+2, and 10+3) and skill training centers.
- Organize and give training in their area of focus.
- Participate in research activities in vocational education with special emphasis on business education.
- Actively participate in the democratization process and solving community problems
- Demonstrate professional standards of accomplishment
- Accept the responsibility of building knowledge, competent and democratic citizens.
Research Activities
The department is committed to undertake research activities in areas such as education, community development, business operation, poverty, HIV/AIDS, and other societal affairs that are related to the specialization areas of the department. In this regard, the main objective of the department is to be active participant in the poverty reduction effort by undertaking problem solving research works.
Community Service
Besides solving community problems through research undertakings, the department will also participate in different community affairs such as environmental protection, disseminating anti HIV/AIDS messages, creating awareness on gender equality, and other issues.
Address of the Department
- Department of Business Education
- P.O.Box: 79
- Business and Economics Faculty
- Bahir Dar University
- Bahir Dar
- Ethiopia
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