Need and Satisfaction Assessment of Ethiopian Private Higher Education Institutions (PHIs) on the Broadcast Media

Abstract

The education sector in Ethiopia, as one of the major instruments to take the country out of this quagmire of poverty, should be supported by those that can make a difference. The mass media could of course be a case in point here. The three major pillars which most of the mass media use as their mission to achieve are educating, informing and entertaining the public. Private higher education institution, as part of the driving forces for the advancement of education in the country, shall also be encouraged and supported through all the important means including the mass media. This study tried to assess the extent to which PHEIs are satisfied with the service rendered by the national Ethiopian television and radio organizations. In addition, what they need from the mass media was also determined. A questionnaire which was designed in a Likert scale mode was used to collect the data. Document analysis has also been employed to substantiate the findings. In conclusion, it can be said that the majority of the PHEIs are dissatisfied with the consistency and amount of news and /or feature stories coverage given to them. They are unhappy with the scope of the coverage given in relation to the wide range of activities that they believe are doing. Unfair distribution of air time access among the PHEIs was also identified as an area of concern of the institutions. On the other hand, timeliness of coverages and reasonable representation of views whenever there are conflicting stories was recognized as positively done. Research works, social contributions, challenges and opportunities, policy debates; other countries’ experience in the private education sector were some of the issues that they want to be covered by the mass media.