Some studies show that globally, women’s enrollment in higher education institutions (HEI) has grown significantly in the last few decades. In Africa, it has doubled in the past 20 years, but this figure is still low compared to other regions. Despite this achievement, imbalances in gender equality are evident. Women are underrepresented in leading academic positions, publish less, have lower salaries, and there is a humanities bias.

Holeta Polytechnic College is working to increase female student enrollment through different mechanisms. Campaigns were organized to encourage female enrollment in agriculture and agro-processing at the college, aiming to ensure more females pursue agricultural studies, including agro-processing.

Tutorial classes for female students were conducted to inspire and support them in their pursuit of careers in agriculture. Female students were engaged in hands-on, minds-on learning activities in real-world settings under the supervision of their instructors to reinforce their skills in agriculture and agro-processing. They practiced activities such as planting trees and agricultural food processing to ensure food security after graduation.

One student, Imebet Fantaw, from the Agro-processing department, shared her testimony, stating, “Observing the day care and tutorial classes provided for me inspired me to continue pursuing my career. Especially the daycare, being a safe place for both me and my baby, made me feel at home.”

By Dawit Taddess, Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist for EASTRIP at Holeta Polytechnic College