Addis Ababa University (AAU) College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture (CVMA) graduated 109 students in different fields of study in various levels at its campus found in Bishoftu (Debre Zeyt) on the 23^rd of July 2023.

As stated by Hika Waktole (PhD), Dean for the College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture, the College graduated 10 PhD students for the 10^th time, 46 students in MSc. for the 23^rd time, 32 students in Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) for its 38^th time and 21 students in Veterinary Lab Technology (VLT) in Undergraduate (UG) degree for the 13^th time.

Dr. Hika stated that CVMA is a legendary animal health college in Ethiopia that has provided different trainings in different programs for the last 60 years. The College nowadays runs 6 programs in PhD, 12 in MSc. and different programs in DVM, VLT and UG levels, he added.

According to Dr. Hika, the College has so far graduated 1,863 animal health assistants in diploma; 338 in VLT in BSc; 1,603 in DVM; 771 in MSc and 75 students in PhD; 4,650 students in total since its commencement to serve the country.

Besides to its regular programs, CVMA in collaboration with Ministry of Agriculture  and international organizations from Belgium, France and the UN, provided trainings for 1, 013 trainees from the federal, regional and international organizations one week to one month long trainings focused on animal health distribution, observation and control as well as poultry handling and health, he said.

The College also provided, Dr. Hika mentioned, continuous and productive, adaptive practical trainings and community services in coordination with AU, Karma Foundation, New York University of America, UK donor organizations and New Iceland Veterinary College.

Dr. Hika said that the College has set all important conditions to accomplish different activities together with its usual collaborators and other newcomers in the coming fiscal year. It focuses on the expanding of postgraduate programs following the footsteps and the development schemes of Addis Ababa University, he added.

In the previous budget year, CVMA started one MSc. program, and now it is going to start the first in its kind in the country and very timely program in One Health, i.e. two in MSc and one in PhD levels inthe new academic year of the University. It is also accomplishing preparations to receive students in another new program, Urban Agriculture, he said further.

In addition to the programs we have been running so far, we are preparing one new program to be given in an undergraduate level considering the ardent demand of the course in the country, Dr. Hika explained.

Dr. Hika indicating that CVMA has been playing the most crucial role in producing nationally and internationally competent graduates in animal health and the agricultural sector in general, its graduates of this year have passed 100% in the exit exam that was recently administered for the first time in the country.

In liaison with the teaching-learning activities, said Dr. Hika, CVMA has been engaged in 24 thematic, community services and adaptive research projects which are fully supported by AAU, and other 14 collaborative projects in cooperation with national and international organizations. A number of research results (136 in the last academic year which exceed by 38% from the previous one) have been also published in internationally reputable journals, he intensified.

Dr. Hika indicated that though a number of research products have been released and the support from the University has been remarkable, the College considers that the results have not yet significantly solved the multifaceted problems very common the community. “More collaborative efforts are still in need,” he added.

Besides to the research activities, CVMA was able to treat 53,011 animals found in different parts of the country in the last fiscal year alone, cooperating students and supervisors of the College and using the animal hospital, SPANA and Donkey Sanctuary projects, Dr. Hika said.

He further elaborated that the College provided awareness creation trainings regarding animal health and wellbeing to 12,217 burden animals’ owners, animal health workers and students as well as teachers of elementary schools.

As stated by Dr. Hika, CVMA in the past budget year alone, signed 16 cooperative agreements, the highest in its history, and effectively hosted the fifth national animal health education conference, unique in its kind in the country in which more than 1,000 participants including deans and researchers from 26 public universities and higher government officials of the country as well as other participants, with a very high performance and effective manner based on the AAU annual research week.

According to Dr. Hika, CVMA has been highly engaged in the preliminary preparation of self-authorization in line with the University’s efforts that AAU is moving towards achieving it in the new future.

Dr. Hika finally noted that AAU high officials have to give due focus to the College has been requesting for years that include vehicles for service and fieldwork purposes, different equipment for the animal hospital and laboratories, teachers’ resident houses construction and animal production center round fence contraction so as to sustain the highly motivated work ethics and seeking changes of all round servants working in CVMA.

Professor Tassew Woldehanna, President of AAU and Guest of Honor of the CVMA graduation, on his part said that AAU in recent years has been working hard to fill gaps observed in the education sector of the country as a whole.  The graduate level learning is screening its students through administering an internationally standardized Graduate Admission Test (GAT) and subsequent subject-matter tests via their departments they applied for, he clarified.

Prof. Tassew mentioned that this year’s graduates of the University are strictly different from the previous graduates in three specific points:

First, the education delivery system is up-to-date considering the current level of science and international phenomena; considers timely national interest, it is graduate-employer-industry focused.

• The graduates have taken exit exam in addition to their courses exams throughout their training in the University. Among the 2,424 UG students who sat for the exit exam that nationally administered for the first time, 85% of them have successfully accomplished.
• Postgraduate program students have also passed through further graduate quality requirement of publishing articles in internationally reputable journals with a minimum of one for Masters and two for the PhD graduates.

Secondly, UG students have applied practical internship activities with the purpose of qualifying them with better understanding of the practical working environment and responsibilities that they are going to face after their graduation.

Thirdly, UG students took soft skill training featuring their tomorrow of technology handling in their future jobs so as to familiarize them with the digital world. Due to the graduates have been shaped with the consideration of industrial needs and current situations, the employability of the graduates is now increased compared to the previous years.

Indicating that CVMA is one of the 12 colleges under AAU and the first of its kind in the field of animal health and production services in Ethiopia, it has passed some years carrying a new mission to work on other agricultural fields. Extensive research activities that the College carries out for modern animal health and production services are highly valued in the country, he added.

Recently, according to Prof. Tassew, AAU publishes more than 3,150 research outputs on internationally reputable journals annually working on over 200 huge research and community services programs.

In terms of community service, said Prof. Tassew, AAU is providing vaccination and treatments for both human and animals, especially via CVMA in particular (provides renewable energy technology to the rural community, renderers consultancy and training services on soil and water conservation activities); supports elderly people and maintaining their dilapidated houses; continues providing a number of humanitarian supports in different occasions; plants a number of seedlings as supporting the national campaign of Green Legacy.

“Based on all these activities, teaching-learning as well as student receiving capacity, the QS World University Rankings placed AAU first among the Bellow Saharan African countries excluding South Africa. As country level in Africa, it has put Ethiopia third due to AAU,” he reiterated.

According to Prof. Tassew, this ranking will help AAU to be selective not only nationally but also in the global arena increasing the employability of its graduates and easily be accepted to pursue their education in other universities of overseas.

As stated by Prof. Tassew, though Ethiopia is the leading in livestock resources in Africa, the benefit it gets from the field is very limited. One of the reasons for this tendency of low achievement is the expansion of animal diseases, primitive animal production system, lack of proper animal feed (forage) and illegal animal trade including poaching, he intensified.

“For this reason, due to the government has higher concern on the agriculture, AAU-CVMA is highly engaged in advancing the sector focusing on animal forage, selected seeds, medicine as well as introducing and expanding supportive technologies. In addition, working on the ‘Yelemat Trufat’ project as a national movement, CVMA is expected to resolve many problems in its endeavors,” Prof. Tassew clarified.

Prof. Tassew generalized that AAU with its respective colleges including CVMA and its graduates as well as serving scholars, is expected to play vital roles in lining the country among the middle income countries and food self-sufficiency; civilizing the working and living mechanism of the rural community; working on raising national revenues; increasing as well as improving animal products and production systems.

College of Veterinary Medicine and Agriculture (CVMA) finally recognized three governmental organizations in particular: Addis Ababa University, Ministry of Agriculture and the Bishoftu Administrative Office which have been vitally supportive in all its endeavors for the facilitation of basic activities in the College.

Photo: Fikremariam Beyene

Editor: Abraham Girmay