Assessment of Community Service Practices in Ethiopia Universities: a case Study in Some selected Government Universities

The current study aimed to assess the status of community service practices and the possible barriers to instructors’ involvement in community service activities at four selected government universities in Ethiopia. A quantitative descriptive survey design was employed, involving 322 instructors selected from the four universities using a stratified random sampling technique. A questionnaire was used as the instrument to collect data from the participants. Validity and reliability tests were conducted during the pilot study to ensure the questionnaire’s suitability before it was used for the actual sample. Descriptive statistics such as the mean, standard deviation, and percentage, along with inferential statistics, including a one-sample t-test, were utilized in the data analysis using SPSS version 24. The results indicated that instructors’ participation in community service activities is remarkably low. Several factors were identified that challenge instructors’ participation in community service activities, including a lack of self-interest, lack of incentives, poor community service atmosphere, excessive administrative tasks, lack of institutional support, insufficient equipment, and lack of willingness from stakeholders. The study concluded that university-community connections in the sampled public universities in Ethiopia are minimal. This is an alarming finding, urging universities to reconsider their policies and their implementation in a way that encourages instructors to engage in community service activities.