improved vocational agricultural pedagogy. Dr. John James Okiror - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

A comparative analysis of the context in which agriculture is taught in Ghana and Uganda: a necessary input towards improved vocational agricultural pedagogy.

• Dr. John James Okiror – CAPREx Fellow: Uganda
• Dr. Seth Boateng – Collaborating Researcher: Ghana

Advisors: Prof Geoff Hayward – Head, Faculty of Education, Univ of Cambridge

• Dr. Mark Winterbottom – Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Education, Univ of Cambridge

7/17/2018 1 CAPREx General Meeting, Accra Ghana

Outline

• Background
• Objectives
• Methodology
• Results
• Discussion
• Implications

7/17/2018 2 CAPREx General Meeting, Accra Ghana

Background

• Africa is and will for sometime to come

depend on agriculture

• School curricula should include agriculture
• Teaching-learning contexts matter
• Comparing contexts in Uganda & Ghana vital

for generalized improvements

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Study Objectives

1. To determine differences and similarities existing in contexts under which agriculture is taught in Ghana and Uganda 2. To identify lessons for improving vocational agricultural pedagogies in Ghana and Uganda based on the contexts

– Research Questions:

• To what extent do the contexts in which agriculture is taught in

Ghana and Uganda differ?

• What lessons exist for improving vocational agricultural pedagogy

from the existing differences in contexts?

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Methodology

• Cross-sectional survey design

(2016/17) – KII, FGD and Questionnaires – 52 Secondary Schools in Ghana; 59 in Uganda – Stratified sampling for all regions – Other Key Informants in Colleges & Ministries of Agriculture & Education – Data analyzed for Descriptive statistics

Gha Ghana na Uga Ugand nda

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Results

Uganda

• Applied science with a

vocational inclination

• Examined by the Uganda

National Examinations Board (UNEB)

• General Science under the

thematic curriculum for primary schools

– Only a few Agriculture questions appear in Science paper

• Agriculture is a compulsory

subject for all students in secondary school up to senior

• two. Thereafter, it is taught as

an optional subject

Ghana

• Dual aims of agricultural

science and vocational preparation

• Examined by the West African

Examinations Council (WAEC)

• Agriculture phased out of

BECE and integrated into general science since….

• General Agriculture under the

Integrated Science Curriculum for elementary schools

– New entrants into SHS have no idea about agriculture

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Results

Uganda

• Taught as a general subject with no

specialty options covering:

– soil science, crop husbandry with vegetable, annual and perennial crops; animal husbandry including at least one ruminant and non-ruminant; farm mechanization including tractor engines, tools and farm structures; farm management economics

• Universities consider Physics,

Chemistry and Physics

– Agriculture is weighted as a ‘relevant’ subject with a multiplier factor of two while Biology and Chemistry are weighted as ‘essential’ with a factor of three

• Students prefer Biology to Agriculture

as path to biomedical courses like Pharmacy, Human medicine, Veterinary Science, Forestry and Environmental Sciences.

Ghana

• Agriculture at SHS level consists of:

– General Agriculture, Crop Husbandry, Animal Husbandry, Farm Mechanization, Horticulture, Fisheries and Forestry.

Agriculture students at SHS elect two

• ptions in addition to general Agriculture

from either the elective agriculture or science programs

• University admissions do not

recognize agriculture which affects numbers of students that elect agriculture

• Students prefer General Science to

Agriculture as a sure way to get to University

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Results

Uganda

• School system has 7-4-2 years:

– “O” level is four years leading to Uganda Certificate of Education - UCE); Students are examined for eight to ten subjects from a menu of about 22 subjects – “A” level is two years leading to Uganda Advanced Certificated of Education - UACE). Students elect three principle subjects like Physics, Chemistry and Biology and two subsidiaries

• Agriculture teachers also double as

technicians; some schools employ farm managers

• No official support except for a few

farms set up by World Bank IDA project in 1970s & Gardening by the Food for Work program in 1980s by UN/ WFP

Ghana

• Duration of Senior High School

in Western Africa Countries like Ghana was reduced from four to three years but actual study time is about two years

• Departments of Agriculture

have teachers and technical assistants

• School farms not financed and

depend on local school administration’s support

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Results

Uganda

• The BTVET Directorate supplied

tractors and farm equipment to technical and vocational colleges

• Not established whether schools

with farms in Uganda kept separate books of accounts

• Private sector driven service

delivery exerts pressure for paraprofessional training institutions to seek new approaches to their curriculum

• Competence - Based Training for

Junior Level Certificates championed by the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT).

Ghana

• Japanese International

Cooperation Agency (JICA) supplied tractors and other equipment to Farm Institutes

• No separate farm accounts

were maintained at school level to demonstrate profitability of the farm enterprises

• Graduates from farm Institutes

are no longer guaranteed employment by ministry of Agriculture

• Competence-Based Training

approach developed by GIZ is being used in Farm Institutes

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Results

Uganda

• District Agricultural Training

and Information Centres (DATICs) set up by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) no longer functional because of lack of sustainability funds

• Universalization of Education

(UPE/USE/UPPE) has made some parents to think that it is governments’ role to provide their children with ‘free’ education

• Teaching methods largely

classroom based Ghana

• Instructional facilities are

either lacking or left to depreciate because of lack of funds

• Public Private Partnerships and

Parent Teacher Associations can help improve teaching facilities

• Teaching methods largely

classroom based

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Extended Linkages under ESRC Funding

Uganda

• National multi-stakeholder

meeting to be facilitated in September 2018 by University

• f Cambridge
• Expected to formalize National

Association of Professional Teachers of Agriculture & Contribute to policy and advocacy Ghana

• National multi-stakeholder

meeting facilitated in April 2018 by University of Cambridge

• Expected to influence

policy, Advocacy and curriculum

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• Project Name: National Agricultural Education Multi-stakeholder Platforms in

Ghana and Uganda

• Department(s): Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge; Department of

Extension and Innovation Studies, Makerere University; and Department of Agricultural Extension, University of Ghana, Legon

• Total funding: £19,800

The following were said about the content of the SHS Agriculture.

• The agriculture Curriculum is overload.
• There are overlaps in the curriculum and should

be adjusted to remove them.

• The urgent need to introduce opportunities to

develop more practical skills? Universities do not consider Animal Husbandry, Crop Husbandry, Horticulture, Fisheries, Forestry as subjects independent of General Agriculture.

Outcome of the Ghana Workshop

Outcome of Ghana workshop

• There is very limited emphasis on practical skills in the

SHS agricultural curriculum.

• This translates into very limited or no practical lessons in

the teaching and learning of SHS agriculture.

• Students who opt for agriculture may not have the practical

skills to engage in the production of crops and livestock even if they so desire to do so.

Mismatch between industry needs and competencies acquired

1. Philosophy: Competence based learning philosophy should be espoused in the curriculum. 2. Organisation: The structure should be retained but with major adjusted to remove overloads and duplications to allow the specific subjects to be independent. 3. Weighting: Introduction of opportunities to develop more practical skills and less theory as against near full theory. 4. Pedagogy: Specific methods and practice of teaching and learning that promote acquisition of practical skills need to be included in the curriculum

Recommendations

Formation of a technical committee made up of the following with the mandate to review the who SHS Agriculture curriculum for further action

• Heads of SHS,
• consultants from universities,
• staff of NCCA,
• Staff of WAEC,
• Members of subject associations,
• People from industry

How to review

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Ghana Workshop Participants

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Acknowledgements

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