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 CAPREx General Meeting, Accra Ghana 1
Outline • Background • Objectives • Methodology • Results • Discussion • Implications 7/17/2018 CAPREx General Meeting, Accra Ghana 2
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 7/17/2018 CAPREx General Meeting, Accra Ghana 3
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? 7/17/2018 CAPREx General Meeting, Accra Ghana 4
Methodology • Cross-sectional survey design (2016/17) – KII, FGD and Questionnaires – 52 Secondary Schools in Ghana; 59 in Uganda – Stratified sampling for all regions Ghana Gha na Uga Ugand nda – Other Key Informants in Colleges & Ministries of Agriculture & Education – Data analyzed for Descriptive statistics 7/17/2018 CAPREx General Meeting, Accra Ghana 5
Results Uganda Ghana • Applied science with a • Dual aims of agricultural vocational inclination science and vocational preparation • Examined by the Uganda National Examinations Board • Examined by the West African (UNEB) Examinations Council (WAEC) • General Science under the • Agriculture phased out of thematic curriculum for BECE and integrated into primary schools general science since…. – Only a few Agriculture questions appear in Science • paper General Agriculture under the Integrated Science Curriculum for elementary schools • Agriculture is a compulsory – New entrants into SHS have no subject for all students in idea about agriculture secondary school up to senior two. Thereafter, it is taught as an optional subject 7/17/2018 CAPREx General Meeting, Accra Ghana 6
Results Ghana Uganda • • Agriculture at SHS level consists of: Taught as a general subject with no specialty options covering: – General Agriculture, Crop Husbandry, – Animal Husbandry, Farm soil science, crop husbandry with vegetable, annual and perennial crops; Mechanization, Horticulture, Fisheries animal husbandry including at least one and Forestry. ruminant and non-ruminant; farm Agriculture students at SHS elect two mechanization including tractor options in addition to general Agriculture engines, tools and farm structures; farm from either the elective agriculture or management economics science programs • Universities consider Physics, • Chemistry and Physics University admissions do not recognize agriculture which affects – Agriculture is weighted as a ‘relevant’ subject with a multiplier factor of two numbers of students that elect while Biology and Chemistry are agriculture weighted as ‘essential’ with a factor of three • Students prefer Biology to Agriculture • Students prefer General Science to as path to biomedical courses like Agriculture as a sure way to get to Pharmacy, Human medicine, University Veterinary Science, Forestry and Environmental Sciences. 7/17/2018 CAPREx General Meeting, Accra Ghana 7
Results Uganda Ghana • School system has 7-4-2 years: • Duration of Senior High School – “O” level is four years leading to in Western Africa Countries Uganda Certificate of Education - UCE); Students are examined for like Ghana was reduced from eight to ten subjects from a menu of about 22 subjects four to three years but actual study time is about two years – “A” level is two years leading to Uganda Advanced Certificated of Education - UACE). Students elect three principle subjects like Physics, • Departments of Agriculture Chemistry and Biology and two subsidiaries have teachers and technical assistants • Agriculture teachers also double as technicians; some schools employ farm managers • School farms not financed and depend on local school • No official support except for a few farms set up by World Bank IDA administration’s support project in 1970s & Gardening by the Food for Work program in 1980s by UN/ WFP 7/17/2018 CAPREx General Meeting, Accra Ghana 8
Results Uganda Ghana • • Japanese International The BTVET Directorate supplied Cooperation Agency (JICA) tractors and farm equipment to supplied tractors and other technical and vocational colleges equipment to Farm Institutes • No separate farm accounts • Not established whether schools were maintained at school with farms in Uganda kept level to demonstrate separate books of accounts profitability of the farm enterprises • Private sector driven service • Graduates from farm Institutes delivery exerts pressure for are no longer guaranteed paraprofessional training employment by ministry of institutions to seek new Agriculture approaches to their curriculum • • Competence-Based Training Competence - Based Training for approach developed by GIZ is Junior Level Certificates being used in Farm Institutes championed by the Directorate of Industrial Training (DIT). 7/17/2018 CAPREx General Meeting, Accra Ghana 9
Results Ghana Uganda • • Instructional facilities are District Agricultural Training either lacking or left to and Information Centres depreciate because of lack of (DATICs) set up by the Danish funds International Development Agency (DANIDA) no longer functional because of lack of sustainability funds • Universalization of Education (UPE/USE/UPPE) has made • Public Private Partnerships and some parents to think that it is Parent Teacher Associations governments’ role to provide can help improve teaching their children with ‘free’ facilities education • Teaching methods largely classroom based • Teaching methods largely classroom based 7/17/2018 CAPREx General Meeting, Accra Ghana 10
Extended Linkages under ESRC Funding • 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 Uganda Ghana • National multi-stakeholder • National multi-stakeholder meeting to be facilitated in meeting facilitated in April September 2018 by University 2018 by University of of Cambridge Cambridge • Expected to formalize National • Expected to influence Association of Professional policy, Advocacy and Teachers of Agriculture & Contribute to policy and curriculum advocacy 7/17/2018 CAPREx General Meeting, Accra Ghana 11
Outcome of Ghana workshop Outcome of the Ghana Workshop 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 .
Mismatch between industry needs and competencies acquired • 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 .
Recommendations 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
How to review 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
Ghana Workshop Participants 7/17/2018 CAPREx General Meeting, Accra Ghana 16
7/17/2018 CAPREx General Meeting, Accra Ghana 17
Acknowledgements 7/17/2018 CAPREx General Meeting, Accra Ghana 18
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