Tech-MODE for Agricultural Education and Improved Livelihoods in ...

SYNTHESIS OF EIGHT COUNTRY CASE STUDIES
diversity of informal and formal training and education also exists in Ghana and
Nigeria.
Several countries offer agricultural experience at primary level through school
gardens as in the case of Cameroon and Ghana. At the junior and senior secondary
level, agricultural education may be optional or compulsory, depending on the
country. In Ghana, for example, agriculture starts at junior level as a compulsory
subject. It becomes optional at the senior level. In Nigeria, agriculture is a compulsory
subject in the new nine-year basic education curriculum for primary and secondary
schools. In Sierra Leone, the ten-year rebel war affected schooling. Nevertheless,
agricultural education is compulsory at all senior secondary schools. In Kenya and
Uganda, agriculture is optional at secondary level. In Cameroon, “… there is no
strongly enforced government policy on agricultural training in secondary schools.”
Higher agricultural education through colleges, polytechnics and universities varies
even more widely. Sierra Leone offers practical-oriented training for teachers of
primary and secondary schools. In many countries, several public and private
institutions offer certificates and diplomas in agriculture. All countries offer tertiary
agricultural education through colleges and universities. Several public and private
universities offer a range of agricultural disciplines in Kenya and Nigeria. The
University of Dschang in Cameroon and the Sokoine University of Agriculture in
Tanzania are pioneers in agricultural education and training. In Uganda, among
several tertiary institutions, only Makere University offers postgraduate degree in
agriculture.
In all countries, agricultural education and training shows the usual technical,
logistical and political limitations and challenges. Sierra Leone notices male-bias
and lack of women participation. Generally, agricultural education and training
cannot satisfy the demand, and as a consequence, educational institutions are
looking at ICT to implement ODL and hence the Tech-MODE initiative.
Apart from few interesting and promising exceptions, lifelong learning opportunities
for farmers seem to be limited.
6 ICT policies
Information and communication technologies are evolving quickly. However, a
recent study of the Regional Agricultural Information Network (RAIN) found that
human resource capacities to use and manage ICT are lagging behind 3 . Therefore,
RAIN is initiating a regional post graduate programme in agricultural information
and communication management, including ODL. RAIN is a network of the
Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa
3 Zachmann, R.; Musewe, V.O.; Baguma, S.D. 2005. Assessment of ICT/ICM Human Resource Capacities and
Related Training Needs in the Context of Agricultural Research for Development in Eastern and Central Africa.
http://www.asareca.org/rain/index.php?option=publications&Itemid=8&lang=eng.
6 ■ TECH-MODE FOR AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION AND IMPROVED LIVELIHOODS IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA: COUNTRY CASE STUDIES