Bi.,5 - (PDF, 101 mb) - USAID

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effective laboratory and field training in support of the academic
teaching. The CAP farm, close to 2500 acres, is used more for commercial
production than for field training. According to the students,
they do participate in these commercial farm activities, but there
exists no connection between classroom teaching and the field work they
are called upon to perform. The Team feels the practice of assigning
field projects to a student or a group of students, in support of the
classroom teaching, is desirable. It should be noted in passing that,
in contradistinction to ISP, all courses are not taught throughout the
year. Many of them are taught during one or two quarters. At the
end of each quarter an exam is given. If a course covers two or three
quarters, the final exam is comprehensive.
Recommendations. The printed curriculum at the CAP, Matourkou
was felt to be adequate, with minor exceptions, and the Team felt the'
no major recommendations were necessary. The problem at Matourkou,
rather, is the lack of certain facilities, although this is not a
majov- problem; and more importantly, the lack of quantity and quality
of staff to teach the curriculum. This will be discussed in detail
below. The exceptions noted in course content would include some
upgrading of training in agricultural economics and making students'
work on the CAP farm more applicable to their classroom work.
Trainina of Encadreurs.
In the past, the CAP, Matourkou, has had the mission of training
encadreurs, the closest technical link to the farmers. Presently, most
encadreurs receive their training either at the ORD's or in the field.
The Team feels that an administrative and technical framework should be
established to facilitate the training of future encadreurs either at
the CAP, Matourkou, at the new CAP at Bogande, or at one of the future
research stations, depending upon the vocation of the future encadreur
and the ecological conditions of the place where he expects to work.
Research and Demonstration Activities.
No provision is included in the project to make the CAP at
Matourkou a research station. An institutional framework, however, will
be established so that the facility there can be used for effective
practical training and demonstration. In addition, the program at
CAP calls for field training in the ORD's and other agencies for all
students. Therefore, once the research stations are established, cooperation
between ISP and Matourkou will enable the students to further
their training at the research stations. This arrangement between the
directors of both institutions will be beneficial for the students in
that there should be more connection between the classroom teaching and
field training.