Development of Agriculture value chains as an asset for the sustainable development and food security: the case of the improvement of agricultural technical and vocational education in Senegal

Abstract

The growth of a country depends on the improvement of its human resources. The TVET (Technical and Vocational Education and Training) system intends primarily to advance personal support and resources. Throughout education, people can build their knowledge, understanding, and skills to find a job. The TVET in Agriculture (ATVET) curriculum plays an essential role in designing interventions to deliver quality education, helping people increase productivity in the various agriculture sectors of economic activities, value chains, and associated occupations. The purpose of this research is to investigate what is necessisary to improve the agriculture technical and vocational education programs in Senegal by focusing on pedagogy and teaching strategies. Participants represented different ranges of teaching experience from five to more than ten years. The lead researcher interviewed two school directors and ten ATVET teachers. The interviews were semi-structured and were last from 30 minutes to one hour in Diourbel and Thies, Senegal. The researchers developed an interview protocol regarding the ATVET programs, implementation issues, and job market trends. The results showed that participants had various years of professional experience in the ATVET system and academic levels. All participants are well experienced and knowledgeable about working in strenuous physical and instructional conditions. The lack of infrastructure, equipment, and class facilities appears in the findings as significant problems. The deterioration of the resources such as human, material, financial and organizational influences the expected teaching outcomes because of insufficient and inadequate teaching and learning methods. Thereby, all authorities must consider the requirements and expectations of the the competency-based (CBA) program within the sustainability of the infrastructure, the learning environment, and the efficiency of maintenance to improve the technical context to guarantee practical and efficient administration of technological, environmental, and human resources.