Teaching Agriculture Practically: Building Ugandan teachers’ capability to skill youth for agriculture

Teaching Agriculture Practically (TAP)

Completed

Teaching Agriculture Practically ensures that Uganda’s future agriculture teachers and instructors have the pedagogical and technical competencies as well as the necessary relations with key actors in the agriculture sector to deliver quality, relevant agricultural education and training. Through effective teaching, these teachers and instructors ensure that students gain the skills they need to start their own businesses, get a job or pursue higher studies in agriculture. The 2.56 million EUR initial commitment to the capacity development of the National Teachers Colleges Mubende and Unyama and National Instructors College Abilonino benefits 980 student-teachers and 249 student-instructors over the period 2019-2021.

Entity

VVOB - education for development Youth organization, civil society, non-governmental, non-profit organization

Technical assistance, expertise and implementation

Partners

Belgium, Directorate-general Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Aid
Government or intergovernmental entity
Financial and/or in-kind contribution
Uganda, Ministry of Education and Sports, Teacher and Instructors Education and Training Department
Government or intergovernmental entity
Policy, advocacy and convening power

Sustainable Development Goals & targets

4.4 By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship
4.c By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States

8.6 By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training

Themes

Youth in the rural economy
Youth entrepreneurship and self-employment

Achievement At Glance

The programme improved the capacity of three institutions that provide initial training to the future agriculture teacher/instructor workforce of Uganda: National Teachers Colleges of Mubende and Unyama, and National Instructors College Abilonino. In alignment with the colleges’ curricula, more effective approaches to school practice and industrial training were integrated into student-teachers’/instructors’ journeys and several courses were reoriented towards developing practical agri-technical, entrepreneurship and pedagogical skills and improved knowledge of the agriculture world of work and the breadth of youth employment opportunities it offers. Investments in college farms (equipment, fencing, …) were accompanied by support to college leadership and farm managers on how to run these farms in a technically and financially sustainable manner and to teaching staff on how to turn college farms into places for active teaching and learning. This focus was informed by evidence from tracer studies of NTC and NICA graduates; the NICA graduate tracer study was commissioned by VVOB (here), the NTC studies were pre-existing. At national level, we advocated for renewal and upgrading of initial teacher/instructor training and implementation of the National Teacher Policy as conditions for the successful roll-out of new competency-based curricula in secondary education and training.

Key Highlight On Guiding Principle

Guiding Principle #4

The VVOB By-Laws state that “Quality education is the foundation for development. VVOB contributes to an equitable world in which Governments are capacitated to respect, protect and fulfill the right to quality education for every learner, without any form of discrimination”. VVOB integrated this Principle in the form of its strategic partnership with the Uganda Ministry of Education and Sports and focus on quality teaching as a critical condition for the right to education. Importantly, the final evaluation of TAP found that “All government partners who were consulted stated that (...) VVOB’s TAP programme (...) came at a vital time when the secondary school curriculum has been updated to be more practical. Additionally, government partners said that the TAP programme helped inform the development of the Continuous Professional Development Program guidelines.”

Guiding Principle #14

The entire TAP programme is focused on education and skills development, hence, this Guiding Principle is integrated in all commitment activities. Particular attention was paid to skilling for a youth-intensive sector (agriculture) and preparing TVET teachers to become more effective at expanding work-based learning opportunities for their students and ensuring the quality of WBL.

description

For the foreseeable future, agriculture will remain the sector that absorbs most Ugandan youth. Increasingly, secondary education and training are becoming the springboard for entry into the world of work. But to gain the skills they need to start their own agribusinesses or get a job, young people depend on competent teachers and instructors.

Teaching Agriculture Practically (TAP) ensures that Uganda’s future agriculture teachers and instructors have the pedagogical and technical competencies as well as the necessary relations with key actors in the agriculture sector to deliver quality, relevant agricultural education and training.

TAP strengthens the initial teacher/instructor education provided by the agriculture departments of two National Teacher Colleges, Mubende and Unyama, and of the National Instructors College Abilonino in three key areas:

1) Practice teaching in lower secondary and secondary TVET to gain pedagogical skills and confidence.

2) Agricultural production units at the colleges as spaces for learning and earning to gain technical and entrepreneurial skills and attitudes.

3) Exposure visits and internships to understand the demand side of skills for the agriculture sector and build relations with key actors in the agribusiness ecosystem.

Between 2019 and 2021, VVOB provides capacity development support to the colleges.

TAP is fully aligned with the priorities of the Ugandan government, as expressed in Skilling Uganda: BTVET Strategic Plan, the National Teacher Policy and the TVET Policy. The program is governed by a Steering Committee led by the Ministry of Education and Sports, with representatives from VVOB and the colleges.

https://www.vvob.org/en/programmes/uganda-teaching-agriculture-practically
https://www.vvob.org/en/news/how-virtual-tours-help-teach-agriculture-practically-uganda

Deliverables and links to SDG targets

20 youth employment stakeholders supported through technical assistance, capacity-building or peer learning

4.c By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States

Teaching Agriculture Practically builds the capacity of National Teachers Colleges Mubende and Unyama and National Instructors College Abilonino at the institutional, organisational and individual level (minimum 20 key staff) through training, coaching/mentoring, peer learning, study visits, relationship brokering, etc.

BY: Dec 2021
4 knowledge sharing or advocacy tactics on youth employment carried out, including events, campaigns and media items

4.c By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States

Teaching Agriculture Practically provides technical and financial support to staff from the Ministry of Education and Sports, National Teacher Colleges Mubende and Unyama, and National Instructors College Abilonino to participate in minimum 4 national or regional forums/networks/events on (skilling for) youth employment in agriculture.

BY: Dec 2021
6 knowledge products on youth employment developed

4.c By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States

VVOB, National Teacher Colleges Mubende and Unyama, and National Instructors College Abilonino will co-create min. 6 knowledge products on initial teacher/instructor education for quality and relevant agricultural education and training.

BY: Dec 2021
National strategies for youth employment supported in their development or operationalization in 1 country (Uganda)

4.4 By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship

VVOB Uganda is a member of the Technical Working Group Skilling of the Education Development Partners group. Teaching Agriculture Practically contributes to the implementation of the following national strategies -- Skilling Uganda: BTVET Strategic Plan, National Teacher Policy and TVET Policy.

BY: Dec 2021

Start

01-Jan-2019

End

31-Dec-2021

USD 2,799,360

Estimated total value of the commitment

Target: Only young people 15-19

Primarily:

Graduates of second-level education and students in third-level education or beyond

Challenges faced in implementation

The main challenges to implementation were the fact that the programme spanned over a short period of time (2.5 years) and suffered constant interruptions from COVID-19 lockdowns. To cope with college closures, an accelerated shift was made to distance learning packages, use of instructional videos, virtual reality materials, and online training through Zoom. For sustained impact, it is positive that TAP principles and methods align well with the national agriculture curriculum for trainee teachers and instructors. However, there is concern at the National Teachers Colleges regarding how the new lower secondary O-Level curriculum, which has made agriculture an elective, will impact the supply and demand of agriculture teachers in the workforce, and ultimately, will impact the capacity of schools to motivate and skill young people to enter the agri-world of work. To address this challenge, VVOB – together with current and new partners – would need to invest more in public information and promotion campaigns and in study and career guidance, so that more young people make a positive choice for agriculture and related studies and work.