The Balance of Theoretical and Practical Skills in Agricultural Technical Schools in Haiti: An Exploration of the Curriculum

Abstract

Haiti, with its alarming hunger index, and serious concerns for the population’s food security status, suggests that its agricultural production and productivity are insufficient to guarantee availability of food for the people. Increased productivity supposes the dissemination of best agricultural practices among farmers, and enough qualified extension agents carrying the scientific findings into the rural communities. However, studies in Haiti, have found that the extension activities are mostly conducted by graduates from TVET schools. Meanwhile, little is known about the quality of the training provided in these institutions. This study explored the balance of practice and theory in Haitian TVET curricula. Individual interviews to directors and teachers and focus groups with students explained the role of practical experiences in TVET curriculum by emphasizing on the importance, the purposes and the amount of such practical experiences in the program of study. The various instructional methods used to ensure sufficient practices were also revealed, specifically, participative methods, research and various field activities. Nevertheless, many barriers impede more practices, which were (a) scheduling, (b) lack of resources, (c) students’ attitudes, (d) absence of laboratories in Haiti, and (e) the rural reality and environmental issues. Keywords: Haiti; experiential learning; technical schools; agriculture

Employer expectations for graduates from Haiti’s agricultural universities

“…With many of the opportunities for recent graduates focused on field work, the need for the curriculum to focus on these practical opportunities is evident. Employers mention the lack of field experience inhibits student success which is supported by Calixte et al (2019c) who found the lack of resources made it difficult to implement practical experiences. It is recommended that the schools invest in labs and field equipment to ensure graduates receive practical experience.…”

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“…Based on our theoretical lens, we began the study seeking to understand the phenomena based on the lived experiences of the people most familiar with agricultural TVET in Haiti. This study was conducted in conjunction with additional research on TVET in Haiti (see Calixte et al, 2019a;2019b;and 2019c).…”

“…This was deemed appropriate since part of the research team could read and write French and Haitian Creole and part of the team could not. The same process was used in the related research (Calixte et al, 2019a;2019b;and 2019c).…”

“…Calixte et al (2019a) found that agricultural TVET schools improved the social mobility of students, improved local communities, and enhanced extension activities. We also studied the curricular balance of theory and practical skills and found that the schools desired a balance of theory and practice, but many barriers prevented this from happening (Calixte et al, 2019b). In a third article (Calixte et al, 2019c), we examined employment opportunities for graduates from the TVET schools.…”