BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN CLASSROOM AND FARM: EFFECTIVENESS OF SCHOOL FARMS IN SENIOR HIGH SCHOOLS IN THE EASTERN REGION OF GHANA

Abstract

The Senior High School (SHS) Agricultural Science curriculum in Ghana requires the inclusion of School farms. However, their effectiveness in linking theory instruction and farm skills is not yet fully assessed on the ground, especially on a regional level. The study looks at the effectiveness of School Farms in the 8 purposively selected Senior High Schools (SHS) in the 4 study districts of the Eastern Region of Ghana namely, New Juaben Municipal, Birim Central Municipal, Nsawam-Adoagyiri Municipal and Kwaebibirem District. This study utilized a descriptive survey design, concurrent mixed methods approach with the validated five point likert scale questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with 200 students, 30 agriculture science teachers and 12 school administrators. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analysed with descriptive statistics and thematic analysis, respectively, was performed on the interview data. The results show that school farms are generally effective in providing practical skills on crop cultivation (M = 4.24, SD = 0.61), connecting classroom farming knowledge to farm practice (M = 4.13, SD = 0.69) but not very successful in agribusiness training (M = 3.18) and post harvest handling (M = 3.09). The factors that hinder the farming are poor farm implements (81%), lack of qualified teachers (75%), and lack of suitable land (67%). The study recommends that a budgetary allocation be made to targeted areas of study, school–community farm partnerships be enhanced, and curriculum change be undertaken to include agribusiness modules. Findings add to the increasing body of evidence in support of the need for agricultural education policy reform in Ghana and similar sub-Saharan African settings.