Challenges and Solutions to Higher Education Institutions in Africa

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore ways that higher education institutes (HEI’s) that
offered agriculture education and training (AET) in their curriculum could change the behavior
to improve the quality of education offered to students. Faculty at a regional conference in
Africa participated in a daylong focus group workshop aimed at addressing these needs and
offering solutions that could be implemented immediately. Using the theory of planned
behavior as a guide, participants discussed the challenges and solutions they saw at their
institutions and the amount of time it would take to implement changes. A qualitative analysis
was conducted using a codebook to analyze various pieces of data that included video clips and
artifacts created by the participants at the workshop. Results from the analysis were split in
two main themes, challenges or solutions. The main challenges included access to higher
education and lack of preparation at the primary and secondary level of school. The main
solutions proposed were to restructure the leadership and offer more training to faculty
through mentoring programs. These results can guide higher education initiatives for
agriculture education and training as well as other discipline areas in higher education.