Challenges in teaching agriculture and fishery arts to Grade 7 students by non-agriculture and fishery arts faculty

This phenomenological research study delves into the challenges that non-AFA faculty encounter when they are assigned to teach Agriculture and Fishery Arts to Grade 7 students. The researcher conducted semi-structured interviews with 5 non-AFA faculty in two public secondary schools and used qualitative research design. Thematic analysis showed that the participants struggled with adequate resources for practical lessons and a lack of diverse technical skills like crop production and designing engaging yet curriculum-conforming activities for the students. The teacher’s lack of appropriate tools and facilities, coupled with inadequate technical knowledge, made teachers resort to theoretical instruction as the sole teaching method. Seeking self-directed learning, many teachers, however, showed great resilience in overcoming these challenges by collaborating with their peers. These findings imply that assigning non-specialist teachers suffers the quality of education unless the teachers have had adequate training and resources. The study suggests that AFA teaching can only be effective when the teachers possess the relevant expertise, adequate resources, and professional training. Hence, to improve the standard of technical and vocational educational programs, classroom teachers’ assignments need to incorporate alterations so that their areas of expertise are in line with the teaching resources.