Agriculture Teachers’ Perceptions on the Inclusion of Indigenous Technical Knowledge in Secondary School Agriculture Curriculum, In Njoro Sub-County, Nakuru County, Kenya

Abstract

Indigenous knowledge had existed for centuries in Africa before the introduction of formal schooling by missionaries and British colonial. Unlike indigenous knowledge, formal education was not part of peoples‘ economic life and did not serve the African community. The current curriculum of 8-4-4 as well as the restructured curriculum of 2-6-3-3 has embraced less of indigenous technical knowledge yet this knowledge can be crucial in agricultural sector. This study generated information on teachers‘ perceptions on the inclusion of indigenous technical knowledge in crop and livestock production. The study employed Cross-sectional survey research design. It was carried out in Njoro sub-county, Nakuru County. The target population comprised of 90 agriculture teachers in Njoro sub-county. A questionnaire was used to collect data. In order to ascertain the content, construct and face validity, the instrument was subjected to scrutiny by peers, supervisors and other members of Egerton University in the department of agricultural education and extension. The instrument was pilot tested in Rongai sub-county with 30 agriculture teachers. The reliability of the instrument was estimated to be 0.785 which is above the 0.7 threshold hence it was considered acceptable. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics. The findings of the study indicate that more than 50% of the agriculture teachers were aware of the different indigenous practices that are carried out in both crop and livestock production, the findings also reveals that more than 50% of the teachers agreed that ITK is: cheap, reliable, enriches students with a wide range of knowledge, friendly and easy to use. 82% of the teachers were of the perception that ITK should be included in secondary school agriculture curriculum because of its value, 18% were of the perception that agriculture curriculum was already bulky and that indigenous technical knowledge is outdated hence it should not be included in the curriculum. The results of the study reveal that most of the teachers were positive about taking ITK into consideration while teaching agriculture. Basing on the value of indigenous technical knowledge, the researcher suggests to curriculum developers to research on ideas and practices related to indigenous technical knowledge that could be beneficial to learners, develop them and incorporate them in the learning and teaching process.