Relationship between the learning of agriculture in secondary schools and employment creation by out-of-school youth in Emuhaya Sub-County, Vihiga County, Kenya

Abstract

Secondary school Agriculture in Kenya should equip the learners with knowledge and practical skills necessary for creation of employment. Agriculture is believed to be the backbone of the Kenyan economy contributing to over 30% of the Gross Domestic Product and employs about 80% of the rural population. Kenya Vision 2030 positions agriculture as a key driver for delivering the 10% annual economic growth. It is estimated that 64% of unemployed persons in Kenya are youth, indicating a serious employment problem. The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between the learning of Agriculture in secondary schools and employment creation for out-of-school youth in Emuhaya sub-County. The relationship between secondary school Agriculture learning and youth employment creation to be determined was in terms of the knowledge gained, practical skills acquired by the students, methods of learning and learning resources used by the out-of-school youth. The study was done in Emuhaya sub-County and adopted descriptive research design method. The target population was the youth who learnt Agriculture in secondary schools. Proportionate simple random sampling was used to sample 150 youth out of a total population of 2,736 youth who sat for KCSE in Emuhaya sub-County between 2010-2012. Emuhaya sub-County being an agricultural potential area, little attention has been taken to identify why the youth who have studied Agriculture in schools are unemployed and idle. Data was collected using structured questionnaire. Academic experts from the Department of Agricultural Education and Extension validated the instrument. The instrument had a Cronbach‟s Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.8 at 0.05 level of significance. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences, version 20 based on the objectives and research questions. The relationship between the learning of Agriculture in secondary school and employment creation was determined using frequency tables and percentages. The study established that learning of Agriculture in secondary schools practically with use of agricultural resources promoted skill acquisition, which promotes employment creation for out-of-school youth in Emuhaya sub-County, Vihiga County. The study recommends curriculum developers to outline aspects of knowledge, teachers to involve learners during instruction, teachers to employ various learning methods to students and schools to avail learning resources all these geared towards youth to create employment in agriculture. The study also recommends replicating similar studies in other levels of education such as primary schools and universities.