A study of vocational agriculture teachers about enhancing professional competencies in district Dadu and Larkana [Pakistan]

The findings on methods of acquisition of professional agricultural education competencies revealed that secondary vocational agricultural teachers in district Dadu and Larkana perceived themselves as having acquired the majority of competencies. Looking to their demographic data it is found that majority of teachers belongs to an age group of 31-40 years (46.70%). The educational levels were quite better, graduates and post-graduates among them (26.70%) were B.Sc. (Agri.) Hons. and (20%) were postgraduate i.e. M.Sc. (Agri.) Hons. It was also learnt that (40%) of the teachers were having 11-20 years of teaching experience. 20 teachers (66.67%) were married and (26.67%) were just unmarried. Regarding professional teachers training in school the data indicated that (66.67%) teachers were B.Ed. (Agri.) and (26.67%) were having M.Ed. degree, (it is higher professional qualification). The study further reveals that the acquisition) of professional agriculture education competencies acquired by the teachers, the majority of competencies in seven competencies; area shows that college courses, on-the-job experience and teaching techniques are well known to the teachers. It was envisioned that student teaching and Laboratory experience in college/university would be the pre-dominant methods of acquisitions of such competencies. The findings of this study did not support expectations. It may be necessary to examine the competencies that pre-service agricultural education teachers are expected to acquire during the students teaching and laboratory experience in university to determine if the students teachers are being provided with the appropriate opportunity to acquire them. The findings reveal that the teachers possessed higher level of competence in the skills that were acquired during university courses. On-the- job training and students teaching laboratory experience. A similar trend was observed in the programme planning and teaching techniques competency area. Significant differences were also observed between the competencies and method of acquisitions on seven competencies in five (if the seven competency area.