University science and agriculture education in developing countries

Abstract

The need for science and agriculture education in developing countries is at least as great as that in industrially advanced nations. To determine whether or not developing countries are devoting adequate resources to university level science and agriculture studies, a number of developed and developing nations were examined. Both student enrolments and awarded degrees in science, agriculture and non-science fields of study were used as criteria for determining the extent of resources being devoted to tertiary science and agriculture education. Generally, the developing countries showed similar enrolment patterns by area of study to the developed ones, although some countries clearly emphasize science and agriculture more than others. Similarly, the pattern for awarded degrees showed that developing countries produced equal or higher percentages of science and agriculture degrees relative to total degrees when compared with developed countries. Nevertheless, when evaluating science and agriculture study on a per capita basis, developing countries produce far fewer graduates than developed countries, due to the relatively restricted access to university study found in underdeveloped nations. It was concluded that the need for more science-based graduates cannot be met alone by greater percentages of students studying science but rather by large increases in the total numbers of students studying at the university level.