PurposeThe purpose of this article is to report findings on the perceptions of quality of educational facilities in Kenyan public universities, and the implications for teaching/learning, and the learning environment.Design/methodology/approachThe study adopted an exploratory descriptive design. A total of 332 and 107 undergraduate students and academic staff respectively from five public universities were randomly selected to participate in the study. The questionnaire was used for data collection.FindingsThe quality of the library, online resources and lecture facilities provided by Kenyan public universities did not meet quality measures of adequacy. They were unable to support the desired educational programmes effectively and facilitate the development of learning environments that support students and teachers in achieving their goals. The facilities were the antithesis of healthy and secure facilities that can provide a stimulating/inspirational setting for the users, critical measures of quality facilities.Research limitations/implicationsThe study investigated the quality of learning resources from the perspectives of students and academic staff. Other stakeholders could have given additional perspectives not reported here.Practical implicationsPerceptions of quality of facilities indicated in this study show the need for university managers to focus on the improvement of the same if the quality of learning and learning environment were to be improved.Social implicationsKenya's public universities can only develop the right calibre of manpower to meet the country's future needs by providing physical and other facilities that promote rigorous scholarship.Originality/valueImprovement in quality of educational facilities is important for all interested in enhancing student learning and learning environment anywhere.
Young Farmers' Club (YFC)
Questionnaires validated by two experts from the Department of Agricultural Education and Extension of Egerton University were used to collect data. Reliability of the instrument was estimated through a pilot-test using 50 YFCK members of the Jomo Kenyatta secondary school in the Nakuru
Sustainable Agriculture Technologies (SATs) significantly contribute to addressing the negative effects of land degradation, poor soil health and climate variability in the agriculture sector. Despite efforts made by different stakeholders in promoting SATs to improve maize productivity in Mzimba South in Malawi, the adoption of the technologies among small-scale farmers remains unsatisfactory. As a result, most of the farmers continue to realize low maize yields. A survey was conducted from July to September 2019 to investigate the influence of selected institutional and technological factors on the adoption of SATs in maize farming among the small-scale farmers in Mzimba South. A multi-stage sampling procedure was used to select a representative sample of 132 small-scale maize farming household heads. Data was collected using a researcher-administered questionnaire. Multivariate probit, ordered probit and ordinary least square (OLS) models were applied to determine the influence of the selected factors on the adoption of SATs at α level of .05 using STATA and SPSS. Qualitative data was analyzed by a deductive approach, in which responses were categorized and summarized under the related themes. The study established that the adoption of SATs was significantly influenced by membership in farmer organizations (FOs), access to extension services, and the levels of relative advantage and complexity associated with the SATs. The findings of the study implied that the Government of Malawi and relevant stakeholders in the agriculture sector need to train and recruit more extension field staff to improve coverage and frequency of extension services delivery on sustainable agriculture. The stakeholders should also promote affiliation of the small-scale farmers to FOs to improve access to agricultural extension services and production resources on sustainable farming. In addition, efforts should be made to develop and promote affordable mechanization options for reducing farm drudgery associated with the implementation of SATs. Furthermore, the Government of Malawi should facilitate the formulation, enactment, and enforcement of local by-laws for safeguarding the SATs and their related inputs (or raw materials) against vandalism, livestock damage, and bushfires.
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