Education for sustainable agricultural development: Case study of Agricultural Secondary school Mate Balota in Poreč

Abstract

The sustainability of agricultural development can be achieved only with the education of human resources who have the necessary knowledge and skills to manage agricultural production. The aim of this paper is to determine the changes in the number and structure of students attending the agriculture program at Mate Balota Secondary School in Poreč and to establish their connection with some trends in agriculture in the County of Istria. Eight generations of students were analysed in the period between 1984 and 2019. The number of enrolled students decreased from 56 to only 11 per generation in that period. At the same time, the percentage of enrolled students who successfully graduated after completing secondary education increased from 55% to 88%. Moreover, the overall success of all students increased from an average final grade of 3.19 to 3.34. Based on the primary research carried out, it has been established that the students whose parents own a farm have greater intentions to continue their education in the field of agriculture if compared to the students with whom this is not the case. In conclusion, a significant decrease in the number of enrolled students was recorded during the observed period, but at the same time their motivation for successful completion of education increased. It is also encouraging that a large proportion of students whose parents own a farm intend to continue their education in the field of agriculture.

Keywords

• agricultural education
• young people
• secondary agricultural school
• sustainability of agriculture