The Dov Institute is truly leading the way in so many areas. Our curriculum is a first for Niger, with a focus on horticulture and a business-minded approach to farming. But it's also unique in its teaching methods.

In Niger, higher education has traditionally centered around passive learning. The teacher is seen as the expert, delivering lectures while students listen, take notes, and memorize information to repeat later. Unfortunately, this one-way teaching style doesn’t stick. Students often struggle to apply what they’ve learned in real-life situations.

At the Dov Institute, we do things differently. Along with knowledge, we emphasize practical skills and active participation. Our students learn by doing. Every day, they get hands-on experience in the training gardens. They dive into lively classroom discussions and debates. They analyze problems and solve them, using the case method popular in business and law schools. They hone observation, diagnostic, and communication skills through agricultural rounds, a method borrowed from medical schools. And much more.

While these teaching methods are well-known elsewhere, they’re completely new to Niger—and new to our faculty too. Our instructors have embraced this new approach. They're practicing hard and improving every day.

For our first class of students, this learn-by-doing approach will be a game-changer!

Next Up: Recruiting an exceptional group of students.