The Role of Agricultural Technical Schools in the Dissemination of Knowledge

Regional development is seen here as intrinsically related to the production and dissemination of knowledge by institutions. In this context, the technical school approaches and/or induces the interaction between productive activities and research. Therefore, the role of the technical school for regional development is evaluated, understanding it as a constituent element of the innovation system. The technical school has its role played from the production and dissemination of knowledge; it must offer the student the means to enable him to produce specialized, multidisciplinary and potentially innovative knowledge, in addition to enabling him to enter society. In both case studies, it was observed that technical schools limitedly produce and disseminate knowledge aimed at regional development. In teaching practice, interactions and complementary relationships between disciplines and between the school and other regional institutions were not seen. It was noticed that some barriers to the knowledge diffusion process stem from serious and old problems of disintegration of the educational system, as well as the disconnection with the local/regional productive system.