THE PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF TEACHING TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

THE PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS OF TEACHING TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Abstract

This investigation was done to look into the challenges and future of technical education in secondary schools in the Benin Local Government of Edo State. The study specifically looked at whether students’ enrollment in technical education is affected by the lack of financial resources. also, whether technical education actually promotes self-reliance in people. Additionally, if poor infrastructure is hindering the advancement of technical education. Finally, let’s talk about the challenges teachers confront when educating secondary school pupils in technical subjects. in a few chosen secondary schools in the Edo State’s Benin Local Government. The survey descriptive research design was used for the investigation. A total of 77 replies to the survey were verified.

The results of the replies collected and examined showed that the development of technical education is hampered by the lack of financial resources. Additionally, technical education is actually promoting individual independence. Additionally, the expansion of vocational education is hampered by insufficient infrastructure, and finally, teachers have challenges when delivering technical education to secondary school pupils.

The study makes the recommendation that infrastructure facilities be enhanced in order to increase the appeal of technical education to both teachers and students. Additionally, teachers of technical subjects should regularly train in order to keep up with the increasing requirements for the subject’s instruction. Finally, the government should hire professors who are qualified and capable of imparting technical knowledge.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF STUDY

Education in the vocational and technical fields is one of the key tools for personal growth. It is training for a practical career in commerce, industry, agriculture, business, and domestic work, among other things. the focus on vocational/technical education; education is meant to equip one for independence. According to the American Vocational Association (1971), vocational subjects are those created to help students develop the knowledge, talents, attitudes, work habits, and appreciation necessary for workers to begin and advance in employment on a meaningful and productive basis. By enhancing their physical, social, civic, cultural, and economic competencies, it helps to create decent citizens. Qualified teachers, who can confidently teach technical education.Since formal education began in Nigeria, vocational and technical education have received little attention. Despite all efforts to acknowledge it, it received little to no attention. Prior to the publication of the National policy on Education in 1981, there had been no significant advancement in the field of vocational education. The quality, quantity, policy, and directive of vocational education in Nigeria significantly declined as a result of complete neglect. It wasn’t until the 1970s oil boom that the country realized there was a severe shortage of competent labor.

According to Osuala (1999), neither the phrase technical education nor vocational education has a single, widely acknowledged definition, but rather, the numerous definitions all have the same goals and objectives. Technical education is the stage of education that aims to support the

Specific mechanical or manipulative abilities necessary in industrial arts or applied science are acquired by people, students, and the general public

Following are the goals and objectives of vocational and technical education as mentioned in the national policy on education (2004):

(1) to provide skilled labor, particularly at sub-professional grades, in applied science, technology, and commerce

(2) to provide the specialized information and practical abilities required for the development of the agricultural, industrial, commercial, and economic sectors.

(3) to impart instruction and have an impact on the skills required for the production of craftsmen, technicians, and other skilled workers who will be entrepreneurial and independent.

(4) Give our young people the ability to comprehend technology’s rising complexity in an informed manner.

(5) to provide a basic overview of engineering and other technical professional subjects.Yole (1986) reported that occupational areas within which vocational and technical educational education subjects fall largely into are: Agriculture, Home economics, Business and mechanics, capacity, countering, Arts etc. However, Agriculture and carpentry remain improper choices because they do not attract much interest amongst the students. Anyakoha (2000) emphasized that Home economics is a unique and dynamic field of study. Its central theme is the improvement of lives of individuals, field of study1 that draws knowledge from many disciplines including science and humanities in order to fulfill its objectives

Home economics, a career-focused course that emphasizes the welfare of individuals, families, and societies, makes a significant contribution to the solutions of societal issues like unemployment, poverty, and starvation (Olcitan 2000).

Osuala (1992) also emphasized the importance of teaching home economics as a vocational subject in order to give students the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to manage their homes effectively. This requires knowledge, wisdom, devotion, care, intelligence, unusual patience, and a powerful capacity for observation and imagination. As a result, rather than the opposite, a student who possesses these qualities should study vocational/technical disciplines, especially Home Economics.The Federal Government wants vocational/technical education to take center stage in our secondary schools; nevertheless, vocational/technical topics receive little to no attention in Nigerian schools. Due to their apparent lack of comprehension, both teachers and students grow to dislike and have little respect for the subjects. Vocational and technical courses continue to be unhealthy. Many of the professions and trades are viewed as demeaning and unworthy. A typical Nigerian father does not want his son to work full-time as a farmer, watchmaker, plumber, or house painter since many Nigerians believe that these are low-paying, impoverished vocations.According to Padunny (1994), pupils’ attitudes toward science tend to be more positive the higher their parents’ occupational position. This means that parents with higher occupations might want their kids to be engineers, doctors, or other professions without taking into account whether or not those kids would actually read science books to get there. It is impossible to overstate the role that parents play in fostering students’ interest in vocational and technical topics because they appear to have a significant impact on their offspring’s decision to pursue a particular educational path. The type of work one chooses to pursue is determined by the socioeconomic position of one’s parents. Some parents have prejudiced and strict ideas about the career choices of their child(ren).Parents seem to have forgotten that all labor is honorable and deserving as long as it benefits the person and society. (1996, Nwankwo). This has the effect of frustrating the federal and state governments’ good intentions regarding vocational/technical education. The quality indicator of a student’s potential career success requires the identification of the student’s interests, aptitudes, abilities, values, and judgments. If these are found, it calls for the assistance of a guidance counselor who will provide the student with the proper occupational information and an adequate introduction to the various opportunities offered in the world of work.The lack of enthusiasm among students in vocational and technical areas is not shocking. According to Osuala (1992), a national mindset that suggests vocational/technical topics are intended exclusively for students from low-income families is at the root of our society’s and economy’s problems. Students all have the same mentality. This results in the pupils showing little interest in studying vocational subjects, especially home economics.