University of Nigeria Research Publications OGBATA, Anthony O. Author PG/M.Ed/88/6638 Status of Implementation of the Technical Curriculum of the National Policy on Education in Title Senior Secondary Schools in Imo State Education Faculty Vocational Teacher Education Department May, 1995 Date Signature UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA, NSUW FiiCULTY OF EDUCATION STATUS OF IMPLEMENTATION OF THE TECHNICAL CURRICULUM OF THE NILTIONLL POLICY ON EDUCATION IN SENIOR SECONDLRY SCHOOLS IN IMO STATE A the'sis presented to the Department of Vocational Teacher Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka in partial fulfilment of the requirement for Master of Education degree in Industrial Education. Approved Dr 0. M! Okoro (Project Supervisor) - External Examiner MAY 1935 i not been submitted in part or full for any other degree of this or any other University. This thesis report is whole heartedly dedicated to the H & B Posse. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to express my sincere gratitude to my project supervisor, Dr. M. M. Ckoro for his subtle, but effective guidance in the course of this study. ~lso,my sincere gratitude goes to my parents, Mr and Mrs C. 0. Ogbata, who, of course, provided me 4 with the much needed moral and financial support. ina ally, I wish to thank the Mike posse for everything. God bless. Ogbata, Anthony 0. May 1995 LIST OF TABLES Sampling Pattern for Schools, Principals and Technical Tenchers used in the Study -a 36 Distribution of Respondents on the Lssess- ment of the Implementaticn of the Technical Curriculum So. .*. .. .. 40 Factors which Constitute Serious Problems in the Implementction of the Technical Curriculum 0 -. .O . .. me 42 Ranking of the -identified F-c..tcrs in the order in which they Constitute 2eric-r;~ Problems (made by principzls) .,. a . 4-4 Ranking of Identified Fnctors in the order in which they Constitute Serious Problems (made by teachers) ,,, 001 OD 46 Correlation of Ranking made by Principals and Technical Teachers on the order in which Identified Factors Constitute Serious Problems .. *a .. 47 Extent of Execution of Hen sures Ldopted by the Government to tackle the Froblens Facing the Implementgtion of the Curriculum om* . 0 a a* .. 50 TABLE OF CONTENTS APPROVAL PAGE 0.. CERTIFIC,ATION 0.. DEDICATION ... a.O .. iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ... .a 0 0 . iv LIST OF TABLES -On ABSTR4CT -09 INTRODUCTION o-0 0-e o .. I Background sf the Study Statement of the Problem Purpose of the Study Significance of the Study Research Questions Hypothesis 90. Limitations of the Study fissumptions of +;'.I? Ltudy Definition of Terms Primary Education 001 O I Junior Secondary Education a 0 a a e *& d for the Policy e.0 0. I ..O Re ** (;f the Policy 0 0 Origin 0% 0 .f'ol,icy 000 Goal of the .* the New Pclicy o Implementation Rf -,. nicnl xducltion - n 0 Inferior Label on TC?@~! icnl Teachers Shor-tage of Cpalif ied ~ebh? .. Shortage of Essentid ~~uipn~WFacilities Improper Organisation of curricuf3fl 0 0 0 0 Lack of 1-dequnte Funding 0 a 0 Lack of Effective Public ~nlightenment -90 -0 Programme --a CHAPTER I11 METHODOLOGY OO. aO. Population e .2 .. YO. Sample 000 Yo- Description of Instru~ent OUO Validation of Instrument .O. Method of D?.ta Collection -Om Method of Data 2,nalysis *. L. CHAPTER IV Tables .-o Hypothesis Summary of Principal Findings -.. Conclusions goo me. Implications of the? :; ib~rdy ., U '. Recommendations ... -.. Suggestions for Further Research REFERENCES OO. .. o vii Abstract The main purpose of this study was to assess the level of implementstion of the technical curriculum in Senior Secondary schools in Imo st-te, as well as problems associsted wth it. ~lso,an attempt .was made to ascertain what mewsures the government has so fzr taken to tackle t!?e:{e problems. A study sample of *79 respondents, 67 principals and 112 technical teachers was selected from 67 out of 171 senior Secondary schools within the Loeal Government rea as studied in the state. The # questionnaire was used as the instrument for data collection, Two questionnaires,were developed to provide answers to five rese.?rch questions, which were formulated to guide the study. The mean, percentages and spearman rank order c4rrelation were used to analyse the data collected and to test the hypothesis generated- The data analysis showed, among other things, that; 1. the f mplementation of the techni cal curriculum wi thin the state has so far been of lfaverageffperformance; 2, lack of adequate equipment/facilities constitutes the most serious problem in the implementation of the prqgramme; 3. less than 3Wb of the total enrolment of students in Senior Second2ry schools are in the technical courses. I viii Ba~edon the findings of this study, it was concluded that a lot sti.11 remains to be done to improve the implementation of the technical curriculum in 1m4 ~t.2te. poreso, as there exists a great dispmity Setween the percept; on of principals and that of technical teachers on the order in which,the identified factors constitute serious problems. Pence, some implications of this study, recommendations end suggestions for further study b were out-lined. INTRODUCTION Background Year after year, thousands cf school leavers are being produced in the numerous post-primary institutions found in Imo State. However, for reasons ranging from poor academic performance to financial incompetence, only very few of these post-primary school graduates are able to continue their educational pursuits. greater majority of them, who are unable to satisfy the various # requirements for entry into higher institutions, resort to the only option open to them - to go job-seeking. However, a closer examination would reveal that only a very negligible percente~eof these job-seekers succeed in securing some form of emplcyment - no matter the work conditions. For the others, rnther unfortunate ones, they definitely have to nake a living, somehow, So, many of such eventually resort to such "survival'' acts which many of us would consider as being criminsl or deplorable. Now, looking back at the origin of this eventual outcome, one cannot help noticing the inadequacy of the type of education which w::s given to these individuals. The system of formal education, which existed before now ,we8 such that it afforded its recipients very little hope surviving on their own 3 2 . a - in the world of work. It was literary i.n nature and very little,attention was given to the acquisition of practical skills, on which the recipients could capitalize in the absence of employment opportunities in the establjshed bodies. SO, it came that wjth the slump in the Nati.on1.s eccnomy, which resulted in the drsstic drop .i.n the rt?.te of employment in industries, and other establi shment s, and the consequent call by the Federal Government for the evolvement of an indigenous technology, emphasjs wss now shifted to the acquisition of skills and techniques which are technologically viable. Accord- i.ng to Bqike (1985) while millions of people among the educated me unemployed, millions of jobs are ewaiting to be done; because people with the right education, trai.njng and skills cannot be found. The implicltion of this statement is the need for the implementation of the nntionls new policy on education - with emphasis on its technical education aspect. The new national policy on educa t i.on, structurally referred to as the 6-"-7-4 system of education, was conceived in 1976, and came under inplementation in 1982. The system, as its name irnpli es, represents six years of pri mary education, three ye,-rs of Junior Secondary educ?tion, and three years of pr; mary educ-tion, three yesrs of Senior Secondsry education - of course, depending on the setisfactory scsdemic performance, and availability of other necessary resources (financial and otherwise). Lastly, four years of university education. This replaced the former 6-5-2-3 system of education, which had been in operation since the advent of formal education in Nigeria. The new system of education provides for a junior secondary education which will consi st of both pre-voc? tionsl snd academic courses. Examples of such courses are wood-work, metal-work, Home Econo- mics Educetion, ~lectronics, Mechrni cs (under pre-vocational) and other courses such ss Xsthematic~,~nglish Language, , Agri.culture, and physi cal Educstion. The i.mplementation of this new system of education will ensure the conservation and full utilization of the nati.onls material and human resources; which would, in effect , bri ng about rapi d economic development, reduce unemployment and ensure a better standard of living. The adequacy of techrii cal manpower in Imo St.+te, which will be -ble to provide qnd rn3i.ntain the essential amenities like water qnd electri.city is becoming a biting need. These amenities require qualitative and quantitative craftsmen, artisans and technicians for their maintenance; but these types of skilled personnel are not available in ~uffici ent quality and quantity in the area- However, with reference to the technical curriculum of this new system of educetion, it i.s pert:'nent to note that the provi. si on of adequate technical manpower, esr:cntial equipment, and facilities and the much needed funds has been a problem that has plagued the programme since its inception. The educational policy states that technical education should be able to, among other things, train manpower at sub-professional grade; provide the technical knowledge and vocational skill necessary for econ- omic development, provide people who can apply scientific knowled knowledge for the convenience of msn, and so on. ill1 these, and other sims stated in the policy, look lofty. Rowever, it is a known fact that even the best of poli cies could be frustrated at the implementation or executi on st lgec The universal Primary Education (UFE) programme i n Ni geri R stands as one of such 'well articulstcd schemes or policies th~tnever stood the test of time.