A SURVEY OF CAREER CHOICE DETERMINANTS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOLS STUDENTS

A SURVEY OF CAREER CHOICE DETERMINANTS AMONG SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

The importance of education to the development of human society cannot be overemphasized. Joseph Addison, writing as far back as 1711, notes “what sculpture is to a block of marble, education is to the soul”. This is in consonance with the many years long statement of Epictetus (100 CE) that “only the educated are free” (Awake! December 22, 2000).

Flowing from the above, the whole of human progress is now being hinged on the ever-growing influence of good education. Today, good education is seen as a basic need of man. Rather than viewing it as an unachievable luxury, many perceive it as a right of both children and adults. Studies have shown that quality education encourages individual participation, expands peoples’ knowledge of the world around them, and provides them with values that can transform their lives.

According to Kornblum (1994), education “is the process by which a society transmits knowledge, values, norms and ideologies and in so doing prepares the young people for adult roles; in other words, it transmits the society’s culture to the next generation”. He opined that education is a form of socialization that is carried out by institutions outside the family such as schools, colleges, pre-schools and adult education centres. Each of these, as Korublum rightly noted, is an educational institution which encompasses a set of statuses and roles designed to carry out specific education functions.