AN INVESTIGATION INTO THE PROBLEMS OF TEACHING BUSINESS SUBJECTS IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Abstract

The theme of this research project is the investigation into the problems of teaching business subjects with particular reference to junior secondary schools in Orumba south local government area. In carrying out this research, four research questions were formulated. The sample of this study was all business teachers in the schools. Instrument for the study was questionnaire. The questions were grouped under the research question to which the relate. Tables and percentage were used for the data. The major findings include lack of maintenance of equipment, scarcity of material such as ribbon, typing sheet, duplicating ink, facilities like typing pool, trained teachers and poor funding contributed immensely to the problem, lastly, insufficient problems could be eliminated if the government should provide more fund for maintaining the equipment, providing facilities, material and move teachers trained to teaching business subjects.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

As a result of growing school leavers the Nigeria government introduce the new national policy on education in 1981. A major provision of this policy was the introduction of the teaching of business education subjects at the junior secondary school level with emphasis on the acquisition of practical skills, values and knowledge that would enable individuals like in the society. One of the rational for the emphasis on business subject is the fact that is skilled subject, which would equip its grauduates with the needed skills for gainful employment even if they terminate their formal education at the junior secondary school level. ome basic neccesity for the achievement of this would ensure that course are taught according to the curriculum and using appriopiate methodologies for the subjects. According to Nolan (1971), it is not possible to teach a student to operate a keypunch machine effectively without keypunch machine, nor is it possible to teach a student to operate a proportional spacing typewriter without such a typewriter. For a teacher to teach the business subjects he must have through knowledge of the business subject and be certified in that area, so that he can demonstrate the skills properly for the students to understand and emulate, where they stressed that the individual will acquire skills and reach the stated goals by watching an export and by practicing. This view believed that the individual in addition to this should be given enough practice period to enable him master the art. In order to enhance the study of the business subject Malsbery (1966), stated that there is the need for students to go on field trip for their visits permits students to study equipment and the layout of the oices and stores, to observe employee at work, routine business procedure and to study the relationship between departments. The new national policy on education (1981), pointed out clearly that business education is an area of national need.

Hence Anyaduba (1987), said “all citizen of the country need business subjects in order to function well and effectively in the society irrespective of their occupation in life. Moreover, this stems for the fact that ou country has experienced a marked growth in different business fields. So there is the urgent need to improve the business education system in order to meet up with the new demands and requirements for the jobs. That is to say that it has become manifest that the health of any national largely depends on is human resource. The more human resource out capital and other resources into material resource that determine the nature and rate of economic and social development. The new national policy on education in Nigeria now place emphasis on the study of vocational subjects particularly at this level comprises, the following subjects: typewriting shorthand, office practice, commerce bookkeeping and English. Business education has always tended to educate student in a chister skill distributive education office and clerical practice provided basic skills for subjects, the students been at least minimally competent in many specific tasks,and develop the attitude of service that are required in business oice.

1.2 statement of the problem.

Evidence from the recent studies shows that a large proportion of those who teach business education subjects. In most schools are not very qualified to teach business education or teach subjects outside their area of specialization Njoku (1990). Some teachers who teach business subjects are complaining on the problems encountered in the teaching of these subjects. In the light of these, the researcher therefore decided to find out the problem encountered by the teachers. In the teaching of business subjects in junior secondary schools.

1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY

This study is aimed at achieving the following objectives: – To find out the extent to which the teaching of business subjects is being funded. – To determines which facilities are adequately provided for teaching of business subjects. – To find out the extent to which adequate and qualified teachers are available for teaching business subjects. – To find out whether the time allotted for the teaching of business subjects and the method used are adequate and effective respectively.