AVAILABILITY OF TEACHERS AND LABORATORY FACILITIES FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF COMPUTER SCIENCE IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL

AVAILABILITY OF TEACHERS AND LABORATORY FACILITIES FOR EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF COMPUTER SCIENCE IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL (A CASE STUDY OF ENUGU NORTH LGA)

CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Home Economics is one of the compulsory prevocational subjects taught at the Junior Secondary Education level in Nigeria educational system. According to Anyakoha (2007), Home Economics is a skill oriented field of study that is expected to equip learners with survival skills that make for self-reliance, employment and paid employment. Occupational skills are best understood as competency on resourceful skills capable of steering an individual to be self-reliant, independent and productive in meeting lives challenges. Creese, A. (1976) said occupational skills are life survival skills which an individual needs to function effectively and face the challenges of life. Occupational skills in Home Economics include food and nutrition skills, home management skills and clothing and textile skills. By teaching occupational skills Home Economics Education Program enables an individual to learn, explore and prepare for a job or trade. Thus Home Economics could play a significant role in achieving the goals of the National Economic and Development strategy (NEEDS). These goals include wealth creation, employment generation, reduction of poverty, elimination of corruption and the general reorientation of values.
Tertiary institutions offering Home Economics face enormous challenges. Teachers get frustrated because there are a few or unavailable facilities to teach and carry out practical’s. When this happens the products are found wanting when sent to the job market because they have not fully and confidently grasped the course content and course work effectively. Lack of facilities has really been a major problem and students have to buy most of these items by themselves. These problems have made Home Economics in the tertiary institutions very expensive, (Flock 1974).
Confirming the neglect of vocational and Technical Education by the government, Anyakoha (2005) said, lack of modern equipment has also been a major problem as students read more about sophiscated equipment and have no opportunity of exploring such equipment for a firsthand information but resort to pictures in books. Anyakoha, (2007), again complained that due to the combination of other courses, work in the Home Economics Department has become tedious, such that it is difficult to plan field trips, visits to industries, institutions and organizations where these equipment can be found to aid learning and facilitate class room work. Due to lack of funds and aid from government and donor agencies to help build more practice houses, modern equipped food laboratories, textiles and sewing rooms, spacious demonstration centres and lecture halls, students and lecturers are clung to the old laboratories and the out dated facilities. Library facilities are poor, books are lacking and the few books found are too old, and this makes research and learning very different on the part of the student. From the ongoing it will be seen that Home Economics Education has not been given its pride of place as other professions in the march toward our national transformation. We are living in a world where science and technology have become an integral part of the world’s culture. With the increasing rate of unemployment in Nigeria, an effective training in the major areas of Home Economics will ensure functional and productive life for individuals towards national development.

The research seek to investigate the challenges of Availability of teachers and laboratory facilities for effective teaching and learning of home economics in junior secondary school in Enugu North (a case study of Enugu north L.G.A).