PROBLEMS OF SHORTHAND TO SECRETARIAL STUDENTS IN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING

The study aim at getting both learners and teachers of shorthand to identify the problems and difficulties which they encounter in their learning and teaching of shorthand.
The subject were 255 students and shorthand lecturers made up of 155 shorthand students and shorthand lecturers from Institute of Management and Technology (IMT) Enugu and 100 shorthand students and shorthand lecturers from Federal Polytechnic Idah (FPI). One set of questionnaire was administered, it was open to both the students and lecturers of shorthand of the 255 questionnaire administered to the students 242 were returned.
The results shows that majority of the students encounter difficulties and problems in the learning of shorthand. The result also show that the shorthand lecturers encounter difficulties in their teaching of shorthand.
Some of the difficulties and problems identified include students lack of interest in shorthand, inadequate supply of teaching/learning facilities, inadequate encouragement by the teachers. Student experience tension, inability of students to retain what they have learnt, poor English language background, low vocabulary knowledge, lack of career guidance, students attitude to shorthand, large class etc.
However, suggestions were made to combat some of the problems, some of which are that the method of selecting shorthand students should be modified to ensure that only those with good English background should be admitted, provision of adequate equipment and learning facilities and reduction in the number of students in class to at least 40.
Furthermore, the researcher recommends that the English language course content be improve to emphasize spelling and phonetics in order to minimize pronunciation and spelling mistakes and therefore fancily transcription.