TECHNICAL AND VOCATIONAL EDUCATION FOR PRODUCTIVITY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Technical education is the systematic application of scientific or other organized knowledge to practical task, it then means that when one uses the knowledge gained elsewhere to solve a similar problems in another environment successfully then technology is in action or has taken place. in technical education, the teacher quantity is critical because of the very skills, that must be taught, the teacher becomes a general list if he can teach more than three skills at all levels. The technical teacher must have some ability for multiple skills and eventually for self employment. Vocational education is designed to help the learners acquire and develop skills, knowledge and attributes for effective employment or progression in specific occupations.

This demands the learners to be adequately informed, prepared and equipped for the task ahead. Nelson and Nies (1973) Okorie and Ezeji (1988) believed that the more informed young people are about the needed work, skills, the more they are able to maintain themselves in an occupation which best meets their individual aptitude and interest. Vocational technical education is the study of technology and related science and acquisition of practical skills and knowledge relating to occupations in various sections of the economic and social life (Abokede, 2000). In designing process of technical education courses as a double major, there is a separation between technical education sources and education courses. Technical education uses the methods and techniques of education, courses in the teaching-learning of technical education. The aim of colleges of education is to expand knowledge and the supply of competent experts to assist the nation to accelerate its educational development.

1.2 STATEMENT OF RESEARCH PROBLEMS

The negative situation is due to the failure of our educational institution to inculcate vocational technical education on the young ones in the school as these students are still in their formative and most impressionable years and age when ideas are still very fluid and amendable to change. Any habit or attitude developed at this stage will go a long way in the later life of the child. The revolution of the role of good vocational and technical education in our country cannot be left out. For education to be meaningful; and beneficial, vocational and technical education should be introduced in schools particularly from primary school level as children at this age are highly susceptible to learning. It has been established that poor performance of reading gives low understanding and low understanding affect individual performance. There are some factors that may constitute problem in the rapid progress some of these are: 1. Political instability in government policy making on science and technology process may slow down the role of technical education in the national development. 2. Poor funding of technical education may slow down the rapid progress expected from College of education. 3. Inappropriate use of methods and techniques on technical and vocational education by the lecturers in the delivery of instruction may slow the progress of skills acquisition by learner in colleges of education. 4. Unconducive atmosphere and relaxation may slow down teaching learning process. The problem identified above, if care is not taken would not allow colleges of education in Nigeria to sustain continuous growth, could deter manpower development to work and genuine aspiration of the people to develop. It can also reduce the output of the student’s intake, affect the strategies of development, affect the productivity and the efficiency of performance and create difficulty to more these colleges forward academically.