CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1Background to the Study
Education is a prime instrument for national development and governments the world over, in recognition of this notion, endeavour to invest hugely on education. With sound education, individuals perhaps are liberated from the indignities of human right violation. Moreover, individuals’ liberty is assured and the road to economic emancipation is smoothened. Furthermore, the educated citizens readily understand and accept government policies, if the policies are in concert with the will of the people and for overall national development. One of the indices of a developed nation is the literary level of its inhabitants (Adeyegbe, 2005).
In a country where a good majority of the people are not literate, such a country is perceived as under developed. However, where a majority of the citizenry are literate, such a nation is seen to be developed. The education system produces the nation’s manpower needs and also influences her technological development. Education, therefore, must be seen to functional and relevant to the needs of the people and that of the nation and the nation gains in strength through manpower development for all its productive enterprise (Abolama, 1999 and Edet, 1999).
In compliance with the above assertions, the nations educational needs have to be ‘manned’ by competent and well trained personnel that will be effective and efficient. Organizations, like the school, need people just as they need raw materials, and equipment in order to function successfully. Thus, it is not uncommon to hear managers acknowledge. “Our people are the most important asset”. Organizations undertake human resource planning to enable them meet the future ‘people’s’ need in the same way in which they plan for their non-human resources (Armstron, 2003).
The decision to train or not to train staff of an establishment has always been a very tedious process in view of the numerous factor involved. Such factors include finance, service time and general working conditions of services. In a developing economy, like Nigeria, such factors often overshadow the main purpose of training and development. Teaching is one of the dynamic profession and the operators must keep abreast of improvements in teaching methods, administration and environmental happenings. Teachers employed in an education industry would have had a basic qualification which needs to be built upon by subsequent training and development activities.
Aina (2005), opines that:
“Education is designed to improve the overall competence of the employee in a specified direction and beyond the job currently held and that training is an experience, a discipline or a systematic action, which causes people to acquire new skills and knowledge, and exhibit pre-determined behaviour on the present job”.
This notion maybe true when the employee is new to the organization or when the organization changes its technology. Aina further asserts that “Staff development is concerned with preparing the employees in order that they can move with the organization as it develops changes and grows.
Ayo-Sobowale (2002), while streamlining the contributions of some scholars, asserts that education is generalizing by providing individuals with the basic knowledge, skill and attitudes to qualify him for a given position, while training focuses on improved competences in order to perform in various positions. However, staff development enables the individual to perform higher responsibilities which accompany higher position along career path.
The present teachers need more than educational qualifications but require updating knowledge from time to time. Olaniyanu (2006), expressing the views of Fafunwa states that the challenges of today’s teachers are as follows: