CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
In Nigeria today, the importance of vocational education cannot be over-emphasised. Borishadee (2002) described vocational education as the springboard that is meant to elevate the status of Nigeria in the committee of nations.
Jiboku (1995) observed that up till date, Nigeria has been craving for manpower especially in the areas of Engineering, Science and Technology. The only vehicle for the achievement of the country’s goal of technological advancement is vocational education.
Vocational Education has been absent in the Nigerian formal educational set up, for instance, the Education Ordinances of 1882, 1887, 1908 and 1916 were silent on Technical Education – as the colonial education in Nigeria have repeatedly asserted that it was meant to produce people who could only read, write, keep records and be willing to serve the colonial masters in whatever capacity they deemed fit.
In the non-formal realm, Jiboku (1995) further stated that vocational education is as old as Nigeria traditional grouping. Skills were acquired through informal and non-formal means. Apprenticeship system was prominent before the advent of Western Education that gave rise to mad rush for white-collar job that was detrimental to the introduction of formal Vocational – Education. However, events soon proved that Vocational Education could not be totally swept under the carpet; hence the establishment of a number of comprehensive schools (assisted and non-assisted), Vocational training centres, Technical Colleges, Colleges of Education (Technical) and Colleges of Technology where the teaching of Vocational and Technical subjects were predominant up to the level of Technician.
The report of the Ashby Commission (investment in education) (1960) marked the beginning of government’s serious involvement in the establishment and funding of vocational education. It also brought about the introduction of vocational subjects into Nigerian Secondary School’s curriculum. The Ashby commission Report identified that the secondary school system was devoid of Vocational and Technical Education courses and therefore suggested that it is introduced.
Education seminars, workshops, symposia and conferences were organized for a critical appraisal of the commission report. Objectives of Vocational Education were summarized as:
(i) Meeting the manpower needs of the society
(ii) Increasing the options available to each student and
(iii) Serving as a motivating force to enhance all types of learning.
It is also observed that Vocational Education had the merits that the student who was unable to proceed in academic education had the option to use his skill to earn a living.
The Nigerian government, in an effort to meet the demands of the changing times decided to restructure the system of education in the country. In 1977, the government published a new National Policy on Education which was later revised in 1981. The policy provides that Nigeria should have a new secondary education programme designed to be both functional and practical; a programme that would be structurally and qualitatively different from the existing system. This led to the introduction of 6-3-3-4 educational systems.
The moral of an average Nigerian became dampened as to whether or not the teaching of vocational subjects in schools would deliver on its promise to elevate the country among the committee of nations.
Students attitude towards vocational subjects can be traced to a number of reasons prominent among which are inadequate funding; a problem that has persisted right from the inception of the programme. Money is needed to procure machines and equipment to be installed in standard workshop. In some states, workshops were built without equipment while it is the other way round in some other states due to poor funding according to Olateru-Olagbegi (1995). Consequent upon the aforementioned, Vocational subjects are taught without or with little practical work. Students therefore get disenchanted studying vocational subjects.