VOCATIONAL AND TECHNICAL EDUCATION IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS, A PANACEA TO THE HIGH RATE OF UNEMPLOYMENT AND POVERTY IN NIGERIA –

By Dung Iliya Daniel –

Nigeria as the giant of Africa owing to its endowment of population and natural resources is faced with high levels of unemployment and poverty. This is due to mismanagement of resources, low level of technology, overdependence on oil, unfavourable policies, and the overdependence on government and on white collar jobs.

Education is said to be the bed rock of development in the society, and if this is true, it therefore, means that the right policies on education and a good educational system should be put in place which will bring about the overall development of the nation.

Nigeria is richly endowed with both the human and natural resources that can be developed and harnessed to attain national development and place it among the first world Countries.

Attention, Repositioning and improving on vocational and technical education in our secondary schools will mean developing the technological industry which is key to the development of nations in the world.

Technological advancement made countries like China, United States of America, Japan, Germany, Israel and others alike what they are today. Nigeria can attain such feats if the right knowledge is given to the the youth from their tender ages.

The post basic education is very important as it takes a transitional position from the basic to tertiary education of which many can become self reliant without necessarily having to attain the tertiary education.

Vocational and technical education is an aspect of education designed to prepare students for industry, agriculture, commerce, home economics, which is usually provided at the senior secondary or lower tertiary level.

According to the National Policy on Education (NPE), it is defined as that aspect of education that leads to the acquisition of practical and applied skills as well as basic scientific knowledge.

From the foregoing, it forms a practical aspect of education that involves skill acquisition and entrepreneurship development. It prepares the students for gainful employment as semiskilled or skilled workers or technicians as well as professionals in different occupations and for enrolment in advanced technical education programmes. It equips the recipients to face the challenges of the world of work which culminates in an industrial experience within a work oriented society.

This knowledge entails the capabilities that influence the affective, psychomotor and cognitive domains of the students in readiness for entry into the world of work in order to satisfy their intrinsic and extrinsic values, work goals and aspirations that would meet both local and national needs.

This aspect of education forms an integral part of national development and the secondary school is the right place to catch the students young to explore and develop their skills in the various occupations.

It is at this level that students choose and determine their future careers and so inculcating these occupational skills will enable a considerable number of the young students to develop interest in the various segments of vocational and technical education.

This will no doubt contribute positively to the economy as students right from secondary schools will start graduating with skills, occupational knowledge and ideas to establish themselves in meaningful ventures that will help them earn a living and contribute their quota to nation building. This will make them self reliant, innovative, work oriented and employers of labour as opposed to the current trend of thousands of graduates parading themselves in offices and government establishments seeking for white collar jobs which are not forthcoming.

Many developed countries are advanced technologically and Nigeria can develop its human resources in this aspect to attain national development and eventually become one of the superpowers of the world.

To achieve this, the government should formulate policies that will reposition, improve and favour the teachings and development of vocational and technical education in secondary schools including the practical aspects.

Subjects like agricultural science, fine arts, home economics, commerce, entrepreneurship, basic technology among others should be taught properly by qualified teachers to arouse the students’ interests in such areas.

Workshops, laboratories and demonstration farms should be provided in schools for skills acquisition and trainings in the various occupations.

Building of more technical colleges and provision of all the necessary tools, equipment and techniques needed to meet the desire of every student willing to learn any trade of their choice.

If this is acculturated into our post basic education system, it will help the youth to become more productive, innovative, experts, professionals, entrepreneurs, self reliant and economically empowered.

Some can establish themselves by venturing into businesses in their relevant skills while those who have interest to further their education would become great technicians, engineers among other professionals in the various aspects of technology.

This is achievable only when deliberate decisions are taken, and this aspect of education is given the desired attention by all stakeholders in the education sector. It will generate massive employment, reduce youth restiveness, fight the menace of unemployment, alleviate poverty and drastically increase and improve our Gross National Income (GNI), Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and Per Capita income thereby boosting our economy which will culminate in national development and make Nigeria one of the greatest economies of the world.

Dung Iliya Daniel

count | 295

Vocational and Technical Education: A Panacea to Unemployment and Poverty in Nigeria – Dung Iliya Daniel