EVALUATING THE RELEVANCE OF NCCE CURRICULUM FOR NCE (TECHNICAL) PROGRAMME IN COLLEGES OF EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

ABSTRACT

The study was carried out to evaluate the relevance of the NCCE curriculum for NCE (Technical)  for Colleges of Education and  Polytechnics in Plateau State. The  study employed evaluation research design. The population for the study was 63 lecturers of both federal College of education Pankshin and Plateau State polytechnic Barkin Ladi and  257  technical teacher  teaching  basic  technology in  Plateau  State.  A  structured questionnaire was used as instruments for data collection. Four research question and four null hypotheses were formulated. Cronbach alpha method was used to determine the reliability coefficient of the instrument which yielded 0.805. The mean and standard deviation was used to analyze the data for the research questions while t-test statistic was used to test the hypotheses of no significant difference at 0.05 level of significance. The finding of the study reveals that  19 occupational components of the curriculum are relevant. The finding also shows that 13 professional components are relevant and 12 general studies components are relevant. It was found out that only library facilities are the only adequate facilities in the training institutions. The study also found out that; there was no significant difference in the mean responses of the lecturers in the training institutions and the technical teachers on the relevance of the occupational, professional and general studies components of the curriculum and that there is no significant difference in the mean responses of lecturers and the technical teachers on the adequacy and availability of infrastructures and facilities in the training institutions. Based on the findings of the study, the following recommendations were made among others; that the occupational,  professional  and   general   studies   components  of  NCE   (Technical) curriculum be reviewed by curriculum experts so as to remove obsolete contents and introduce new/modern ones that will benefit the society, government at all level should provide   all   the   necessary   facilities   and   infrastructure   required   for   effective implementation of all the components of the curriculum in the training institutions and that lecturers and technical teachers in the field should be retrained based on emerging issues by organizing workshop and conferences.

CHAPTER I

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

In realization of the place of education in national development, the Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN) embark on various educational programmes that will inculcate the right type of values and attitude, appropriate skills, abilities and competencies such as in auto mechanic, carpentry, electrical/electronics etc. This is to prepare the individuals to live and contribute maximally to the growth and development of the nation. Education has thus become an indispensible venture in which the government invests yearly. Technical teacher education is an aspect of education that produces skilled, self-reliant, productive and responsible teachers. The curriculum of technical teacher education in both the case of the sub-degree and the degree programmes are set and monitored by standards and regulatory bodies established by the Federal Government. In the case of the sub-degree, it is set by the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE).

Ensuring quality control and maintenance of national minimum standards for the training  of  technical  teachers  for  award  of  the  Nigeria  Certificate  in  Education (Technical) NCE (T)) is one of the statutory functions of the NCCE. The Commission pursues its functions through accreditation, monitoring and inspection exercises of all the teacher  training  institutions.  To  date  however,  it  has  harmonized  the  NCE  (T) programmes and published the National Minimum Standards for the training institutions. The NCCE developed the harmonized curriculum for the Colleges of Educations and

Polytechnics  offering  technical education  in  Nigeria  that  were  hitherto  affiliated  to

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universities. By harmonization, the operating conditions such as admission requirements, course offerings, and training facilities, methods of teaching and graduation requirements are uniform in the colleges (Ukoha, 2001). The  main  functions of the  Commission include -: Harmonize entry requirements and duration of courses in the Colleges, lay down minimum standards for all programmes of teacher education, accredit their programmes, certificates and other academic awards after obtaining the government’s approval (Oluyemi, 1998).

Until 1989, Colleges of Education were run by states or universities to produce graduate by awarding Nigeria Certificate in Education (Technical) without a central body to co-ordinate their activities or maintain uniform standards. In this situation, it was impossible to compare two Colleges of Education in terms of performance or the quality of their products. Admission of their products for degree courses in universities presented difficulties. Some universities readily accepted candidate from institutions affiliated to it, and whose standard they are sure of, but were reluctant to admit candidates from other state  Colleges  of  Education  and  polytechnics  not   affiliated  to  them.   With  the establishment  of  NCCE,  however,  minimum  standards  have  been  defined  and  are currently reviewed for all Colleges of Education in the country.

The Colleges of Education according to Igweh (2008) are tertiary educational institutions that prepare intermediate level teachers for a minimum of three years to make them qualify to teach their respective subjects. College of Education according to Bakare and Owodunni (2011) is a tertiary institution that offer three years teacher training to students in the various occupations. Colleges of Education are therefore tertiary institutions established for producing graduates who can teach and practicalize what they

have  learnt  in  Junior  Secondary  Schools  (Basic  Schools).  Therefore  Colleges  of Education and Department of Technical Education in Polytechnics are involved in the production of Nigeria Certificate in Education (Technical) teachers in Nigeria.

Polytechnics  are  post-secondary  institutions  which  are  designed  to  produce various technologists (technicians) who are crucial to the economy and development of the country (Okorie 2001). According to Federal Government of Nigeria (FGN, 2OO4), Polytechnic education is a form of vocational and technical education as enshrined in the National Policy on Education, to give training and impart the necessary skills for the production of technicians, technologies and other skilled personnel who shall be enterprising and self-reliant.    However, there are few Polytechnics in the country that have a department of technical education where technical teachers are trained under the supervision of NCCE for the award of NCE (T). Polytechnic therefore, is a tertiary institution which in  addition to  running diploma programs under the supervision of National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) also run NCE program in technical education. Thus the NCE T program in polytechnic is also overseen by NCCE just like in Colleges of Education

The philosophy of Nigeria Certificate in Education  Technical (NCE T)  program is  to  provide  technical  teachers  with  the  intellectual  and  professional  background adequate for teaching technical subjects and to make them adaptable to any changing situation in technological development not only in the country but also in the world at large (FGN, 2008). Above all, these training institutions pursue the same curriculum objectives which are to produce, qualified technical teachers and practitioners of technology capable of teaching Basic Technology in Junior Secondary Schools (Basic

Schools). The program is also to provide NCE (Technical) teachers who will also be able to inculcate scientific and technological attitudes and values in the society; qualified technical teachers motivated to start the so much desired revolution of technological development right from the Nigerian schools and prepare teachers so as to qualify them for a 4-semester (minimum) post-NCE degree programme in technical education (FGN,

2008). However, all Nigerian Universities now admit them for a 6-semester (minimum) post-NCE degree programme in technical education. In order to achieve NCE (T) objective, the programme has within its curriculum the following components: occupational studies, professional studies and general studies.

A critical analysis of the above stated objectives and the curriculum structure indicate that products of the NCE (T) programme are expected to be professionally and occupationally competent  in  their  chosen  career.  The  curriculum therefore  contains components of real work and professional studies in teaching, mixed in proportion that will produce a competent technical teacher. The real work aspect of the curriculum is meant to be achieved through exposing the students to workshop practical exercises. Workshop practical exercises in the training institutions are expected to expose the pre- service technical teacher to real work experiences. According to Ukoha, (2001) work experience in the school can hardly be comprehensive to enable students attain the level of occupational proficiency desired in industry. As a supplement for students to attain the level of occupational proficiency, they are engaged in sixteen weeks Students Industrial Work Experience Scheme (SIWES) which is a form of internship for the students. The occupational component therefore, prepares the prospective teachers for proficiency in

the occupational areas like automobile, building, electricity/electronics, metalwork, and woodwork technology as found in Basic Technology Curriculum.

Being also a programme for the cultivation of professional teachers, the NCE (T) curriculum provides for teaching  internship after two years of training in the art of teaching and planning of lessons. The internship shall be for a complete semester in their final  year  and  each pre-service technical teacher  will be  supervised by at  least  six lecturers.  During  the  internship,  the  pre-service  technical teacher,  who  is  a  student teacher on teaching practice, practice real teaching in a co-operating school after satisfactory performance in micro teaching and teaching observation in a nearby school. These  exercises  provide  the  pre-service  technical teachers  the  opportunity to  apply theoretical concepts learned in pedagogy to practice in real situations. The professional component therefore, prepares trainees for professionalism in the art of teaching with the general studies complimenting. The ever-increasing technological advancement and unemployment situation in Nigeria have given reasons for including more skill oriented subjects into the school curriculum.

In technical education, the educational purpose or goals is the preparation of individual for employment in the occupational area of their choice. According to Ogbuanya and Usoro (2009) curriculum in technical teacher education is practically oriented based on competency through provision of adequate tools,  equipment  with consumable materials in a standard workshop. Ogwo (2002) considered curriculum in technical education as ‘the totality of those experiences, knowledge, skills and activities systematically planned to educate the students for gainful employment in any chosen occupation or a cluster of occupations’. The author maintained that it consist of those

program of instruction, organization and evaluation all structured systematically to enable the learner acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for securing and advancing in education.

Every educational institution is set up to offer some planned learning experiences to its learners. It is customary to evaluate from time to time the worth or relevance of such learning experiences as well as the extent to which their underlying objectives are being achieved. Evaluation in education involves the collection of data and the use of such data to assess the effectiveness or quality of a programme or performance (Okoro,

2000). Also Osinem (2009) defined evaluation as a qualitative judgment that is made about people or thing as a result of their performance on certain pre-determined criteria. Such an evaluation coupled with the value judgment based on it, is known as curriculum evaluation.

Curriculum evaluation as broadly conceived, is  a stock-taking process. Thus, Melrose (1996) defines curriculum evaluation as the process by which a judgment is made about the worth or merit of a curriculum or its appropriateness for the individual, the group, the organization offering it or the society within which it operates. The essence of curriculum evaluation is to determine the relevance of the components of the curriculum so as to plan for its improvement. Such improvement may be in the form of improving on the curriculum document, or the method of its delivery or the provision of resources.

Curriculum  evaluation,  on  this  ground,  is  an  all-embracing  activity,  which requires the collections and use of various forms of data relating to a specific curriculum, thereby permitting varied types of decisions after adequate analysis and interpretation

might have been done. Curriculum evaluation gives direction to the curriculum activities in the school. A worthwhile curriculum is never static, but it is dynamic. Hence it should be reviewed and revised to take account of changes in the social order.

The curriculum, infrastructural and instructional materials readily available for instructions in  any  institution determine the  quality of the  products to  be  turn out. According to Galadima (2005), the performance of Pre-service technical teachers during teaching  practice  is  very poor.  The  fact  also  is  that  most  of the  graduates of this curriculum are not productive in their place of work as enumerated by Gopar (2008), that Basic Technology teachers in Plateau State are avoiding teaching some aspects of the curriculum. According to Uwaifo and Uwaifo (2009) technical education programme in the Colleges of Education are not very effective in teacher preparation because of gross inadequacy of facilities, equipment, instruments, inadequate instructors, lack of funding coupled probably with low sensitivity of administration to facilities and equipments that are inadequate.     Abubakar in Ekeagwu (2005) observed that the workshops are ill- equipped, no adequate machines and equipment; and hand tools and consumables are in short supply. Olawepo (1997) stressed that there are inadequate instructional materials in schools; students are not exposed to enough practical training before graduation. Ogbuanya and Usoro (2009) also identify that as a result of the unavailability and non- functional facilities in the teacher training institutions, unskilled, unproductive and disillusioned technical teachers are turn out, who in most instance, are incapacitated to organized practical work for their students after their training.

Thus it is important to determine the relevance of NCCE curriculum of NCE (T)

by evaluating both curriculum components and the facilities for implementing it from

time to time in order to detect deficiency.  It is therefore necessary to evaluate the NCCE curriculum for NCE technical in Colleges of Education and Polytechnics so as to determine the relevance of the curriculum components in training qualified technical teachers for Nigerian schools.

Statement of the Problem

In response to the numerous calls for an educational system that will meet the increasing  needs and aspiration of the country, the Federal Government of Nigeria set up the  National Commission for  Colleges of Education to  help  and  harmonize all  the activities  of  the  Colleges  of  Education     that  were  hitherto  affiliated  to  various universities. One of the major responsibilities of the commission is to design a curriculum for all the programmes that will meet the aims of the beneficiaries. NCCE is also in charge   of  designing  NCE   technical  programme   in   Colleges  of  Education  and Polytechnics across the nation. The National Policy on Education, in Section 9 sub- section 74 argues that “No matter the efficiency of the pre-service training given to a teacher, there will necessarily be areas of inadequacies. In-service education for teachers will continue to fill these gaps.

Even with all these statements and programmes in place, little has been achieved. However, the  goal for  which these  moderate preparations were  being  made  has  no meaning because they have always been expected that the products of these institutions will be employed to handle the instructional processes in the schools for which they are trained. It has been observed that the products of these training institutions acquired little in their areas of specialization and find it very difficult to impart required knowledge to the students during practical teaching. Perhaps the problem can be pinned down on

components of NCCE curriculum for NCE (Technical) and the factors that influence implementation of the curriculum such as infrastructures and availability of instructional facilities in the workshops. It has also been observed severally that workshops are ill- equipped, no adequate machines and equipment, hand tools and consumables are in short supply. It was also stressed that there are inadequate instructional materials in schools, students are not exposed to enough practical training before graduation. Another fundamental source identify that  as a result of the unavailability and non-functional facilities in the teacher training institutions, unskilled, unproductive and disillusioned technical teachers are turn out, who in most instance, are incapacitated to organized practical work for their students after their training. As a result of the inadequate training facilities  in  the  training  institutions, the  technical teachers  produced tends to  avoid teaching some aspect of the Basic Technology curriculum as identified.

The problem of this study therefore is to determine the reason for the low quality of NCE technical graduates in the study area, as identified. Thus, there is need to evaluate the  relevance  of curriculum components of NCE  T  in some training  institutions  in Nigeria.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study was to determine the relevance of NCCE curriculum for NCE (Technical) awarding institutions in Plateau State. Specifically the study sought to evaluate the relevance of the:

1.        Occupational components of the curriculum to the technical teachers.

2.         Professional components of the curriculum in preparing the technical teacher for professionalism in teaching.

3.        General studies components in equipping the technical teacher.

4.        Training infrastructures and facilities in these training institutions.

Significance of the Study

The  findings  of this  study will  be  of great  benefit  to  Pre-service  Technical Teachers, Technical Teachers, Employer of Labour, Lecturers, NCCE, Federal and State Ministry of Education, policy makers and the general public.

Pre-service Technical Teachers will benefit from the findings of this study as; the findings of the study will bring out the pitfall in NCCE curriculum for NCE technical in the Colleges of Education and Polytechnics. This will serve as guide during curriculum review. Adequate and relevant contents will be integrated into the curriculum for training pre-service technical teachers as a result of review exercise. Therefore the pre-service teachers will now be learning modern contents that can enable them to be employed after graduation.

The technical teacher after graduation will have the self confidence to teach. An efficient   curriculum  gives   out   a   productive   and   self-reliant   teacher   within   his environment. The technical teachers who are the direct beneficiaries of the curriculum will after graduation will be able to teach all aspect of the curriculum effectively and with confidence.

The employers of the technical teachers will also benefit from the findings of the study. Every employer of labour wants a work force that will be productive. As the deficiency in the curriculum is pointed out for curriculum review, quality teachers will be produced for their employers if the curriculum is review using the pointed deficiencies.

The Lecturers who are the curriculum implementers in the training institutions would appreciate the need for proper training of qualified technical teacher for the basic schools programme by using the appropriate curriculum. The Lecturer will also benefit and improve on their implementation of the curriculum by attending seminars, organizing workshops and paper presentation. When adequate evaluation is carried out, Colleges of Education and  Polytechnics  will  be  aware  of the  inadequacy and  efficiency of the curriculum and the problem associated with its implementation.

The NCCE as a regulatory body for Colleges of Education programmes would benefit from the study findings with regards to the curriculum that it had develop for the training of technical teachers. The information provided by the study will guide the government through NCCE on what to review in the curriculum for NCE Technical.  The findings may point out areas that require improvement or total overhaul. Where there is need for partial review, the regulatory body will review it in line with current realities.

The Federal and State Ministry of Education would also benefit from the findings of this study in terms of infrastructural facilities that needed to be provided. The need for further expansion of the workshop and refurbishing of the existing facilities will be carried out as a result of these findings.

Policy makers within Federal and State Ministry of Education will benefit from the findings of this research as it will guide them on how to formulate new policy and even when reviewing existing policy. The findings of this study will also guide government and school administrators on the types of infrastructural facilities and instructional materials to be procure for effective teaching and learning in schools.

Educational researchers will also benefit from the study. The general public will also benefit from the findings of this study as it will provide them with useful information about the required technical teacher training programme. The study will serve as a source of literature for other researchers.

Research Questions

The following questions were posed for the purpose of carrying out this study:

1.         How relevant  are the  occupational components of the  curriculum in  training technical teachers?

2.         How relevant are the professional components of the curriculum in preparing technical teacher for professionalism in teaching?

3.         How  relevant  are  the  general studies components in  equipping  the  technical teacher in implementing the Basic Technology Curriculum?

4.         How adequate are the infrastructure and facilities in technical teacher training institution implementing the curriculum?

Hypotheses

Four null research hypotheses were formulated to guide the study and were tested at 0.05 level of significance.

H01:    There is no significant difference in the mean responses of the lecturers in the training   institutions  and   the   technical  teachers   on   the   relevance   of  the occupational components of the curriculum.

H02:   There is no significant difference in the mean responses of the lecturers in the training institutions and the technical teachers on the relevance of the professional components of the curriculum.

H03:   There is no significant difference in the mean responses of the lecturers in the training institutions and the technical teachers on the relevance of the general studies components of the curriculum.

H04:   There is no significant difference in the mean responses of the lecturers and the technical teachers on the adequacy and availability of infrastructures and facilities in the training institutions.

Delimitation of the Study

The study was focused on the relevance of the occupational, professional, general study components and the training infrastructure in the training institutions in Plateau State. The study focused only on Nigeria Certificate in Education (Technical) training institutions producing vocational teachers in Plateau state. The NCE (T) programme is an aspect of vocational education that is aimed at producing relevant vocational teachers for Nigeria educational system. The study therefore was delimited to only technical teachers and not on every vocational teacher in Nigerian school system.

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