INTRODUCTION
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1.1 Background of the Study
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The universal declaration of Human Rights adopted by the United Nations General
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Assembly in December 1948 guaranteed for the individual a whole range of basic freedom with
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education serving as a basic right necessary for the achievement of all other freedoms.
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The achievement of the right to education requires that young people be given the
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opportunity necessary for the acquisition of the knowledge, skills, attitudes and values which will
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enable them lead happy and productive lives as individuals and discharge their social duties for
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the betterment of life in the society.
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Nigeria, having realized the effectiveness of education as a powerful instrument for
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national progress and development, adjusted her educational philosophy and methodology to
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march the ideals and challenges of changing economic and social structure of modern society
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(National Policy on Education 1981, revised 2004). Consequently, in 1982, Nigeria adjusted her
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secondary educational system to encompass diversified curriculum that integrates academic with
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technical and vocational subject intended to empower the individual for self-employment (Igwe
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2000). According to the National Policy on Education 1981; 2004, the broad aims and objectives
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of secondary education in Nigerian educational system are preparation for useful living within the
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society (self-employment) and preparation for higher education. (The area that concerns this
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study is the first objective – preparation for self-employment).
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However, more than two and half decades after adoption of the laudable initiative, majority
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of Nigerian youth are idle and some are involved in various vices due to unemployment. They do
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not have the required skills to either fit into many types of jobs that are available or create jobs
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(Igwe 2007). It is no longer news that the nation’s youth unemployment rate has been shooting
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up the sky. The federal government recently acknowledged that about 80 per cent of Nigeria’s
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youth are unemployed and 10 per cent underemployed. And the Minister of Education, Sam
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Egwu, recently noted that the poor quality of graduates is worrisome. The major policy speeches
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of President Yar’Ardua these days revolve around his aspiration of transforming Nigeria into one
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of the first 20 largest global economies by the year 2020. This vision cannot be achieved without
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youth empowerment for job creation and wealth generation. Adekoya (1999) claimed that for the
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Nigerian youth to be empowered economically they should be given the necessary skill
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acquisition and for this to be done the curriculum should be effectively implemented. Oli (2000)
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believed that to ensure a positive future for Nigeria, the youth who are believed to be the future
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leaders of the country ought to be well equipped with basic skills to drive the economy.
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Curriculum is a vehicle through which education is attained (Offorma 2005). The
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secondary school curriculum as presently implemented is far from achieving the goals of
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secondary educational system (Obanya 2004a). Several authors have noted that the National
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Policy on Education was well structured and the contents were adequately defined but the
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implementation calls for question (Babafemi 2007; Dike 2009). Investigation gathered shows that
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students’ potentials are not properly channeled as schools lack basic infrastructural facilities
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necessary for effective curriculum implementation, there are inadequate specialist teachers, and
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where available, focus more on theoretical aspect leaving out the practical component.
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This situation calls for a critical appraisal of the mode of implementation of Nigerian
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secondary school curriculum in order to identify the root cause of the problem as well as gaps
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needed for reformation. This study is timely and useful in providing the much needed empirical
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data that will assist the Federal Government of Nigeria through its curriculum development
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agency, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), to gauge the level of
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success of current implementation and be better able to plan towards an implementation that will
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instill basic skills in Nigerian youth to ensure their socio-economic empowerment.
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1.2 Statement of Problem
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A good number of students who have completed their secondary education but do not wish to
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continue with higher education are in dilemma. This is because they are not well equipped with
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necessary skills to empower themselves. The training acquired at the end of secondary education
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seems inadequate to make the school leavers competent and self-reliant, hence cannot contribute
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to nation building. If the Nigerian society is not to be plagued by a breed of unemployable youth
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who cannot raise the economic productivity of the country, it is desirable that a lasting solution be
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provided. Thus, this study was designed to fill this gap.
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1.3 Purpose of Study
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The overall aim of the investigation was to assess how the curriculum was implemented in
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Nigerian secondary schools with a view to identifying the root cause of the problem as well as the
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underlying factors that might account for disparity, if any, on curriculum implementation.
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Specifically, the objectives were to:
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the goals, content, method, in meeting the philosophy of Nigeria secondary educational
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system.
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secondary schools.
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create self-employment
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successfully produced/ marketed
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1.4 Significance of Study
This study is significant in many ways. Most importantly, it will sensitize policy makers,
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educational administrators, and curriculum planners on the need to plan towards effective
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curriculum implementation in Nigerian secondary schools. This will go a long way in minimizing
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the rate of unemployment among secondary school leavers thereby making them well adjusted
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individuals who will raise the economic productivity of the country. Also, the result of the study will
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contribute to policy formulation and practices, as inspectors from Federal and State Ministries of
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Education will be sensitized on what to look out for during inspection. On a wider scale, African
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countries will benefit from the study because its findings and recommendations will provide point
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of reference. Above all, the Federal and state Ministries of Education as well as the Nigerian
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Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) will find the result of this study
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valuable particularly in the current government effort towards implementation of the new 9-year
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Basic Education Curriculum.
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1.5 Research Questions
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goals, content, method, in meeting the philosophy of Nigerian secondary education
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system?
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secondary schools?
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create self-employment?
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1.6 Scope of Study
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Nigeria is a large country with a lot of geographical differences. There are six geopolitical zones in
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Nigeria each constituting several states. To ensure national coverage, three out of the six
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geopolitical zones were purposely selected for the study, namely; North Central, South East and
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South West. One state was randomly selected from each zone. A total of twelve secondary
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schools comprising both public and private were drawn across the three states /zones. This was
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considered adequate and sufficiently representative to make tentative generalization.
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1.7 Operational Definition of Terms and Variables
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Critical – In this study, it means to point out fault constructively.
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Appraisal – Hornby (2000) refers to it as assessment of the value or quality of something. In this
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study, it refers to assessment of how the Nigerian secondary school curriculum is implemented.
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Mode – Hornby (2000) refers to it as ‘way and manner in which something is done’. In this study,
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Hornby’s definition is adopted. i.e. way and manner Nigerian secondary school curriculum is
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implemented.
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Implementation – Oxford Advanced Learners’ Dictionary refers to it as putting into effect a plan
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already mapped out. Obanya (2004) defined implementation of curriculum as day-to-day activities
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which school management and classroom teachers undertake in the pursuit of the objective of
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any given curriculum. In this study, it means processes involved in translating educational plan
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into action to bring about change in the learner as they acquire the planned experiences, skills,
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and knowledge that are aimed at enabling the learner function effectively in the society. In this
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regard, implementation is seen as both the means and the means to an end.
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Curriculum – According to Obanya (2004a), curriculum is the total package of what is to be
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taught or learnt. He describes it as a process of translating national educational objectives into
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‘within-school do-ables’. Offorma (2005) sees curriculum as the planned learning experiences
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offered to the learner in the school. In this study, it refers to vocational and technical subjects
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outlined in the National Curriculum for Secondary Schools manual as part of subjects for
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secondary education.
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Skill-based subjects – As used in this study, these are practically-oriented subjects that are designed to teach students skills which will empower them for job creation and self-reliance. The subjects in this category fall under the vocational and technical field. Skill-based means the same
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as practical-based and they are used interchangeably in this study. For purpose of this study,
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subjects in the vocational field include Home Economics, Fine Art, Music, Typing and Shorthand,
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Art and Craft, Clothing and Textile, Food & Nutrition, Home Management. While technical
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subjects include Introductory Technology, Woodwork, Carpentry, Technical Drawing, Metal Work,
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Agriculture Science, Computer Science, Auto Mechanic, Building Construction, Applied Electricity,
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Theory-based – As used in the study, it means knowledge that is purely descriptive and devoid of
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reference to purposeful action.
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Practical-based – knowledge that deals with skills involving muscular dexterity and coordination
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of mind and muscle (Aina 2009)
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Socio-economic empowerment – It is used in this study to refer to ability of youth to organize
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their finances, trade and industry for sustainable national development.
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Youth – World Health Organization (WHO) defines youth as young people between the ages of
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15-24 years. In this study, youth refers to young people between 10-24 years of age.
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Specialist teachers – These are teachers trained in the vocational and technical field
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Learner – It is used in this study to refer to secondary school students.
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Infrastructural facilities – These refer to workshop rooms, equipments, and tools needed for
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practical work in the skill-based subjects.
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Entrepreneurial skills – Skills that will enable individual create employment or start up business.