ASSESSING THE ROLE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AND TRAINING IN THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF BUSINESS (A CASE STUDY OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS IN LAGOS)

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Education lies at the heart of every society. It is a key and a vital element in the broad development of the nation’s youth’s capacity to address and solves difficulties. Education forms the basis for the proactive and positive economic, social and political changes in the society. Education remains the key to empowerment of the people and the nations as a whole (Olawolu and Kaegon, 2012). Education consolidates and builds upon basic education to empower the youth to really live, function as a productive member of the society, earning a living, and contributing to societal progress. Business education continuously builds on the knowledge, skills, values and attitude learnt at the lower phases of education. The greatest weapon against poverty is education of the youths (Nwangwua, 2007). The author further explains that any form of education that does not equip its beneficiaries with skills to be self-reliant is a faulty system of education. Kaegon (2009) believes that business education must be ready to offer their recipients functional education that will enhance performance as well as assist them to contribute meaning to the economic development of the country. According to Okereke and Okoroafor (2011) the desire of the Nigeria government to attain the vision 20-20:20-20 and Millennium Development Goals (MDG) propelled the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council to revise the secondary education curricula. The reason for this exercise is the transformation at the curriculum with the entrepreneurial education, informational communication technology (ICT) skills, and civic education and for the nation’s sustainable development. The demand for higher education, particularly secondary education is on the increase all over the world. Business education prepares youths to be responsible and entering individuals, who become entrepreneurs or entrepreneurial thinkers by exposing them in real life learning experiences where they will be required to think, take risks, manage circumstances and incidentally learn from the outcome (Olawolu and Kaegon, 2012). Ememe (2010) observes that entrepreneurship education enables youths to seek for success in ventures through one’s effort. Buttressing the above view, Okereke and Okoroafor (2011), asserts that entrepreneurial education and ICT skills have been acknowledged world wide as a potent and viable tools for self-empowerment, job and wealth creation. Business education has three basic career options, such as skilled, vocational option, professional option and executive business education option (Okoh, 2015). Business education as a discipline is expected to expose its recipients to diversity curricula, hence, it is that type of education that inculcate in its recipients attitudes, knowledge, skills, values that is required in the business world. This is a means of producing a healthy, literate self-reliant citizen that would create wealth for human development, when they become self-employed, thereby resulting to sustainable nation’s development at large. Business education must have impacted different skills and creative knowledge required for employment generation opportunities, such entrepreneurial skills and competences that would also make the business education students to adopt some strategic survival instincts.

1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

Business education is the surest means of attaining education for self-reliance. Much of the interest that is centred on business education arises from the fact that it exposes students to career awareness and equips them with adequate skills for useful employment. Different entrepreneurial courses are being taught in secondary schools in Rivers state, in order to equip the graduates with skills, abilities and competencies for self-reliance. Despite the bold step taken by the government in including business education into the school curriculum and the huge financial resources invested in procuring tools and equipment for vocational / technical workshops; there is still high rate of unemployment among school leavers and college graduates. This has been attributed to ineffective skills and inadequate competencies required to compete and survive in the labour market. The progressive decline in secondary school graduates in establishing themselves has been attributed to inadequate employable skills imparted to them. It is a truism that no training programme can be better evaluated than through the teachers who plan, implement and evaluate it. It is as a result of this background that this study seeks to assess the role of business education and training in the teaching and learning of business on Secondary School Students in Rivers state of Nigeria.

1.3 AIMS OF THE STUDY

The major purpose of this study is to assess the role of business education and training in the teaching and learning of business. Other general objectives of the study are:

1. To examine the benefits of business education to students and to Nigeria as a Nation.

2. To examine the awareness of business education programmes in the secondary schools in Nigeria.

3. To examine the impact of business education and training on the teaching and learning of business.

4. To examine the role of business education on teaching and learning of business among secondary students.

5. To examine the relationship between business education/training and teaching and learning of business.

6. To suggest ways to curb the challenges facing business education in secondary schools in Nigeria.

1.4 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

1. What are the benefits of business education to students and to Nigeria as a Nation?

2. What is the level of awareness of business education programmes in the secondary schools in Nigeria?

3. What are the impacts of business education and training on the teaching and learning of business.

4. What is the role of business education on teaching and learning of business among secondary students?

5. What is the relationship between business education/training and teaching and learning of business?

6. What are the ways to curb the challenges facing business education in secondary schools in Nigeria?

1.5 RESEARCH HYPOTHESIS

Hypothesis 1

H0: Business education and training has no impact on the teaching and learning of business.

H1: Business education and training has a significant impact on the teaching and learning of business.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

This study will have much significant on the government because despite the fact that students are integral part of a nation’s development, the disadvantaged position of students in Nigeria particularly when compared to men and the fact that they are ravaged by poverty, make case for efforts to be geared towards their empowerment. If this is achieved, it can have positive effect on the social, political, economic, and cultural development of Nigeria. In business, students tend to be more involved in establishing and leading small enterprises than in huge conglomerates. They are regarded as more successful entrepreneurs in fields such as fashion design, marketing, communication and media. They are often expected by society and their professional communities to be active in these sectors. Consequently students are making significant contributions to their families and country at large particularly in this era of economic distress. The findings of this study will equally help to alleviate the problem of student’s entrepreneurship and empowerment. The findings will be of benefit to student’s entrepreneurs, students and researchers. This is so because the report of the study will serve as a good reference document to this group of learners when conducting a research on the role of business education on students in Nigeria.

1.7    SCOPE OF THE STUDY 

The study is based on assessing the role of business education and training in the teaching and learning of business, case study of secondary schools students in Lagos state.

1.8 LIMITATION OF STUDY

Financial constraint- Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet, questionnaire and interview).

Time constraint- The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

Business: An organization or economic system where goods and services are exchanged for one another or for money.
Every business requires some form of investment and enough customers to whom its output can be sold on a consistent basis in order to make a profit.

Education:  The wealth of knowledge acquired by an individual after studying particular subject matters or experiencing life lessons that provide an understanding of something. Education requires instruction of some sort from an individual or composed literature.