EFFECT OF HOME ECONOMICS PROGRAMME TOWARDS POVERTY ALLEVIATION AMONG HOME ECONOMICS STUDENTS OF SA’ADATU RIMI COLLEGE OF EDUCATION KUMBOTSO, KANO STATE

CHAPTER ONE

 Background of the Study

Poverty can be viewed as social exclusion and insufficient material means to improve family living condition. It stresses the importance of poverty alleviation in curbing the menace of poverty. However, the development of any nation hinges on the social and economic contribution of her citizens. The height at which poverty has reached across the nation and among home economics students of Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education Kumbotso, Kano State as case study as shown by literature cannot be over emphasized. The research work examines the various strategies as to alleviate poverty throughHome Economics Education. The study defines the concept of Home economics education, the role it can play in alleviating poverty with various career opportunity within the course content. Thereby preparing learners for entry into employment and advancement in a choosing career.

It concludes that education is indispensable to economic development and no country would experience any advancement without education.

Development is a concept defined differently by scholars. Aderonke and Okesola (2008) described it as the extent to which a nation is able to overcome her complex socioeconomic, political and cultural issues to ensure progressive change in the quality of life of all citizens. It is a continuous improvement of material and human resource of nation in order to maximize and manipulate the physical environment for the benefit of the generality of its citizens including the future generation, development should be sustainable, that means it must keep on going (Chikanle 2008), National developed consideration can be sustainable if it takes into consideration all the faces that makes up a nation with its human, resources at the peak as it is the key to national development. In order to achieve this there must be a rapid and constructive change in human behaviors and altitude. This requires effective leadership. However, the Nigerian situation and efforts to improve the human capital has been retarded by issues and challenges amassing the effectiveness of the leadership.

Capacity building has been defined as a series of activities which an organization, enterprise or even a nation needs to undertake to provide for itself on a continuous basis a regular supply of skilled manpower to meet its present and future needs. It follows that the prosperity of any enterprises or even a nation depends to large extent of the competence of its workforce. As a resource and like other factors of production, human capital has a life span, not in terms of life expectancy at birth, but life span measured by economically active period (Makintola, 2010).

Furthermore, capacity building involves strengthening the skills, instincts, abilities, processes that a nation needs to survive in the fast changing world, taking into consideration what inhibit people, organizations from realizing their developmental goals while at the same enhancing the ability that will allow them to achieve measurable and sustainable results. Poverty is indeed one of the factors that inhibit quality education and as a result national development; sequel to this, poverty alleviation has been an issue that is a paramount goal of different developmental programmes by different governments.

Education has been defined in numerous ways all showing the fact that education is important for both human and societal development. According to National Policy on Education (NPC, 2004) it is a process which helps to develop man to enable him function effectively in whatever environment he finds himself .Education as a necessary tool for development involves three references, the individual, the community to which he/she belongs and the whole content of reality, both (material and spiritual) which plays a dominant role in determining the nature and destination of man (Ashraf, 2009).

There are various forms of education which consists of different contents and Processes; there are Sciences, Arts etc it is from these divisions that scholars refers to some forms of knowledge as secular and others as religious. Nevertheless, whatever form education takes the aim of developing the individual and the society are not Separable from it. Religious and moral educations are forms of education which aimed at educating the individual for life. It covers the whole aspects of human development, intellectually, spiritually and emotionally. It is not just learning to read the scriptures but how to translate these teachings into, everyday life and improve the society. What is today referred to a modern education (western) is believed to be the Yardstick for social mobility and determines ones, social status.

However as:(Awoniyi, 199 1:50) observed although, most people believe that formal education contributes to societal developments and changes, its strengths that, in-fast, must be channeled to usefulness for the overall benefit of the society, the social ill which go along with it must be checked. Nigeria like other developing nations is facing formidable problems and challenges, socially, politically, economically and educationally.

STATEMENT OF PROBLEM

In Nigeria, In spite of government’s alleviation programmes, National development plans and sectional papers, Poverty is still a dominant challenge. It has also been identified by all and sundry as a major threat to the very among home economics students of Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education Kumbotso, Kano State as a whole. Poverty also encompasses low levels of health and education, poor access to clean water and sanitation, inadequate physical security, lack of voice and insufficient capacity and opportunity to better one’s life.

Therefore, this research work is aimed at advancing some possible suggestions and recommendations to the above-mentioned menace caused by poverty.

 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

Time immemorial, Education has remained the panacea for ignorance and its attaching problems. This study is set to bring fore and assess the contributions or the role Home Economics Programme can play in alleviating poverty and stay relevant in sustainable development. The scope and emphasis of Home Economics Programme have shifted from ordinary home making to paid employment in various entrepreneur trade and business areas.

This study is meant to be an eye opener to the Nigerian youths and adults especially Women and Girls who constitute huge population for the government to incorporate this type of course in its poverty alleviation programmes.

The study will further pinpoint the various contributions that Home Economics make towards reducing poverty among home economics students of Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education Kumbotso, Kano State.

Significance of the study

This study is expected to unveil the basic mission of Home Economics Education by helping students to improve their lives through:

                   i.            Training for necessary manpower in entrepreneurship.

                 ii.            Development of improved skills, competencies, capabilities and utilization of workers employed in government and private sectors.

              iii.            Training and imparts of necessary skills to studentss who shall be self reliant economically.

               iv.            Provision of technical knowledge and vocational skills necessary for economic development.

                 v.            Empowering the students with desirable skills knowledge and value to perform specific functions so as to become self-reliant.

               vi.            Helping him to appreciate the world around him and contribute maximally to the social and economic development of the nation.

            vii.            Empowering the students in such a way that the students will develop his intellectual capacity that would help him to make meaningful decisions in all spheres of life.

         viii.            Helping the students to become a judicious spender and develop proper values for the achievement of healthy living and growth of the nation.

The recipient of Home Economics Programme is expected to have acquired basic expertise in a particular branch in which he shows special aptitude and interest.

Home Economics Programme prepares one for wage earning or for proper use of hands and head to earn a living using necessary vocational skills and ethics. It prepares one for survival as one can always fall back to the skills acquired in the course in times of emergency such as retrenchment. Home Economics Programme is a means of reducing poverty in that it helps one to live happily in the environment by learning how to use the goods and services available to the family and by promoting sound attitude and adapting easily to newer technological developments.

Scope of the Study

Due to time and financial constraints, this study will only cover the area of accessing the value or the worth of strategies for reducing Economic Poverty through Home Economics Programme among home economics students of Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education Kumbotso, Kano State.

Also, the study will try to advance some possible means as to identify necessity of Home Economics Programme as to alleviate the level of poverty which is the major societal challenge that has been wailing down the economic, social and financial development in the nation and among home economics students of Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education Kumbotso, Kano State in particular.

 Research Questions:

In other to place the research in a proper framework of reference, the following research questions are drawn:

1.                 What are the measures presently adopted by Home Economists in poverty alleviation for National Development.

2.                 What are the roles Home Economists should further play in poverty alleviation among home economics students of Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education Kumbotso, Kano State?

3.                 Does Home Economics Education really help in reducing economic poverty among home economics students of Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education Kumbotso, Kano State?

4.                 In what ways do the study of Home Economics help to reduce Poverty?

5.                 What are the career opportunities available in Home Economics Education?

6.                 Does Poverty make one to involve himself in social vices?

7.                 Does government has any role to play in alleviating poverty in our society?

8.                 Inspite of government strategies to alleviate poverty, is there poverty in your society?

9.                 Policies introduced by government to reduce poverty, is it everybody that is a beneficiary?

10.             Is it only the study of Home Economics that will help in poverty alleviation?

Hypothesis

The following tentative alternative hypotheses will be used in conducting this research work.

1.                 Home Economists play some vital roles as to alleviate Poverty among home economics students of Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education Kumbotso, Kano State.

2.                 Home Economics Programme really help in reducing economic poverty among home economics students of Sa’adatu Rimi College of Education Kumbotso, Kano State.

Definition of Terms:

          For better understanding of the study so far, the researcher figured out key words to find out their working definitions or meanings. Therefore, some of the key words are:

1.                 Strategies:  A method or plan chosen to bring about a desired future such as achievement of a goal or solution to a problem.

2.                 Reduction: The act of making something smaller in size, amount, number etc the act of reducing something.

3.                 Economic: This has to do with production, distribution and uses of income wealth and commodities relating to an economy. The system of production and management of material, wealth in terms of social, political and economic life.

4.                 Poverty: This can be defined as a general state of one who lacks a certain amount of material possessions or money. It is multifaceted concept which includes social, economic and political elements.

5.                 Education: The gradual process of acquiring knowledge. Or knowledge acquired by learning and instruction.