Assessment of the Implementation of the Secondary School Skill-Based Curriculum to Youth Empowerment in Nigeria

Abstract

This study was conducted to assess how the Nigerian secondary school vocational and technical education curriculum was implemented with a view to ascertain the extent to which it has empowered students for self-employment. The descriptive survey research design was adopted for the study. The sample comprised 380 junior and senior secondary school [JSS and SSS] students and 120 teachers, selected from twelve secondary schools drawn across three states in Nigeria, one state from each of North Central, South East, and South West geopolitical zones of the country. Stratified random sampling technique was applied to select student-sample while purposive sampling was used for teachersample. The schools covered by the study comprised four categories: federal government school [FGS], state government school [SGS], high class private school [HCPS], and low class private school [LCPS]. The study utilized both quantitative and qualitative techniques in data collection and analysis with
questionnaires and observation as main instruments. Results revealed  that sampled students have learnt significant self-employable entrepreneurial skills in 6 out of 36 vocational areas. Also, their entrepreneurial capability was found low, as there were no significant production of marketable goods and services to show for their practical knowledge. The study recommends, amongst others, integration of entrepreneurship education in the teaching-learning process, as this will enable students to be motivated in identifying entrepreneurial opportunities.

Key words: Nigerian youth, entrepreneurial skills, self-employment,
vocational and technical education, skill-based curriculum, implementation