Students’ Perception of Empowering Nigerian Youth through Effective Learning of Indigenous Vocations

Abstract

Nigerian curriculum planners, realizing the importance of entrepreneurial education to present situation of Nigeria where majority of the youth are all out in quest of white collar jobs, have upgraded the curriculum of basic education with the inclusion of entrepreneurial education into education in both junior and secondary schools. The problem of self-reliance has been a pressing issue that needs to be addressed especially among Nigerian youth, to the extent that vices are prevalent in the country because of unemployment. In an attempt to curb these vices, there is need to embrace the indigenous trade; an aspect of indigenous language which serves as a source of job creation and empowerment in the Nigerian society. Indigenous entrepreneurial skill is also a cultural aspect of a language which has been tried over the years and found reliable. This can be achieved by introducing its teaching to students in Junior Secondary School. This paper discusses the need for the teaching and learning of the culture of an indigenous vocations using Yoruba language as a case study. One of the cultural aspects of the Indigenous language is indigenous vocation of Yoruba language. Yoruba vocations are supposed to be taught in Junior Secondary School as from JSS One to JSS three among Yoruba speakers and some of the vocations are carving, drumming, hair weaving, dyeing etc. The effective teaching of indigenous vocations which will motivate meaningful learning of the students will serve as a linkage between the language and
being self-reliant through self-employment, or enterprise. This
would serve as a panacea for solving the massive unemployment
problem, prevent poverty and empower the majority of the citizens economically through the use of some of the indigenous
vocations which they have acquired from Junior Secondary School. Questionnaires were administered to 320 junior secondary school students in two local government areas in Ijebu division. Data analysis involved mean, standard deviation and t-test. The result revealed the general perception of students on the effective learning of indigenous vocational skills Nigerian youth empowerment, gender difference had relationship with the effective learning of the indigenous vocations. Also, the location of school and the influence of environment (urban and
rural) were related to students’ perception of effective learning of indigenous vocations for Nigerian youth empowerment. It is thus concluded that adequate instructional materials will enhance the effective learning of indigenous vocations. Also, male students find learning of indigenous vocational trades easier than female. School location or influence of environment (rural and urban) had significant relationship with students’ perception of effective learning of indigenous vocations for Nigerian youth empowerment. It is also suggested that resource
persons should be employed as instructors in schools and adult
program to be organized for the learning of Yoruba trade skills.