COMPLETE SCHOOL PROJECT TOPICS & MATERIALS :
CHAPTERS: Chapter 1-5 | DOC FORMAT: MS WORD/PDF | PRICE: ₦5,000

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to Study

The poverty situation in Nigeria has become so services that it is regarded as one of the major developmental challenges to her economic and social growth. Poverty is antithetical to human rights (Zanna, 2000). Research has it that about 50% of the nation’s population is living in poverty. This means that these Nigerians cannot, with any degree of comfort, afford the basic needs for human living (via food clothing and shelter). It needs not be over-emphasized that this is not only unacceptable, but also pathetic. The leaders on their part have made varied efforts and attempts to check and arrest this phenomenon, fabulous sums of money have been spent over decades of trials. This paper will examine how business education will assist in poverty alleviation. This is to complement government’s effort in this direction. Business education according to Osuala (1996) is a programme of instruction which consists of two parts viz office education which is a vocational education programmed for office careers through initial, refresher programme that provides students with information and competencies which are needed by all in managing personal business affairs and in using the services of business. Office education involves education for office occupations, or the acquisition of skills, attitudes, aptitudes, and knowledge needed to carry out the function of office (Osagie, 1992). Such occupation may include book-keeping transcribing, telephone operation, stenography, confidential secretary, machine operation etc. Which in addition involve management and advancement in occupations related to the office. Business education is an educational process, whose primary aim is to prepare people for role in enterprises, as employers, entrepreneurs or self-employed (Amaewhule, 2000). Anao (1986) said that business education could be seen as the sum total of the knowledge, skill and attitude that are required for successfully promoting and administering business enterprises. Theories of business education include;

1. To give special attention to the development of human relations skills.
2. To prepare individuals for work in local business and government organizations as well as for regional and national job opportunities.
3. To provide training which reflects changes in business brought about by technological advances.

Osuala (1996) further outline the roles of business education which includes: the provision of a continuous programme of planed learning experiences designed to equip individuals to fulfil effectively three roles.

(a) To produce and distribute goods and services as workers,

(b) To use the results of the production as consumers and

(c) To make judicious socio-economic decisions as citizens.

Amaewhule (2000) in buttressing the roles of business education stated that it provides specific training for a cluster of skills, and provides a programme flexibility to enable youths and adults make career choices. Business education has a role to play in career development. It offers various individuals the opportunity to develop those skills; abilities and understating that will enable them handle efficiently their personal affairs and assume their citizenship responsibilities (Okorie, 2001).

1.2     Statement of Problem

Poverty is one of the debilitating problems faced by people in many countries. Thus, individuals, groups of persons, developed and developing countries of the world have experienced different levels of poverty at different times. Poverty is a term that is familiar to both the affluent and the poor but what varies is the meaning attached H. A. Ezeji et al. 602 to it by different people. Ndem (2010) stated that poverty is the deprivation of the basic needs such as food, shelter education and employment among others. In the same vein Greenberg (2005) poverty means lack of power, choice and material resources. Greenberg further stated that the poor lack access to information that is vital to their lives and livelihood and about market prices for the goods they produce. The poor lack access to knowledge, education, and skill development opportunities needed to improve themselves. From the above definitions, it is clear that poverty is far more than financial solvency and can manifest in the form of unemployment, homelessness, and lack of education. Poverty alleviation could be referred to as the substantive reduction of any of the negative effect of poverty on people; while poverty alleviation strategies refer to the measures adopted to eradicate or reduce poverty. It is a process which seeks to reduce the level of poverty in a community or among a group of persons or nations. Poverty alleviation may also aim at removing the social and legal barriers to income growth among the poor. Ekwuruke, (2013) stated that poverty alleviation involves the efforts made to improve the living standard of people who already are poor and to reduce the magnitude of poverty. In Nigeria, different measures have been adopted by successive governments to reduce or eradicate poverty and its impact on the people. These measures as identified by Idowu, Gberevbie, Moses, Duruji, and Bankole (2013) include: the Directorate of Food, Road and Rural Infrastructures (DFFRI); Better Life for Rural Women (BLRW); National Directorate of Employment (NDE); Bank of Industry (BOI); Family Support Programme (FSP); the National Economic development Programme (NAPEP) and Subsidy-Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (Sure-P), among others. Other initiatives of the Federal Government of Nigeria towards economic development and the revitalization of Vocational Education include the establishment of six centres for staff development at Delta State Polytechnic, OtefeOgara; Kano State Polytechnic; AkanuIbiam Federal Polytechnic Uwana; Federal Polytechnic Ilaro; Federal Polytechnic Idah and Federal Polytechnic Damaturu. During the same year, the Federal Government also embarked on the training of Core Team Trainers at Bauchi and Yaba; Information Technology Multimedia Simulation Workshop in conjunction with UNESCO and the Chiba Institute of Technology Japan; held Guidance and Counselling Workshop to train Technical and Vocational Education staff on new and innovative techniques in G & C and another workshop on Teaching Material Development for technical teachers (UNESCO, 2008). In the year 2013, the Federal Government of Nigeria started a programme referred to as the Framework for the integration of Out-of-School Children from the South-East and South-South States into the Basic Education Programme. One of the objectives of this programme was to empower the youths from these areas with functional skills for self-reliance and ability to contribute to the development of the society. When implemented, the initiative is expected to reduce the out-of-school syndrome occasioned by the get rich-quick attitude of youths. The initiative will among other things ensure human capacity development and poverty reduction-UBEC 2013. All these measures notwithstanding, poverty and its negative impact on the people still persist. A close look at the poverty alleviation measures reveal that they all have one thing in common that is, lack of continuity. They tend to fissile out with the government that introduced them, suggesting that a better and more permanent approach to poverty alleviation needs to be put in place. Education in its entire ramification is the foundation for all development. Okorie (2000) indicated that most of the richest economies of the world such as the USA, China and Germany make tremendous and expansive use of both general and vocational education. Business Education is an integral part of Vocational Education which is the education for employability. The Federal Government of Nigeria (2013) recognized it as such and defined it as the aspect of Technical Education which involves in addition to general education, the study of technologies and related sciences; the acquisition of practical skills, attitudes, understanding and knowledge relating to occupations in various sectors of the economy and social life. According to Azuka, Nwosu, Kanu and Agomuo (2006) and Odah and Ogbaga (2010), unlike general education which is long in theory and short in fact, Business Education is practical oriented and provides individuals with skills in business-related occupations such accounting, marketing and office occupation. Furthermore, business education is concerned with the area of knowledge and competences needed by individuals (skills, abilities, understanding and attitudes) that enable students to become a worthy human being and effective member of the society (Etonyeaku, 2012). It prepares learners for the different roles in business as economically literate and intelligent citizens. As part of vocational education, Business Education is synonymous with skill acquisition (McOmish, Elspeth, Mohan and Perera, 2013). The authors noted that in the absence of paid employment, individuals with vocational H. A. Ezeji et al. 603 skills can set up small business within the services needed by their communities and this has the capacity to boost the local economy from within, and hence lead to the liberation of the people from the culture of dependence on external assistance. The authors further stated that as an aspect of Vocational Education, Business Education is the key that alleviates poverty, promotes peace, conserves the environment, improves quality of life for all and helps in the achievement of sustainable economic development. Business Education prepares individuals for life-long learning by developing in them the necessary mental tools, technical and entrepreneurial skills and attitudes, capacities for decision-making and other qualities needed for active participation in team work and in the community as a whole. Business education empowers graduates with desired skills, knowledge and values that would make such graduates to be self-employed or employable by others. Okorie (2000) and Ezeji (2010) attributed the inability to use Business Education as a tool for poverty alleviation to poor public image of Vocational Education, lack of adequate funding, shortage of qualified teaching staff, poor monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and the inability to adopt cooperative/vocational education by schools and industries. The initiatives of successive Nigerian administrations to alleviate poverty among the people, seem to be ineffective because according to 2014 Statistics on Poverty in Nigeria, 112 million people still live in abject poverty. Additionally, Business Education appears to be relegated to the background as tool for poverty alleviation. Despite these laudable roles of business education in human development, business education still operates with obsolete machines and equipment such that graduates are not relevant to the world of work. The problem of poverty is a global dimension and business education programme should be a potent tool for poverty alleviation. However, for business education to play effective role in wealth creation and economic development, business education should be repositioned for the achievement of its objectives of producing graduates who are not only skilled and employable but individuals who should be self-employed. It is in the light of this that this study is conducted to determine the relevance of business education program to economic development of Nigeria.