Preparing Teachers on Nigeria’s Agricultural Education

IMPROVING TEACHER PREPARATION  IN AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

Education is a tool for modernization and an instrument par- excellence for effecting national development. Teachers train all citizens of any country who have become successful through formal education. The role of the teacher in the development of the nation is so fundamental that no leader can play with the proper training of teachers.

To underscore the importance of teacher education in the developmental needs of Nigeria, the National Policy on Education outlines clearly the purpose of teacher education to include amongst other things, “the production of highly motivated, conscientious and effective teachers for all levels of our educational system who will be committed to the realization of Nigeria’s national objectives” (FGN 2004). The implication of this position is that the education of teachers is very crucial to the survival of Nigeria educational system and the overall progress towards sustainable development.

Teacher education is the nucleus of any system of education, Government has stated its objectives as: 

1. to produce highly motivated conscientious and efficient classroom teachers      for all levels of our educational system.   
2. to encourage further the spirit of enquiry and creativity in teachers.  
3. to help teachers to fit into social life of the community and the society at large and enhance their commitment to national goals.
4. to  provide teachers with the intellectual and professional background adequate for their assignment and make them adaptable to changing situations, and 
5. to enhance teachers commitment to the teaching profession (FRN, 2004). However, current trends and problems in educational system have compelled people to question the proficiency and viability of teacher education in stimulating necessary reform required to steer our quest for economic development in the 21st century (Akpofure, 2000). This position seems to have been supported by Adegoke (2001) who asserted that the general problems confronting teacher education which affect teacher competency include lack of motivation, deficient training process, poor remuneration and poor professional status. Th extent to which these problems affect the overall teacher efficiency, effectiveness or competence deserves deeper insight. Specifically, how these problems affect teacher preparation in Agriculture is much more fundamental to the effective implementation of curriculum of the subject.  

 Agricultural education is the process of imparting knowledge, skills and attitudes in agriculture to the learner at any level. Agricultural education provides learners with sound academic  knowledge and skills as well as ample opportunity to apply this knowledge through classroom activities, laboratory experiments, project participation and supervised agricultural experiences. 

Due to the prominent position of Agricultural education in the economy, there is urgent need to sustain the training of competent teachers who will implement its philosophy and content in the school appropriately with a view to arriving at one that will  meet the needs of Nigerians. Maduewesi (2005) stated that inadequate teacher preparation and dwindling enrolment of pre- service teacher remain a big issue in the education system.

Teacher education programs have faced a lot of challenges in preparing agricultural education teachers. One of the challenges is providing preparation in technical content areas including agricultural mechanics (Nace, 2009). Also Ereh (2005) stressed that the method of recruitment of people into teaching profession and their subsequent training skills lack seriousness and vision. 

Against this background, this post examines the strategies for improving teacher preparation in Agricultural Education in Nigeria.

Concept of Teacher Education    

Teacher education is the process of instilling professional competencies relevant to the national development in our would be teachers for economic growth. Denga (2001) stated that teacher education is the process of preparing or developing individuals with the necessary knowledge and skills that will enable them to effectively direct learning situations. Teacher education according to Mbakwem (2000) is an institutionalized procedure aimed at purposeful preparation of teachers or all those persons who are directly or indirectly engaged in educational activity as their career.

Approaches to Teacher Education      

The approaches to teacher education takes place in the order of pre-service and in-service teacher education. The pre-service teacher education refers to the training of teachers before their first appointment as teachers. Another approach is the in-service teacher education which is the type of training the teacher receives while he is already teaching. Organizations that offer such training include:                                  

1. Colleges of Education at both state and Federal levels for regular and part time programme. 
2. Correspondence Teacher Education – well prepared self contained learning materials together with assignments are sent to registered students.
3. Distance learning system – This is organized by the National Teachers Institute. This refers to any organized course of education and training in which the students are at some distances from the teacher for most of the duration of the trainings and in which more than one medium of teaching is utilized.  
4. The National Board for Technical Education which incorporates post secondary education in Technology offered in polytechnics, monotechnic and colleges of Education (NPE, 2004). 
5. Effective monitoring and supervision for effective competency based teacher education programme in Agriculture.    

Concept of Agricultural Education

Agricultural education is the aspect of education considered to be for those who are interested and can benefit from learning specific types of skill in a specific occupational cluster. 

Agricultural education according to Osinem (2008) refers to all aspects of informal and formal education in relation to acquiring agricultural knowledge and skills required by the learner to become a proficient farmer. It emphasizes skill development in all aspects of agribusiness such as planning, management, safety, finances and leadership. It equips learners to be self employed or work in agricultural extension services, business, industry or as agricultural educators. The scope of agricultural education covers the areas of teaching, research and public outreach events. These events are designed to prepare students for employment in various occupations such as horticulture, agribusiness, natural resources management, agricultural mechanization, crop production etc.

Teacher Preparation in Agricultural Education

A lot of concerns have been expressed with respect to professional preparation of teachers in schools. For quality education program, there must be good teachers which are essential for the success of any agricultural program. Teachers are the brain behind the success of any educational pursuit, they need to have a good knowledge concerning the subject matter, thereby equipping themselves with modern teaching methods to be able to stand the test of time (Mbakwem, 2000). 

According to Okeke (2000), agricultural teacher preparation is educational programme specializing in agriculture. The training and preparation includes agricultural education events of  State Colleges of Education, Federal Colleges of Education and Faculties of Education in the Universities. However, for the award of Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE), one needs to undergo three years programme leading to the award of certificate. They provide training for middle level agricultural science teachers for Secondary school education. The university level education and training is for professional personnel who undertake research, teaching and administrative duties in agricultural industries and organizations. 

The objectives of agricultural education at the tertiary level according to Osinem (2008) include the following:

1. to contribute to national development through high level relevant human capital development in agriculture.  
2. to develop and inculcate proper values for the survival of the individual and society.    
3. to empower individuals to understand and engage with their local and global environment,
4. to build their physical and intellectual skills to become self-reliant and productive members of society.

It is generally agreed that every teacher must have a good general education, proper knowledge of some teaching subjects, an understanding of the learner and appropriate teaching technique. An effective teacher needs both technical and personal competencies.

Challenges of Agricultural Science Teacher Education

Teacher education in Nigeria is plagued by a myriad of problems that tend to frustrate the attainment of set objectives. These include:   

1. Poor teaching and learning facilities: There exists a lot of infrastructural dilapidation in Colleges and tertiary institutions. It is not unusual to see student – teachers having their training under a tree due to lack of adequate classrooms (Ofojebe, 2006). 
2. Funding: Poor funding of teacher education institutions led to the production of ill- equipped teachers.  
3. Teacher education programme dwelt more on pedagogy knowledge at the expense of process and acquisition of skills.                                                                   
4. Staffing: The perception of the Nigerian society about teaching has made it a little more difficult for teacher training institutions to attract, train and retrain high caliber teachers. This presents a problem in terms of quality and quantity of manpower to teach in the Nigeria primary and secondary schools.                                  
5.  Intenship or Teaching Practice: This aspect has not been taken very seriously in terms of duration and commitment. This could perhaps explain why some of the trained teachers hardly exhibit enough professional skills and academic competence in the classroom (Ajeyalemi, 2002).

Strategies to Improve Teacher Preparation in Agricultural Education  

The following strategies would help to improve teacher preparation in Agricultural Education:                   

Denga (2001) opined that some capacity building exercises should be instituted for the training and retraining of teachers in the area of new information skill, methodologies and values from time to time. There is the trend towards Information and Communication Technology (ICT), Entrepreneurship and acquisition of skills. This will help to update teachers knowledge in the area of new information.                

Okujiagu (2009) in his own view stated that in line with emerging issues in education, teacher education should be repositioned through curriculum innovation to make it more responsive to the exigencies of the moment. Therefore issues such as nomadic education, migrant fishermen education, multi grade teaching, environmental education, peace education, girl- child education etc. should be incorporated into the curriculum of teacher education. 

Teaching and learning of agricultural education will be grossly inappropriate without correspondingly equipping the laboratories and workshops. There is the need to equip them so as to expose the trainees on the theoretical and practical aspects of the subject. 

Onyejekwe (2006) opined that the government should provide adequate fund with teaching and learning materials in teacher institutions. Provision of basic amenities and conducive teaching and learning atmosphere should be paramount and surmounting the list in Government budgeting because education is a tool for national development.

Teacher training institutes should periodically organise and sponsor seminars, workshops and further studies for teacher educators so as to update their knowledge with new research findings. Denga (2001) stated that establishment of practical approach than other approaches by the teacher educators should be imbibed in the methodology. On the professional level, the use of microteaching in the preparation of teacher trainee for professional or teaching practice should be given prominence. 

Akpofure (2000) opined that there is the need for policy initiative on entry requirement for teacher trainees in Nigeria. It is necessary to make both the requirements and selection procedures for Agricultural teacher trainees vigorous and competitive in order to attract the best candidate. This will give the products of teacher education programme a high sense of esteem and comparable status with colleagues in other professions.

Conclusion  

This paper has made an exposition on strategies for improving teacher preparation in Agricultural education. If these strategies as outlined by the study are put into consideration, the goals of teaching and learning of agricultural education in schools will be achieved. Finally teacher education both in terms of pre-service and in-service should be of utmost priority to the society.

Recommendations

The following are recommended:   

• Teacher education should be adequately funded.

•  There is need to review the curriculum of teacher education in agriculture to meet the needs of the society.

• There is the need to pay adequate attention to the professional practice or teaching practice.

• Efforts should be made to see that only teacher educators who undergo training in educational programme are selected for educating the teacher trainees. 

References  and citations used on this post

Adegoke, K.A.(2001). Standards in teacher preparation in Nigeria. A key note address delivered at the 4th Annual Conference of NAEND, Lagos.

Ajeyalemi, D. (2002). Capacity Building in the Sciences: Imperatives for teacher education in Nigeria. Inaugural lecture. University of Lagos, Akoka.

Akpofure, R.(2000). Teacher Education in Nigeria. The State of education in Nigeria, Abuja: UNESCO

Denga, N.B.(2001). Introduction to Teacher Education. Kano: Jafe Associates.

Ereh.C.E.(2005). Teachers characteristics and school curriculum implementation in Nigeria secondary schools. A theoretical Review in Journal of the Nigerian Academy of Education, Nigeria, JONAED 2(1), 111 – 120.

Federal Republic of Nigeria(2004). National Policy on Education. Lagos: NEROC Press.

Maduewesi, B. U.(2005). Teacher Education. The concepts, aims and objectives in Maduewesi, E.J. and Eya, P.E.(eds) Perspectives in Teacher Education, Onitsha: West and Solomon Publishing Co. Ltd.

Mbakwem, J.N.(2000). New Perpectives in teacher Education. Owerri: Hudson Jude Nigeria Enterprise.

Nace, K.I.(2009). Competency Based Teacher Education. France: UNESCO Publishers.

Ofojebe, W.(2006). The place of Teacher Education in manpower development in Nigeria Perspectives in Teacher Education. Onitsha: West and Solomon publishing co. Ltd.

Okeke, K.O.(2010). Teacher preparation in Nigeria. London: Koyan Publishers.

Okujiagu, A.A.(2009). Teacher Education in Nigeria. Nigerian Journal of Teacher Education and Teaching 7(2), 57 -59.

Onyejekwe. A.(2006). General Principles and Methods in Education, Onitsha: West and Solomon publishing co. Ltd.

Osinem, E.C.(2008). Managing Agricultural Education and Training Resources, Principles and Methods, Nsukka: Belong Books.