NEW APPROACHES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNICAL, VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TVET) CURRICULUM...

International Journal of Educational Research vol. 12 No. 1, pp. 101-108, 2012 ISSN: 978-2568-51-1 (official Journal of Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria Nsukka)

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NEW APPROACHES TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF TECHNICAL, VOCATIONAL EDUCATION AND TRAINING (TVET) CURRICULUM FOR IMPROVED LABOUR

PRODUCTIVITY

By

Prof. Titus I. Eze & Okorafor, A. O. Vocational Education Department

Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka. Nigeria Emails: : [email protected]

[email protected]

Abstract

Labour productivity is a critical factor in the economic vibrancy of any nation. Enhancing labour productivity requires equipping the labourforce with essential knowledge, skill, competences, attitude and aptitude to function actively in the workplace. TVET has been globally recommended as a key educational system to equip the populace with these capabilities. Thus many nations have adopted TVET as a veritable instrument to achieve national development. The central concern of this paper is that after several decades of introducing TVET in education system in Africa, not much expected result has been achieved. It does appear that Africans on adopting TVET, also adopted its Euro-centric contents which have little or no connection to the African life; whereas, TVET is meant to meet the immediate needs of the society in which it serves. Thus this paper has advocated for new approaches to restructure the African TVET curriculum for improved labour productivity.

Keywords: Development, Labour Productivity, New Approaches, TVET Curriculum,

Introduction

There is no contention that high quality human capital reserve of a modern

enterprise is a key factor for its survival and development under the environments of

globalization and knowledge economy. The world’s economic survival and vibrancy

seems to depend entirely on the productivity of its labourforce. According to

Investopedia (2012) labour productivity is the measure of economic growth of a

country. It is the efficiency at which the labourforce produces goods or renders services

in a given time. Meanwhile, labour productivity is a direct consequence of human capital

development. That is to say great nations are made by the multitude of potentials

(productive human capital) ready to harness and optimally utilize the available

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]


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resources, or even tap from the resources of other nations. The flock of human capital

needed to transform a nation to economic super-power is generated via functional

education, as provided by Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET).

Unfortunately, the underdeveloped nations of Africa lack these human capital

potentials usually acquired through TVET. This is an indication of their dysfunctional

education systems. Africans have therefore perceived that the problem is on the

inherited literary content of the colonial education curriculum. Recently, they have

conceived the development of TVET as an educational panacea that would usher in the

much needed technical aspect of human capital, potentially leading to an age of

economic and technological development. For example an education paper for the then

Eastern Nigeria noted that, the colonial type of education did not adequately meet the

needs of Nigeria; as manual, agricultural and technical educations were associated with

inferior status and accorded low instead of high regard in the scheme of things. The

paper therefore, posited that the country must evolve a policy, a system of education

which will produce men and women who will not be out of place in a technological age,

instead, feed the industries with personnel (Bassy, 1999)

Ndomi (1998) acknowledged that the nation’s predicament is heavily dependent

on her ability to come up with a competent and dedicated technical workforce. Apagu

and Andural (2007) added that TVET at this point stand very tall in helping the nation

get out of the problem of lack of appropriate manpower. However, the authors are right

because according to Economic Commission in Africa, ECF (1998), the real difference

between developed and developing countries lie in their technological capabilities. Thus

major educational reforms in Africa have been to restructure colonial education system

with emphasis on vocationalization. Regrettably, some studies (see Sifuna, 2001) on the

impact of these innovations and TVET, indicated no drastic change in the structures and


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perceptions of the inherited colonial education. This is further buttressed by Adefaye,

(2005, p. 6):

Despite the country’s abundant resources, Nigeria had continued to manifest abysmal industrial performance record over the years because of the country’s inability to synergies its resources to spawn an organic productive sector capable of engendering sustainable development and alleviating wide spread poverty.

Apart from minor structural and organizational changes, very little has changed

in the philosophy and curriculum content of education in Africa. Education in Africa is

still designed after Western models and paradigms that have little connection to life in

Africa. The failure to restructure the colonial education and economies, while expanding

their formal education systems, will continue to lead to mismatch between economic

growth and education output. Therefore it becomes necessary and timely to rethink and

innovate new approaches to develop TVET curriculum; which is the concern of this

paper. The paper therefore discusses the conventional TVET curriculum, highlighting

the shortcomings and then projecting new approaches for improvement.

Conventional TVET Curriculum

To some, curriculum denote a specific course, while to others, it will mean the entire

educational environment. This paper focuses on curriculum within the context of TVET,

Curriculum development as “a process of planning learning opportunities intended to

bring about positive changes in the leaner and the subsequent evaluation of the extent

of the achievement of the stated goals” (Okorafor, 2009, p. 66). It involves four main

elements as highlighted by World Agroforestry Center (2003):

Identify what learning is needed and decide on the type of training to provide to

meet these learning needs

Plan the training carefully so that learning is most likely to take place

Deliver the training so that learning does take place

Evaluate the training so that there is evidence that learning has taken place


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Thus curriculum development is the totality of planning, implementing,

evaluating and innovating in the teaching/learning process. The conventional approach

to curriculum development does not provide the guidance to learning that is needed by

both trainers and participants. It rarely involves the different groups or individuals who

will gain from, or have something to offer to the training. (World Agroforestry Center,

2003). In reality, TVET curriculum is a veritable instrument for technological leap and

economic transformation. TVET is the type of education specially designed to meet the

economic and social needs of young people who wants to work and of adults who want

to acquire increased job competences and thus raise performance standards at the

workplace (Eze & Okorafor, 2012). Effective TVET generates labourforce with the right

knowledge, skill, aptitude and attitude for increased productivity and will bring about

the desired national development. However, after decades of introducing TVET in the

education system in Africa, not much success has been recorded.

Shortcomings of TVET in Nigeria

You can agree with this paper that TVET curriculum in Africa has remained a colonial

legacy, i. e. although satisfying the aspirations for educational reforms, yet conformed to

a large extent, to the systems in the colonial country. African institutions still teach

contents that are Euro-centric with most learning materials imported from Europe and

United States, if they are affordable. Very little is taught about Africa based on African

research (Bassy, 1999). Nevertheless, development is not simply an economic process,

but a complex whole that has to arise indigenously from deep down inside each society.

It springs from the culture in question, and cannot be reduced to imitation of developed

societies. It means that if TVET’s philosophy must be realized, its curriculum must be

indigenous, thought out by the people, and attuned to their aspirations, the conditions


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of their natural environment, the resources at their disposal and particular genius of

their culture.

Again, the conventional TVET curriculum development established weak link

between industries and training institutions. Asian Development Bank (ADB, 2009)

pointed at the weak link between industry and training institutions as one of the

problems limiting quantity and quality system output. Over time, two different worlds

have been built between Training Institute and Industry. Each has activities going on in

them. Under this circumstance, there exist relative differences in perspectives of

education and industry. Education looks at the general development of students that

will give them a wide range of opportunities and choices to prepare them after

graduation while industries look for technicians and employees with specific skills who

will fit directly into the system. This may have led to the claim of Majumdar (2008) that

the perennial and persistent cry of most industries is that technology education

graduates turned out by the system lack the requisite skills, knowledge, attitudes or

values to meet their needs. Huy (2009) in the same vein, affirmed that almost all

enterprises agree that vocational training is currently being conducted in a wasteful

manner, failing to meet industrial requirements, attraction and involvement of business

and industry. Thus business and industry have to invest their money in retraining. In

effect, armature competencies possessed by the new workforce are feared to affect

productivity.

From most studies, other problems confronting TVET curriculum development

include lack of attractiveness for middle school graduates, low rate of applicants

employed after graduation, low level of recognition by industries as to the quality of

graduates (Lim, 2009); high unit cost, shortage of qualified teachers and low status as

viewed by the students and communities (Sifuna, 1992); low quality of training, poor


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public perception, and unbalance educational access and equity (Okorafor & Okorafor

2010). Based on these shortcomings, the following new approaches for improvement, to

enhance labour productivity are projected.

New Approaches to TVET Curriculum Development

Indigenous Curriculum. It is time, Africans should use their initiatives to develop the

curriculum that is relevant to their economic and social needs. Inasmuch as Africa

desires to join in the global technological train, it must put into consideration the

conditions of its natural environment, culture and resources. World Bank and the

Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research (NISER), (as reported in Ajala, 2002)

noted that one major cause of declining quality of university education in Nigeria is

irrelevant curriculum and poor preparation and presentation of lesson notes by

teachers. Educational system in Africa has for too long looked at curriculum

development as a global project and consequently, almost ignoring her needs (Apagu &

Andural, 2007). Africans can do better in curriculum development if they first consider

it as curriculum to first prepare Africans to live a happy and satisfying life in Africa

using African indigenous technologies and materials; and secondly to prepare Africans

to live in other parts of the world. This is particularly important for TVET curriculum.

This will make the TVET curriculum more relevant to the needs of the majority who

may even be in the rural areas. As Mac (2009) opined that vocational training is

associated with real needs and practical labour use. It helps create local jobs,

contributes to economic structure transfer and labour restructuring in the rural areas.

TVET is expected to prepare people to come up with products or services in areas of

local needs not only in modern imported technologies. Relevant curriculum will attract

the right people and engender the use of local ideas, tools and materials. Thereby


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minimizing dependence on imported technologies and products and stimulate the

intellect of Africans to improve indigenous technologies and materials. There is no

gainsaying that over dependence of imported TVET curriculum has resulted to high rate

of unemployment, since what is needed in the society is not taught/learned.

Linking TVET Institutions to Industries. Obama (2011) in a graduation speech to the

Northern Virginia Community College Stated:

If we could match up schools and businesses we could create pipelines right from the classroom to the office or the factory floor. This would help workers find better jobs, and it would help companies find the highly educated and highly trained people that they need in order to prosper and to remain competitive (http://m.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/06/08/)

In order for training systems to become more effective, partnerships with

industries must be developed. This will make it possible to improve the match between

training provision and demand, and to mobilize additional resources for the. The goal of

TVET is to identify and address labour market needs in terms of workers’ competencies.

This can be done, according to Howell (2010), by conducting occupational analysis,

developing standards, designing curricula and writing assessments for certification. At

the core of these processes is the need for industries involvement and reliance on new

players and actors that could either augment available provisions, or offer a new way of

enhancing TVET in the context of the growing global shifts; so that employers recognize

and value TVET programs and certification.

Effective TVET recognizes that education and training in any country need to be

based on reliable labor market information, demand and employer needs, particularly

in priority trades and occupations. This is a dynamic process as the employer needs

must keep pace with changes in technology and the rise of new skill sets. Government of

Ethiopia (2008) noted that TVET institutions are mainly expected to replicate new and


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selected technologies and transfer the same to the relevant industry in order to increase

the competitiveness of the sector according to international standards. To this end,

Management and Training Cooperation (MTC) (2010) affirmed that a responsive TVET

system will include methods to gauge/survey employers to gather labour market

information. This information will guide changes in the training of school graduates,

employees in need to update skills, and students attending technology education

institutions and similar training organizations

Close interaction between the institutes and the industries is seen as the

platform for showcasing best practices, latest technological advancements, their

implementation and impact on the Industry. Having a close interaction in place,

industries are able to participate in TVET programs, with the goal of cross-fertilizing

ideas for education systems improvement. To integrate industrial training and other

inputs from the industry with the teaching-learning processes, interaction is necessary

as it develops students’ awareness of job functions in the industry, attitudes to adapt to

industrial environment, proper practical and relevant knowledge, skills and

competencies in preparation to becoming self-employed.

Adaptation of the Teaching/Learning of Imported Technological Knowledge/Skills.

Adaptation and modification rather than wholesale adoption of the

teaching/learning of imported technologies in TVET should be encouraged. Experience

has shown that many products of imported technologies have wasted away in Nigeria

just because of lack of spare parts. Consequently, Nigerian craftsmen and technicians

should learn the techniques of adapting and modifying imported technologies to serve

better. The production of non-available spare parts alone will provide employment for

the many unemployed.


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Africans do not need to re-invent the wheel in an attempt for originality. This is

the advantage of globalization. Africa stands to benefit from scientific and technological

breakthrough of fellow nations. Imported technological ideas can be further developed

or adapted for efficiency of performance. Ogbu, Onyeyinka and Mlawa (1995) observed

that most newly industrialized nations accumulated technology through minor or

incremental technical change. Romijn (2000) asserted that technological hardware can

be transferred, the capability to make use of the hardware has to be developed through

gradual learning process, resulting from purposive efforts to assimilate, adapt and

modify the new technology. Technology is rarely perfect when they come “off-the-shelf”.

Often several rounds of forwards and backward feedback of information between

developers and users are needed to improve and adapt them in iterative fashion. There

is need then for international cooperation among nations for harmonious co-existence.

Inclusion of Soft Skills. The global economy demands much more from people than it

has in the past. Competition is no longer just local, and this drives up the demands on

employees, focusing employers on developing employees that are more engaged in

work, that local customs might have hindered in the past. This demand might be seen in

time at work, type of work, or different interactions. These demands may clash with

local customs or beliefs. Instead of trying to eliminate these customs TVET students

need to be trained in the demands that their industry may require. This will help both

industry and employers to adapt their customs and beliefs to what might be a new way

of doing business. In many cases this type of training is categorized as soft skills (MTC,

2010). These are skills that all employers say they want (i.e. timeliness, productivity,

teamwork, etc.).


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Expand Training Opportunities to Increase Access and Equity: Youth

un/underemployment is shooting up the sky. The hopelessness of hordes of

unemployed youths is mostly attributed to lack of saleable skills. TVET has been

heralded as being able to graduate job creators rather than job seekers. It becomes

necessary to make TVET more accessible to the populace. This can be possible taking

advantages of the potentials of information communication technology (ICT). Employ

ICT as a tool such as web-based Teaching and learning system, distance and online

learning courses to reach even the remote rural areas.

Also courses should be offered in modules such that a module can equip an

individual with a particular skill to progress in the world of work. This will reduce the

cost of pursuing the whole program at once. Again provision should be made for one

who has acquired informal training to further the person’s training in the formal sector

if the person wishes to do so.

Teacher Training: Teachers are the hub or pivot on which any successful education

revolves. Teacher training should therefore begin to develop in the teachers, critical

discourses that challenge the ills afflicting societies like kleptomaniac, exploitation, the

white collar syndrome, sexism, and other related vices. Teacher education program

should aim at producing the type of teachers who have the mission to seriously

challenge the status quo due to their critical disposition and emancipatory outlook.

Therefore, they have to be an all-round group that critically analyzes the economic,

social and political foundations of the current African structures and changes for the

future to emancipate the continent form domination and exploitation (Bassy, 1999;

Sifuna, 2001). This calls for a new kind of pedagogy that recognizes the mutual role that

both students and teachers contribute in the learning situations. Constant training and


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retraining is highly recommended for the instructors; this will keep them abreast of the

changing dynamics in theoretical knowledge, technical and pedagogical skills and new

technologies in the work place. Admission into all teacher programs (not only TVET)

should be raised high and based not only on content knowledge but also on aptitude

and attitude. Admitting students that cannot get admission in other faculties into the

faculty of education must stop. Also important is to review the condition of service of

TVET teachers to make the profession lucrative and attractive. This will attract, retain

and sustain dedicated and committed instructors into the profession.

Attitudinal Re-Orientation: Poor perception of TVET is well summarized by Grubb

(1985) by saying that vocational curricula have always had to battle against not only the

resistance of academic curricular. Rather there is the suspicion that the vocational

curricula provide second class education and track to some individuals of lower class or

lower castes, racial minorities, and women away from academic education and access to

jobs of the highest pay. This attitude has to be re-oriented. To echo Valmonte, (2009),

developing awareness is the first step of reorientation – a process which encompasses

imbibing better principles, skills, perspectives and values. It is only when the leaders

and the public are aware of the contributions of TVET that there can be a position to be

reoriented. The public must be made to understand that TVET is a strategic educational

program for producing a productive workforce that can move the nation forward;

rather than educational program for academically less privileged. This can be done

through campaigns, workshops, exhibitions, etc.

Conclusion

This paper has attempted to examine the development of TVET curriculum in Africa and

particularly Nigeria. It raised the issue that despite the good philosophies of TVET, and


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having introduced TVET in education system in Africa for several decades now, not

much of the expected result has been achieved. It pointed out that the Euro-centric

curriculum adopted by Africans has not actually addressed the needs and aspirations of

the African society. It then suggested the need to develop new approaches to the TVET

curriculum development. Amongst the area it mentioned included the need to

encourage indigenous curriculum, interaction between TVET institutions and the

corresponding industries/businesses, adaptation rather than adoption of foreign

curriculum, re-orientation of attitude toward TVET, inclusion of soft/ICT skills in TVET

curriculum, expansion of access and equal opportunity to TVET programs (making use

of the advantages of ICT potentials), and re-orienting teacher training programs to

adequately effect these changes in TVET curriculum design.

References

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