Minimum Curriculum and Course Specifications for Geological Engineering Technologists in Nigeria (Published)
In view of the vital role of mineral, petroleum and other earth resources in national development and economic growth, adequate development of quality technical professionals is critical for geological exploration and evaluation of the resources. This paper presents an overview of recent reviews of education programmes for geological engineering technologists. The geological programmes are traditionally offered at Higher National Diploma (HND) levels alongside mining, petroleum, and mineral engineering in several Nigerian polytechnics, and are supervised by the National Board for Technical Education. The HND programmes are preceded by a common-based National Diploma (ND) in Mineral and Petroleum Resources Engineering. The entry requirements for candidates are similar to those for university degrees in engineering, but the curriculum structure and course contents give stronger emphasis to practical and industrial orientation, with a minimum ratio of 60:40 respectively, in the professional course units. The products of the ND and HND are employable as technicians and technologists respectively, in numerous engineering aspects of earth resources exploration, evaluation, exploitation, and construction. The strong blend of geological and engineering courses in their curriculum prepares the geological engineering technologists for a productive career in exploration and mining geology, mining, petroleum, civil and construction, military, chemical, and environmental sectors. It is recommended that the government should derive more benefits from its technical capacity by removing all existing derogatory impediments, and allowing technologists to pursue more effective postgraduate studies and professional development along the path of practical orientation.
Keywords: Engineering, Professional, Technical Education, diploma, postgraduate
Single Parenting: a Constraint to the Sustainable Development of Technical Education in Enugu State (Published)
The study investigated the impact of single parenting on the acquisition and development of technical education in Enugu State. The purpose of the study was to determine the consequences and, the constraints the concept of single parenting has imposed on the sustainable development of technical education in Enugu State. A total of 120 respondents made up of males and female students of selected technical colleges in each geopolitical zones of Enugu state were used for the study. Three research questions guided the study. Three hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Data was collected using structured questionnaires. The Cronbach alpha reliability coefficient used to test the reliability of the instrument yielded 0.82. The study revealed that children from single parents suffer from financial troubles, family instability, emotional trauma, harsh socio-economic pressures and stigmatization. As a result of these constraints, children from single parents are characterized with low pace of comprehension, finds it difficult to purchase instructional materials, unable to attend enhancement programs, highly vulnerable to drugs and alcohol. The study also revealed that, these children get frustrated and drop out of school. It was recommended that there should be the creation of special scholarship board for children of single parents interested in technical education by the state and federal government as this will help to address the issue of right deprivement and handle the cases of poor skill acquisitions. Equally recommended is the development of appropriate counselling techniques and programs in all the technical colleges.
Citation: Kalu U Okey, Ogba Kalu. T., Ogbonnaya Kingsley A. (2021) Single Parenting: a Constraint to the Sustainable Development of Technical Education in Enugu State, British Journal of Education, Vol. 9, Issue 9, pp.89-100
Keywords: Constraints, Single parenting, Sustainable Development, Technical Education
A Critical Analysis of National Board for Technical Education Old and New Curriculum in Office Technology and Management for Sustainable Development (Published)
The paper examined the persistent issue of curriculum review in Office Technology and Management which is now used in the Nigerian Polytechnics. The convergence of computer, telecommunication, the internet and microelectronics with business environment has brought to the fore, the emerging Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sub skills that are lacking in the curriculum for producing the office worker in Nigeria. The prevailing circumstance where the secretary has to work with modern technology used in this digital era led to the review of the old curriculum for secretarial studies. The review of OTM curriculum was taken with the view to produce graduates who could be effective in the Management roles and have confidence and practical skills necessary to put theory into action It also looked at consequential issues concerning inadequate provision of human and material resources as well as the need to ensure that the OTM programme is adequately funded to ensure that requisite facilities are provided for effective training of the recipients of the programme and equally emphasized on the need for training and retraining of the lecturers in the polytechnic on the prerequisite skills needed to teach this novel ICT softwares.
Keywords: Curriculum, ICT, Sustainable Development, Technical Education