Even though the educational system in Nigeria has operated many curricula in the past, these have not achieved the desired effect on the system. As corroborated by Arthur [1], efforts of the Federal Government towards the implementation of a sound curriculum for schools, have yielded little or no dividends. It is a fact that the government has good intentions in designing a good curriculum for the educational system, but no matter how good a curriculum of education is, implementation has been the major challenge. Mkpa [2] remarked that in Nigeria, it is at the implementation stage that many excellent curricula and other educational policies are marred.

In the year 2011, the New Senior Secondary Education Curriculum was introduced in Nigeria. According to Omosewo and Akanmu [3], the curriculum is geared towards job creation, poverty alleviation and eradication, wealth creation, as well as the development of appropriate skills for social and economic transformation. The implementation of the curriculum was scheduled to commence in September 2011, with year one of the Senior Secondary School and the first batch of Basic Education Certificate holders. The implementation process was also scheduled to be systematic, through year 2 to 3 until the old curriculum is gradually phased out. 

The curriculum also stipulates that a candidate must offer five compulsory cross-cutting subjects, including English Language, General Mathematics, Computer Studies/ICT, Civic Education and one trade/entrepreneurship subject, to be selected from 34 approved trade/entrepreneurship subjects. All students irrespective of their field of studies are to take these subjects. Besides, there are (4 fields of studies, such as Science and Mathematics, Humanities, Technology and Business Studies, which have to be added to the earlier 5 subjects. In all, students are to take a minimum of 8 subjects or a maximum of 9 subjects. A school is also expected to choose a specified number of trade/entrepreneurship subjects based on what is available or obtainable in its immediate environment (Table 1).

Table 1: Humanities, Technology, Business Studies, Science/Mathematics and Trade/Entrepreneurship

The implementation of the curriculum is on-going in schools across the states of the federation. A lot of human, material and financial resources are being committed to it by the government, at both the federal and state levels. 

Statement of Problem

Since the advent of western education in Nigeria in 1842, many curricula had been introduced and implemented in the educational system. Despite this, the educational system has not been able to enjoy much of the dividends of these curricula. It is a fact that the new Senior Secondary Education Curriculum has been in operation since the year 2011 while the government has committed huge financial, human and material resources to its implementation, with the hope that it will achieve the desired objectives in the educational system. Although many researchers had attempted to carry out researches on curriculum implementation in Nigeria, those on the new curriculum, particularly on its implementation are few in literature. Against this backdrop, this study investigated the perception of teachers on the challenges facing the implementation of the new curriculum in Nigeria.

Purpose of the Study

This study was designed to investigate the perception of teachers in Ondo State, Nigeria, on the challenges facing the implementation of the New Senior Secondary Education Curriculum; and found if there was a significant difference in the perception of male and female teachers, the public and private schools teachers, on the challenges facing the implementation of the Curriculum.

Significance of the Study

The findings of this study will be part of efforts towards having greater achievements recorded in the implementation of the New Senior Secondary Education Curriculum in Nigeria. The findings will also serve as feedback to curriculum designers, education planners, particularly in Nigeria. The strength and weaknesses noticed in the implementation of the curriculum will be revealed through the study, for necessary improvement and modification to be effected. Besides, Federal and States’ Ministries of Education, Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC), Principals and Teachers of secondary schools could find the findings of the study valuable in policy formulation and implementation.

Research Questions

The study was guided by the under-listed questions:

• What are the challenges facing the implementation of the New Senior Secondary Education Curriculum in Ondo State, Nigeria, as perceived by teachers in the public secondary schools?

• What are the challenges facing the implementation of the New Senior Secondary Education Curriculum in Ondo State, as perceived by teachers in the private secondary schools?

Hypotheses

The study was guided by these hypotheses:

• Ho1: There is no significant difference in the perception of male and female secondary school teachers on the challenges facing the implementation of the New Senior Secondary Education Curriculum in Ondo State, Nigeria

• Ha1: There is a significant difference in the perception of male and female secondary school teachers on the challenges facing the implementation of the New Senior Secondary Education Curriculum in Ondo State, Nigeria

• Ho2: There is no significant difference in the perception of teachers in public and private secondary schools on challenges facing the implementation of the New Secondary Education in Ondo State

• Ha2: There is a significant difference in the perception of teachers in public and private secondary schools on challenges facing the implementation of the New Secondary Education in Ondo State

Curriculum Concept

The word “curriculum” was derived from the Latin word “Currus” which means a racecourse or a chariot. Currus however originates from the word “Currer”, meaning to run. There are different definitions of the curriculum of education in literature, such as:

• The totality of experiences which the school offers to students [4]

• The program of activities designed so that pupils will attain by learning certain specific ends or objectives (Hirst (1974), cited in Yinusa [5]

• The experience which a school system provides for its students [6]

• A set of courses, course work and content in a school or university [7]

• All the experiences/activities provided under the auspices of the school, to bring about a change in the learner, in the desired direction [8]

• An organized framework that sets out the content the children are to learn, the process through which children achieve goals which the curriculum set for them, what education does to help children achieve those goals and the contexts in which teaching and learning occur [9]

Notwithstanding the different opinions of scholars on what a curriculum is, it is a fact that there is a central theme on which the definitions revolve. In essence, the curriculum is a document that sets out the activities, in terms of courses or subjects, which a student should be taught to achieve the desired education goal.

Importance of Curriculum

The curriculum is a very important document in the educational system, particularly for teachers, students and administrators. It is a document that identifies the learning outcomes, standards and core competencies that students must demonstrate before advancing to the next level of education. It also acts as the roadmap for teachers and students to follow on the path to academic success. 

The administrators do follow a detailed curriculum, to help students achieve state and national standards of academic performance while it ensures that a school is teaching students the relevant materials and monitoring the progress of students from all types of backgrounds. Also, it informs teachers what skills must be taught at each grade level, to ultimately prepare the students for post-secondary education or a job. Understanding the big picture helps teachers align the learning objectives of their curriculum with the school\s curriculum. In the absence of a curriculum, teachers wouldn’t know whether students are building a solid foundation to support learning at the next level.

Besides, curriculum outlines for the students, a sequence of courses and tasks that must be completed to master a subject and earn a diploma or degree. Students may also be motivated to study if they understand why certain subjects are taught in the curriculum. Also, the curriculum reassures students that they are on the right track to reaching their goals and acquiring the desired skills while also intended to teach students, the importance of responsibility, hard work and responsible citizenship. 

Challenges of Implementation of Curriculum

Many theoretical and empirical studies abound in literature, which focused on the challenges of implementation of the curriculum in the educational system. For example, Okeke [10] argued that many teachers in general and science teachers in particular, are poorly trained, either in methodology or curriculum content, or both, which is adversely affecting the effective implementation of the curriculum. According to Aguokogbuo [11], most teachers in training are not trained in the pedagogy of education; hence, there are too many theoretical than practical teaching. Ogunkunle and Mbelede [12] also contended that the issue of qualified teachers to handle the subjects in the curriculum, both in theory and practice, is a very serious problem. Okebukola, cited in Adedibu and Olayiwola [13] also reported the weakness of Science, Technology and Mathematics Teachers which can be attributed to factors, such as lack of practical skills, lack of in-depth subject and entrepreneurial skills, lack of professionalism, just to mention a few, which adversely affected the implementation of the science curriculum and the ultimately, the achievement of the goal of science education. 

According to Osuafor and Okoli [14], most laboratories in schools these days are empty rooms with little or no equipment therein. Computer Studies/ICT which is one of the compulsory subjects requires computer laboratories, computers and other internet facilities for its teaching and learning. Unfortunately, many schools in Nigeria lack these facilities and where they are available, there is no steady supply of power to operate them. Many schools equally do not have stand-by generators while schools cannot afford the cost of fuel to power the generators. 

Osuafor [15] also listed the challenges facing curriculum implementation as:

• Lack of qualified teachers

• Lack of infrastructure and material resources.

• Lack of textbook

• Total dependence on examination as an assessment tool

• Incessant strikes

Sule [16] opined that since the basic goals of education cannot all be met only through teacher-pupil classroom interaction, school libraries can complement the task of learning by school children, thus buttressing the importance of functional school libraries. Unfortunately, many schools in Nigeria do not have functional libraries [15].

The study of Aguokogbuo [11] identified a lack of funds as a major challenge of the implementation of the secondary school curriculum. Also, in a study of teachers’ perceived problems of curriculum implementation in tertiary institutions in Cross Rivers State, Nigeria, by Odeh and Opoh [17], using 480 purposively selected teachers of tertiary institutions as a sample, it was found among others that curriculum implementation was affected by inadequate funding, poor knowledge of interpretation of the curriculum, teacher’s poor understanding of the curriculum content, low quantity of human and material resources, as well as the faulty monitoring/supervision of the implementation process.

An investigation into the challenges facing the implementation of Technical Colleges Curriculum in South West, Nigeria, by Bandele and Faremi [18], using survey research design, one hundred and twenty (120) Basic Science Teachers and Technical Instructors as a sample, selected from technical colleges in two states (Ondo and Ekiti) as well as multistage sampling technique, revealed the following challenges facing the implementation of the modular curriculum in the South West, Nigeria:

• Lack of in-service training and poor condition of service of teachers and instructors

• out-dated equipment

• Unstable government policy

• Lack of standard workshop for practical work

• Lack of related modern instructional materials

A study of the challenges facing the implementation of Introductory Technology Curriculum in Junior Secondary Schools in Nigeria, by Olaniyan and Ojo [19], also found poor funding, lack of tools and equipment, unavailability of instructional materials; and non-challant attitude of government as challenges facing the implementation of Introductory Technology curriculum.

Udoka [20] also opined that the major challenge is funding while Yusuf and Soyemi [21], posited that inadequate financing is one of the problems of implementing the TVET curriculum in TVET institutions. 

Furthermore, Okoroafor [22] listed the problems of implementing the TVET curriculum as:

• Lack of sponsorship

• Inadequate infrastructure

• Inadequate Timing

• Lack of reward for excellence

In the opinion of Nwogu and Nweanomo [23], the challenges of Technical and Vocational Education Curriculum include:

• Lack of skilled manpower

• Acute shortage of TVET teachers

• Poor funding of TVET

• Olaitan, cited in Odu [24] also listed the challenges of implementation of the TVET Teacher 

Training Programme in Nigeria as:

• Insufficient Material Resources for Training

• Dearth of Qualified TVET Educators

• Use of the Quota System for Selection of Students in the TVET Teachers Training Programme

According to Odu [24], the challenges of Human Capital Development include:

• Inadequate funding

• Poor workshop organization

• Inadequate Instructional Materials

Okebukola, further listed the challenges of curriculum implementation as:

• Teachers' inadequacies

• Funding Inadequacies

• Gross inadequacies in facilities

• Harsh and intimidating classroom

• Poor quality preparation of lessons by TVET Teachers

• Resource inadequacy

• An unhealthy classroom

• Shortage of equipment

Moreover, Muli [25] investigated the challenges facing the implementation of Inclusive Education Curriculum in public secondary schools in Mutitu Sub-County of Kitui County, Kenya, using descriptive-survey design and targeted principals and 60 teachers, questionnaire for teachers, interview schedule for principals and an observation guide. Findings revealed the following:

• Majority of teachers have not been adequately trained on how to handle SNE learners

• Majority of schools did not have w3ell-structured learning facilities while those that had the facilities were very inadequate

• Majority of schools were ill-equipped with teaching and learning resources for SNE

• Most teachers feel that the current curriculum is not suited for the learners

• Most schools were yet to implement the inclusive education curriculum

• Teachers have a positive attitude towards inclusive education but skeptical about participating in the implementation of the curriculum

In a study on teachers’ perception on the challenges of 9-Year Basic Education Curriculum implementation in Edo State, Nigeria, by Otaru [26], using a sample of six hundred (600) teachers, selected across the state from public lower, middle and upper basic schools, as well as purposive and proportional sampling techniques, the following challenges were revealed:

• Inadequate funding and proper monitoring of the fund: 1^st

• Lack of teachers especially in the area of science, technical and vocational subjects: 2^nd

• Lack of school counselor to guide and monitor the performance of the students and keep Continuous Assessment Scores for proper placement: 3^rd

• Non-availability of recommended textbooks to suit the program: 4^th

• Government poor attitude of training and retraining of teachers: 5^th

• Lack of teachers interest of going back to school for training to get adapted to the new curriculum: 6^th

• Parents negative attitude towards disarticulation of JSS from SSS and merging JSS and primary schools: 7^th

• Embezzlement of funds: 8^th

• Lack of quality control, check and balance: 9^th

• Student’s attitudes of staying too long in the same school for 9 years: 10^th

Besides, Alabi [27] carried out a study on the implementation of the New Senior Secondary School Curriculum for the realization of the objective of entrepreneurship education in Ondo State, Nigeria, using eighteen (18) public secondary and eighteen (18) private secondary schools from each of the three senatorial districts of the state (i.e. Ondo South, North and Central) as the sample, selected through simple random and stratified random sampling techniques, findings revealed among others that there was a significant difference in the perception of teachers in the public and private schools on the implementation of the New Senior Secondary School Curriculum in the state. 

Research Design

Descriptive-survey design was adopted for the study because it involved a systematic collection of data from part of a population, to determine the distribution of attributes, characteristics of people and description of the present state of affairs, as well as involved the collection of extensive and cross-sectional data to describe and interpret an existing situation under study.

Population, Sample and Sampling Technique(s)

All three hundred and four (304) public secondary schools and the two hundred and eighty-nine (289) approved private secondary schools in the state constituted the main population while all the teachers in these schools constituted the target population of the study.

The sample for the study consisted of 14 public secondary schools, fourteen private secondary schools, 84 teachers from the public secondary schools and 84 teachers from the approved private secondary schools in the state. The researchers chose an equal number of teachers in the public and private schools to create balanced criteria for comparison during the analysis of data. To obtain the sample, the entire state was stratified into the three Senatorial Districts (i.e. Ondo North, Ondo South and Ondo Central). Out of these, Ondo Central was randomly selected. The selected Senatorial District was stratified into six Local Government Areas (i.e. Akure South, Akure North, Idanre, Ifedore, Ondo East and Ondo West LGAs). Out of these, Akure South Local Government Area was randomly selected. There are 28 public secondary schools in the selected Akure South LGA. Out of these, fourteen (14, i.e. 50%) were randomly selected for the study. Out of the 77 approved private secondary schools in the selected Akure South Local Government Area as at the time of the study, 14 were selected for the study. To complete the sampling process, six teachers (including 3 female and 3 male teachers were randomly selected in each school. Multistage, stratified and simple random sampling techniques were adopted to select the sample. 

Instrument; Validation and Reliability

A questionnaire entitled ‘Questionnaire on Perception of Teachers on Challenges Facing the Implementation of New Senior Secondary Education Curriculum’ was designed and used for the collection of required data and information. The questionnaire consisted of two sections (i.e. A and B). Questions on demographic variables about the respondents were listed in Section A while in Section, B, statements on the respondents’ perception of the challenges of the curriculum were stated. A four-point Likert Scale was adopted here. Each statement was followed by four options (i.e. Strongly Agree-4 points, Agree-3 points, Strongly Disagree-2 points and Disagree-1 points. Each respondent was expected to select one of these that corresponded to his/her opinion on each statement. To achieve the validity of the questionnaire, a draft of the questionnaire was submitted to a lecturer in educational administration in a university, for critique and suggestions, which were effected to produce the final copy. The questionnaire was pilot-tested twice in 10 public secondary schools that were not used for the study, within two weeks. Responses to the items in the questionnaire in the two attempts were correlated using Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient. High reliable coefficients (i.e. 0.90 was obtained).

Method of Data Collection and Analysis

The selected schools were visited personally by the researchers, to gather the required data and information. Copies of the questionnaire were administered to the selected teachers after the instructions were explained to them.

Two weeks were allowed for the completion of the administered instruments. A teacher was contracted in each school, to assist in ensuring proper completion and retrieval of the administered questionnaires. All the administered questionnaires were completed and returned by the respondents. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) was used to analyze the collated data, supported by frequency, percentage and mean statistics. The only hypothesis was tested using a chi-square statistic.

Data and Analysis

Table 2 shows that 84 (50%) of the respondents were from public secondary schools and 84 (50%) were from private secondary schools. Also, 84 (50%) of the respondents were male and 84 (50%) were female. It was also found that 48 or 28.57% had a Bachelor of Science (B.SC/Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Education (B.ED). degree, 30 or 17.86% had Post-Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE), 35 or 20.83% had Master of Education (M.ED). degree, 26 or 15.48% had a Higher National Diploma (HND), 18 or 10.71% had Master of Science (M.SC). degree, 11 or 6.55% had Nigeria Certificate in Education (NCE), while 0% had Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) or doctorate. The data analysis further revealed that 100 or 59.52% had the range of 1-10 years teaching experience, followed by those having their years of teaching experience within 11-20 years (i.e.47 or 27.98%) and those whose years of teaching experience were above 20 years (21 or 12.50%).

Table 2: Response of Teachers to Items in Section A of the Questionnaire

Answers to Research Question

What are the challenges facing the implementation of the New Secondary Education Curriculum in Ondo State, as perceived by teachers in public secondary schools?

As revealed in Table 3 and going by the mean values obtained, the following challenges faced the implementation of the new curriculum: inadequate qualified teachers to teach the subjects, lack of workshop for practicals on the trade subjects; inadequate equipment/facilities in the workshops, lack of laboratory; inadequate equipment/facilities in the laboratories; Inadequate infrastructural facilities; inadequate funding; lack of relevant textbooks on the subjects; erratic power supply; inadequate instructional materials for effective teaching of students; wrong choice of subjects; poor students/learners’ background on the subjects; negative attitudes of students to learning; as well as lack of/inadequate background knowledge of students on the trade subjects.

Table 3: Responses of Teachers in Public Secondary Schools to items in Section B of Questionnaire 

Question 2

What are the challenges facing the implementation of the New Secondary Education Curriculum in Ondo State, as perceived by teachers in private secondary schools?

As indicated in Table 4 and going by the mean values obtained, factors such as inadequate funding, erratic power supply, poor students/learners’ background on the subjects, wrong choice of subjects by students, negative attitude of Students to learning, were perceived by teachers in the private secondary schools as challenges facing the implementation of the new curriculum.

Table 4: Responses of Teachers in Private Secondary Schools to items in Section B of the Questionnaire

Test of Hypotheses

Hypothesis 1

• Ho1: There is no significant difference in the perception of male and female teachers on challenges facing the implementation of the new Secondary Education Curriculum in Ondo State

• Ha1: There is a significant difference in the perception of male and female teachers on challenges facing the implementation of the new Secondary Education Curriculum in Ondo State

Based on the chi-square values (i.e. X_C² (1.507) >X_t² (2.706)) obtained from Table 5, there is no significant difference in the mean perception of male and female secondary school teachers regarding the challenges facing the implementation of the new curriculum.

Table 5: Table for Testing Hypothesis 1 

df (1) = 1.507. p>0.05

Hypothesis 2

• Ho2: There is no significant difference in the perception of teachers in private and public schools on challenges facing the implementation of the New Secondary Education in Ondo State

• Ha2: There is a significant difference in the perception of teachers in private and public schools on challenges facing the implementation of the New Secondary Education in Ondo State

Based on the chi-square values (i.e. X_C² (94.513) > X_t² (0.000)) obtained from Table 6, there is a significant difference in the mean perception of private and public school teachers regarding the challenges of the implementation of the new curriculum.

Table 6: Table for Testing Hypothesis 2

Df (1) = 94.51, p = 0.000

Two sets of findings were revealed in this study. The first concerns the teachers in public secondary schools. In this case, the study revealed that the implementation of the new education curriculum is affected by inadequate qualified teachers to teach the subjects. This was not a surprise because there is gross inadequacy of teachers in Nigeria, particularly on the core subjects, such as English Language, Mathematics, Sciences, just to mention a few. Quite unfortunate is the fact that many teachers are unqualified for the job which is adversely affecting the teaching of students and ultimately, the quality of education in schools. The finding thus supports the earlier finding of Iheanenaco [28]; Aguokogbuo [11]; Ogunkunle and Mbelede [12], as earlier stated under the reviewed literature.

Also revealed in the study is the fact that the implementation of the new curriculum was affected by a lack of laboratory and workshop for practicals on the science and trade subjects. It is not a gainsaying that laboratories and workshops are essential for the training of students in the sciences, technical and even some of the trade/entrepreneurship subjects of the curriculum. It is a fact that laboratories are places for the acquisition of skills through learning and doing, which is hands-on-minds-on. Learning by doing or hands-on experience takes place in laboratories. When these are not available, teachers may resort to theoretical teaching which will undermine the acquisition of practical skills by the students. Unfortunately, some secondary schools lack laboratories while most laboratories are empty rooms with little or no laboratory equipment. This finding supports the earlier finding of Bandele and Faremi [18] of which affirmed the effect of workshop and laboratory on effective teaching in schools.

The implementation of the new curriculum was also found to be affected by inadequate equipment/facilities in the laboratories and workshops. This finding is not a surprise because many schools in Nigeria lack adequate facilities while some are even outdated. This position is in line with the finding of Orialu and Ebhomen and that of Osuafor and Okoli [14] that lack of tools and equipment is a challenge facing the implementation of the Basic Technology Curriculum.

Moreover, it was revealed in the study that the implementation of the new curriculum is affected by inadequate funding. The same finding was applicable in the case of private secondary schools. It was not a surprise because a fund is needed for the implementation of the new Secondary Education Curriculum. Without adequate funding, the achievement of quality education at any level will be a ‘mirage’. The finding thus supports the earlier finding by Aguokogbuo [11]; Muli [25], as well that of Odeh and Opoh [17], as indicated in the reviewed literature.

Lack of textbooks on the subjects was also found as a challenge in the implementation of the curriculum in schools. The finding did not come as surprise because of the importance of textbooks to the students and even to the teachers. This finding thus supports the earlier finding by Otaru [26] and the assertion of Osuafor [15] as stated in the reviewed literature. 

Clash of subjects in the Time Table was also found as a challenge as well as difficulty in the choice of subjects in schools. Besides, inadequate instructional material was found as a challenge, which supports the earlier finding of Odu [24] Olaniyan and Ojo [19], Muli [25] as contained in the reviewed literature.

The inadequate infrastructural facility was found as a challenge to the implementation of the curriculum in schools. It is a fact that the use of the instructional facility in teaching will enhance teaching and most importantly, guarantee effective teaching and achievement of lesson objectives. This finding supports the earlier finding of Okoroafor [22] and the assertion of Osuafor [15] as contained in the reviewed literature.

It was further revealed from the study that gender had no significant influence on the perception of teachers in public secondary schools, on the challenges facing the implementation of the new curriculum. The finding could have resulted from the objectivity displayed by the respondents while completing the questionnaire.

Also, it was revealed from the study that there was a significant difference in the perception of teachers in private and public secondary schools on the challenges facing the implementation of the new curriculum. This finding agrees with the earlier finding of the study by Alabi [2014], as indicated in the reviewed literature.

In the case of the private secondary schools, apart from inadequate funding, poor students/learners’ background on the subjects was found as a challenge in the implementation of the curriculum. This finding did not come as a surprise because of the effect of good academic background on the performance of students in schools. The researcher thinks that if the students had been exposed to similar subjects at the junior secondary level, it would be easier for them to understand the content of teaching at a higher level, which will enhance their academic performance in the subjects.

In private schools, the study also found the wrong choice of subjects by students as a challenge in the implementation of the curriculum. It is a fact that the wrong choice of subjects will affect the academic performance of those students. Apart from this, it will put the teachers to task because they have to put in extra energy to ensure that those students understand the rudiments of the lesson and pass examinations on the subjects. 

Also, the negative attitude of students to learning was found as a challenge in the implementation of the curriculum in private secondary schools. This is not a surprise because the negative attitude of students will harm the academic performance of the students in schools.

Based on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that all is not well with the implementation of the New Senior Secondary Education Curriculum in Nigeria as the implantation is facing many challenges, such as inadequate funding, inadequate qualified teachers, inadequate equipment/facilities in the laboratories and workshops, lack of/insufficient orientation of the teachers, lack of relevant textbooks on the subjects, lack of workshop/laboratories; inadequate equipment/facilities in the workshops and laboratories, among others. 

The following are however recommended to achieve effective implementation of the curriculum:

Government should allocate more funds to the education sector, which can guarantee increased running grants to the schools and improved infrastructural facilities situation in schools. Parents should however assist the Government to achieve improved funding of schools by donating cash and infrastructural facilities for schools. 

Government should provide additional infrastructural facilities, such as workshops and laboratories in all secondary schools across the state, with adequate provision of equipment, instructional materials and tools to make teaching and learning of the skill-based subjects meaningful to enable students to have the opportunity to engage in practicals.

The government should recruit additional qualified teachers and distribute them to schools, to complement those available in the schools. 

The government should make arrangements for the production of textbooks on the subjects in the curriculum, particularly the trade/entrepreneurship subjects. Importation of relevant books should be considered as an option because of the difficulty involved in getting authors with requisite skills to write books on the trade/entrepreneurship books presently. To encourage this, the tariff on the importation of such textbooks should be reduced to the minimum by the government.

The government should extend power supply to schools, particularly those in the rural areas while Guidance-Counsellor of schools should be committed to the job and guide the students appropriately in the choice of subjects at this level. More Guidance-Counselors should however be recruited and distributed to those schools that are lacking presently.

Students should show positive attitudes to learning while schools’ administrators and teachers should always monitor the students and ensure that they do not deviate from the normal courses in schools. 

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