A SURVEY OF RELEVANCE OF BUSINESS EDUCATION PROGRAM TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OF NIGERIA
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
Education is obviously the basic instrument of economic growth and technological advancement of any society. It is in recognition of this fact that governments commit immense resources to ensure the provision of education for their citizens and also tailored their policies towards ensuring that it is made accessible to the generality of their citizenry (Oyebade et al., 2008). However, business education is an essential element of this general education. It is concerned with the impartation of business orientation and knowledge for personal and national development. Business education involves teaching students the fundamentals, concepts, theories and processes of business. To Okoli (2010), business education is an important part of the general education which emphasizes on skills and competencies acquisition for use in offices and business related occupations. Similarly, Nwanewezi (2010) describes business education as encompassing education for office occupations, business teaching, business administration and economic understanding. In all, Abdulkadir (2011) noted that one remarkable important characteristic of business education program is that, its products can
function independently as self-employed and employers of labor. To this end, the tenet of business education embraces basic education for teaching career, entrepreneurship, business understanding, office environment and vocational practices.
Education in this field occurs at several levels, including primary, secondary and higher education, with the greatest activity in the later. However, Igboke (2005) enumerated the following as the objectives of business education at all levels of education:
To develop basic skills for personal use in the future
To acquire the basic knowledge and skills of business education
To relate the knowledge and skills acquired to national development
To develop basic skills in office occupation
To provide the needed background for teaching in business subjects
To prepare students for further training in business studies
To provide orientation and basic skills with which to start a life of work for those who may not undergo further training
For education to really serve as a veritable vehicle for socioeconomic growth and development as well as for the actualization of these loy objectives of business education in tandem, educational institutions and its systems must function optimally in relation to its set standards. Historically, business education did not come about in Nigeria through government, but through the individual initiative of a few Nigerian entrepreneurs. Such individuals were quick to realize the importance of business education not only to their personal, but also to national economic growth and development. As a matter of fact, prior to Nigeria’s independence and 10 years are, business teacher education, like other vocational and technical
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