EFFECT OF PARENTAL BACKGROUND ON GIRL-CHILD VOCATIONAL SKILLS PROCUREMENT IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA  

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the influence of parental background on the Girl-Child’s Vocational Skill acquisition in junior secondary schools in Kaduna state, Nigeria. It was predicted on the assumption that parents have negative influence on vocational skill acquisition of the Girl-Child. A total of (4) research questions and objectives were advanced as follows: Examine parents view on the influence of parental background on Girl-Child Vocational Skill acquisition in Junior secondary school in Kaduna state, Examine the influence of parental background on the Girl-Child’s Vocational skills acquisition in relation to rural and urban difference in junior secondary schools in Kaduna state and to determine the opinion of teachers and principals on the influence of parental background on Girl-Child’s Vocational Skills acquisition in Junior Secondary school in Kaduna state. Descriptive research design was adopted, 13,12815 the population of the study while 381 is the sample for the study, proportion method was used to select the sample from six Schools. Questionnaire was the instrument used for the study, frequency count and percentage was used to analyse research question Q1-4 while, Crombach Alpha co-efficient statistics was use to test the pilot study conducted at GSS Abah, a total of 25 copies of questionnaire was distributed, with a result of 0.868 statistics which is considered reliable. Chi-square statistics and ANOVA was used to test the hypothesis design for the study. The major findings shows that parental background does not have negative influence on the gild-Child vocational skill acquisition in junior secondary schools in Kaduna state, there is significant difference between the  opinion of male and female students, with male ranked highest with 232.11 while female 146.52, the findings also shows that there is significant different with regard to location (rural & urban) onions on the influence of parental background of the Gild-Child Vocational Skill acquisition in junior secondary schools in Kaduna State. The researcher recommend that: Government should develop new sets of training centers especially in the rural communities so as to help the Gild-Child, women gain the vocational entrepreneur like skill that are crucial for their life employment and frequent monitoring adequate funding should be provided.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

        1.1       Background to the study

The extend of parental interest and involvement in school and vocational activities relates positively to their children achievements. Adams (2012) he further stated that home environment that encourages learning is more important to students than income level of education of parents and cultural background of the parents.

In Nigeria, girls access to education, especially in northern state, has remained very low. National school census (NSC, 2006) reveals a net enrollment proportion (19%) of primary school age population (6-11 years) is not enrolled in primary schools nationwide. In Kaduna State, the number of children out of school is high and the proportion of girls to boys ranges from one girl to two boys most especially in the rural communities (Adie, 2012).

In educational and economic studies, it has been found that parental background such as family size, family type, family income, location (rural or urban) and parental education are determinants of the amount and quality of education children receive over their life time. (Dokubo, 2014).

The job opportunism once available to less educated individuals are becoming scarce as more employers are raising their employment standards, colleges graduates are replacing employees with high school degrees. As the job market changes, individuals of all races and backgrounds should have the basic skills, education and opportunities to compete at the same levels.

 

It is evidence that family and parental background factors can either benefit or harm the chances of children receiving basic and vocational education and excelling in scholastic environment.

Nigeria recognizes education as fundamental human right and signatory to major conventions for the protections of the right of children and women, especially the convention of the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW in 2003), the government of Nigeria passed into law the child right act, this act is aimed at facilitating the realization and protection of the right of children, in its quest to achieve the objective of Millennium Development Goals (MDGS), Nigeria also enacted the universal basic education to fast track education with interventions at the primary and junior secondary levels. Nigeria has developed a strategy for the girl-child education, which evolved into a segment and now being reinforced by the girls education project (GEP). This is a substantial joint undertaken by the Federal Government of Nigeria DFID and United nation international children education fund (UNICEF) to boast girls schooling in Nigeria and accelerate progress towards the MDGS, especially with respect to United Nations International children education fund gender equality (UNICEF, 2003).

The major objectives of the girls-child education project (GEP) in UNESCO

(2003) include:

1. Raising national awareness on girl-child education and increasing political and financial commitment through advocacy and sensitizing of policy makers at all levels; ii. Developing technical capacity of schools and teachers pedagogical skills to create girls friendly school environments that enhance the participation of girls improve learning outcomes;

iii. Establishing child-friendly school principals as minimum benchmarks for effective schools, linked to community empowerment; iv. Building institutional capacity of stakeholders on gender sensitivity and

sexuality.

1. Collaborating with government and other stakeholders in reviewing existing curricula and teaching materials for gender sensitivity; and vi. Promoting the employment of more female teachers in the rural areas where they are most needed to serve as role model and assist in the monitoring of out of school girls, as stipulated in the Federal Ministry of Education (FRN 2013), noted that the national average for school enrollment and adult which is negatively influenced by the gender factor where by girls enrollment and female literacy have remained very low.

Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) have been recognized the world over as tools for empowering people, especially the youth, for sustainable livelihood and socio-economic development. The United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization (ILO) recommendations of 2000 on technical and vocational education and training for the twenty-first century, defined TVET as those aspects of education process involving in addition, to general education, the study of technologies and related science and the acquisition of practical skills, attitudes, understanding and knowledge relating to occupations in various sectors of economic and social life. The overriding goals of TVET in Nigeria are to provide trained manpower in the applied sciences, technology and business particularly art and craft, advanced craft and technical levels:

• Provide the technical knowledge and vocational skills necessary for agricultural commercial and economic development;
• Give training and impart necessary skills to individual who shall be self-reliant economically. (Auru, Lawan and Aduozaua, 2015).

Despite all the efforts made by the government and other private agencies to encourage the  Girl-Child education there are still cases of low enrolment, issues of school dropout and unemployment cases among the  Girl-Child and the youth in general; hence these prompt the researcher to carry out the study on the influence of parental background on the  Girl-Child in relation to vocational skill acquisition, in Junior Secondary schools, so as to enlighten, encourage motivate all those concern on the benefit of vocational skills to Girl-Child.

        1.2       Statement of the Problem

There are social, economic and political problems bedeviling the Nigeria children. These problems and the policies put in place to salvage the situation of

Nigeria children include children‟s decree, the new political dispensation, the Human Right commission and the ministry of women affairs with a full department for child development matters, But in spite of these measures, leadership and socio-economic problems have not allowed for effective implementation and monitoring or observance of the rights of the girl-child. The issue of girl-child education is now a global issue of importance; it is a fundamental resolution that was reached at the Dakar Agreement on education in recent times. (Abolarin, 2010).

Poverty with high illiteracy rate is a common phenomenon in developing countries, most especially among rural people, of which woman form the majority. However, woman empowerment through vocational skills training programmes has been seen as a greet weapon to curtailing illiteracy poverty, discrimination and over defendency on men which rub women. Of decision making in the family and in the society at large.v

In most societies, a particularly traditional societyanybody who has not reached the age of maturity is regarded as a child. Similarly, in the contemporary modern societies a child at the age of (18) eighteen, are regarded as adults, yet mostly need help from their parents, relatives and the society as a whole if they are to become responsible in their life time. The girl-child problem in Nigeria has many dimensions of problems but the root of all kinds of discriminations and bias against the girl-child lies in the customs, traditions and typical mindset of the society which considers the girl-child and women as inferior beings (Fisho-Orideji, 2012).

Looking at some traditional and cultural practices in especially Northern part of Nigeria most parents do not allow their girl-children access to western education or MakarantanBoko as it is known, it is the favoured ones that were lucky to attend primary school. This has hampered our level of educational attainment and enhancement.

Itwas initially believed that, the influence of western education on the girlchild was inimical that those schools would change their ways of life and make them discard their traditional as well as their cultural ways of life and to others, when the girl-child is educated, it has no direct or immediate benefit to the family, since she has to get married some day, so the responsibility of training her should rest on her husband. That might be the fundamental reasons why only religious education, particularly „‟MakarantanAllo is allowed to be pursued by the girl-child in the North.(Usman, 2007).

Lack of vocational skill acquisition as rendered many youth (Girl-child) over dependent on parents, husband and relatives, in order to reduce or eradicate the level of maltreatment, neglect, negative attitude of the parent towards Girl-Child vocational skills acquisition.Itis in the light of the above observation that this research is to be undertaken to find out the influence of parental background on the girl-child vocational skills acquisition and other factors responsible for low enrolment of girls into schools, such as socio-cultural, religious misinterpretation of Holy Books, economic, societal negative attitude to girl-child education, early marriage and gender bias.

       

        1.3        ObjectivesoftheStudy

The objectives of the research work is to:

1. examine parents views on the influence of parental background on Girl-

Child‟s Vocational skill acquisition in junior secondary school in Kaduna

state;

2. determine the opinions of male and female students on the influence of parental background on the Girl – childs vocational skill acquisition in Junior Secondary Schools Kaduna state;
3. examine the influence of parental background on Girl – child‟s vocational skills acquisition in relation to rural and urban difference in junior secondary schools in Kaduna state; and
4. determine the opinions of teachers and Headteachers on the influence of parental background on Girl – child‟s vocational skill acquisition in junior secondary schools in Kaduna state.

        1.4        Research Questions

The following research questions are to be answered in the course of the study.

1. To what extent is the view of parents different on the influence of parental background on the Girl-Child Vocational skill acquisition in junior secondary school in Kaduna State?
2. What is the opinion of male and female students on the influence of parental background on girl-Child‟s Vocational skill acquisition in junior Secondary

school in Kaduna state?

3. Can parental background influences the rural and urban Girl-child vocational skills acquisition differently in junior secondary school in Kaduna state?
4. What is the opinion of teachers and Headteachers on the influence of parental background on Girl – child‟s vocational skills acquisition in junior secondary

school in Kaduna state?

        1.5       Hypotheses

The following hypotheses will be testedat P=0.05:

Ho1:	There is no significant difference between the opinions of the respondents on the influence of parental background on the Girl child‟s vocational skill acquisition in junior secondary schools in Kaduna State;
Ho2:	There is no significant difference between the opinion of male and female students on the influence of parental background on the girl – child‟svocational skills acquisition in junior secondary schools in Kaduna State;
Ho3:	There is no significant difference on the influence of parental background  on rural and urban Girl-Child‟s vocational skills acquisitionin junior secondary school Kaduna State; and
Ho4:	There is no significant difference in the opinion of teachers and

Headteachers on the influence of parental background on the Girl – child‟s vocational skill acquisition in junior secondary schools in Kaduna state.

        1.5       BasicAssumptions

The study is based on the following assumptions:

1. It is assumed that parentshave different view on the influence of parental background on the Girl-child vocational skills acquisition in junior secondary school in Kaduna state;
2. It is assumed that there are different opinion from the male and the female students on the influence of parental background on the Girl-child vocational skills acquisition in junior secondary school in Kaduna state;
3. It is assumed that parental background influences the rural and urban Girl – child differently in junior secondary schools in Kaduna state; and
4. It is assumed that there are different opinions from the teachers and Headteachers on the influence of parental background on the Girl – child‟s vocational skills acquisition in junior secondary schools in Kaduna state.

        1.7       SignificanceoftheStudy

The role of the girl-Child/women is a role of guidance, nurturing, raising and producing a generation of responsible young man and woman. Hopefully, the result of this research will wipe out negative feelings of parents on the issue of girl-Child‟s vocational skills acquisition.

It is a universal truth that vocational and technical education is the key instrument for empowering individual in any society. The result of this study hopefully will reduce the rate of poverty and unemployment.

Vocational education enables the woman to manage their households better to apply and improved hygiene and nutrition practices, it raise product (GNP) of a nation while at same time raising both economic, social and political status of the girls themselves, hopefully these advantages will benefit the succeeding generations.

The result of the study will uplift the position of the girl-Child and a references point curriculum planners.

It is hoped that the findings of this study will give young girls and woman, both the married and unmarried who dropped out of schools and vocational training centers incentive to want to go back to achieve their desired goals.

In a recent study analyzing social indicators in some one hundred and twenty four countries, UNICEF (2008) discovered that functional education particulars of the girl-child was the indicator showing the greatest correlation to reduce under five mortality rates and increased life expectancy and enhance children‟s ability to express and act upon their needs, concerns and hopes for the future. This confirms the popular adage that when you educate a woman you educate a whole nation but when you educate a man, you educate a single soul.

        1.8       Scopeof the Study

The study is to determine the influence of parental background on Girl-

Child‟s vocational skill acquisition in Kaduna state. The study was conducted in (3) Local Government Areas of Kaduna state; the three local governments are Zaria, Soba and SabonGari local government areas. In these local government areas there are 40 junior secondary schools, out of 40 there are 20 mixed junior secondary school, the researcher focus only on the mixed schools. The study focused on the following topics: Theoretical framework, Conceptual framework, concept of skills, vocational education, objectives of vocational education, goals of vocational education, vocational training for the Girl-Child, history of education in Northern Nigeria, the girl-Child education, influence of parental background on the girl-child training impediment to girl-child vocational skill acquisition. As regard to the instrument the research limited it to questionnaire.

EFFECT OF PARENTAL BACKGROUND ON GIRL-CHILD VOCATIONAL SKILLS PROCUREMENT IN JUNIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA  

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