COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF STUDENTS’ ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE IN AGRICULTURAL SCIENCE IN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN KADUNA STATE, NIGERIA

1.1Background to the study

Agricultural Science subject is part of the vocational subject taught in primary schools and secondary school which inculcated the process of farming in all its branches and among other things includes the cultivation and tillage of the soil, dairying, the production, cultivation, growing, and harvesting of any Agricultural commodities, the raising of livestock or poultry, and any practices performed by a farmer on a farm as an incident to or in conjunction with some farming operations, and it may include the manufacturing or processing of coconut, tobacco, pineapples  or other farm products (Bolens, 1997).

The general objectives of Agricultural science subject are to: stimulate and sustain students‟ interest in farming; demonstrate that farming is a dignified and paying occupation; enable students to acquire basic agricultural knowledge, practical skills and attitudes; enable students to integrate agricultural knowledge and skills in solving agricultural problems of their families and societies; prepare students for employment in farming and/or further studies in agriculture (URT, 1997).

Agricultural science subject has been taught as a core subject in ordinary level secondary schools since its introduction in 1972 up to 2004 when the government phased it out. The reason for phasing it out was to avoid placing students prematurely into vocational programmes which might not meet their future career preferences as well as the teaching process of the subject which was thought to unable students to master both vocational and cognitive skills at the end of the teaching and learning cycles, thus rendering them

incapable of undertaking self or direct employment in the formal and informal sectors (Young, 2011). The government‟s decision to phase out the subject met with a lot of resistance from educational stakeholders whether it was appropriate decision or not.

Agricultural science subject is the course of study which involves teaching about crop production, livestock management, soil and water conservation and various other aspects of agriculture such as nutrition which improves the quality of life for all people by helping farmers increase production, conserve resources and provide nutritious foods (Schultz et al., 2008). In this study, Agricultural science subject refers to a course of study in ordinary level secondary schools which is among optional subjects in the pre- vocational subjects‟ group which mainly deals with crop and livestock production as well as basics of agricultural mechanisation, economics and soil science.

Private Secondary school is known as independent schools (non-governmental) or nonstate schools that are not administered by local, state or national government, they retain right to select their student and are funded in whole or in part by charging their student tuition fees, rather than relying on mandatory taxation through government funding, but they must operates based on government stated curriculum and scheme of work from ministry of education (Heins and David, 2004). Public secondary schools are those operated, funded and overseen by government. (Thattai and Deeptha, 2001 ). Most of the private schools are funded, conducted and maintained by a private group rather than by government, usually charging tuition and then followed stated curriculum and syllabus as the same with the public schools operated by government (Withan and Joen, 1997).

The overall objective in every teaching –learning interaction as usually required is to bring about harmonious development of the individual and acquisition of the desired knowledge, values and skills to enable him/her function in a particular way. The process of teaching needs to be supervised for effective teaching- learning process. The syllabus and curriculum system must be given special care and consideration so as to achieve the desired objectives. Thus, when curriculum system is ensured in every school, there will be positive developments that will bring permanent change in the behavior of the learner signifying that learning has taken place.

The teaching and learning of Agricultural science as a subject in secondary schools in the world reveals an evolution from vocational basis in the first half of the 20th century (Laugo, 2009). Interest in teaching and learning Agricultural science in secondary schools seems to be growing because many governments are seeking assistance to implement the subject (Laugo, 2009). The World Bank has been investing heavily in the implementation of Agricultural science subject in secondary schools but there have been limited studies on its effectiveness on economic development (World Bank, 2005). Because the Agricultural science subject weds academic or general subjects with some degree of vocational learning, students can develop not only vocational skills in the field of agriculture, but also cognitive skills to prepare them for university studies in agriculture (Yamada, 2001).

The motive behind the introduction of Agricultural science subject in secondary schools lies on the expectation of improving quality of life attached to secondary school education especially in developing countries (Bregman and Stallmeister, 2005). Therefore, the World Bank has encouraged the teaching and learning of Agricultural science as a development strategy and as a means to make the rapid expansion of secondary school education

consistent with better match between skills learned in school and those needed in the students‟ families and societies (Psacharopolous and Zabalza, 1984). On this ground, different governments have introduced Agricultural science subject in their secondary schools to smoothen the transition to work particularly for the benefit of farm employment for those students whose secondary education schooling will be terminal (Benavot, 2006).

However, human societies differ in the way they teach their children values, norms and skills, while others impart skills in formal way, through organized system, that is a well recognized system approved by the ministry of education. Others prefer more traditional ways in inculcating such desired values, notwithstanding the particular society in which learning takes place, and methodology used, a number of variables interact together to bring about a stable and permanent changes in behaviour. Thus, the study intends to investigate the comparative academic achievement of secondary schools students in Agricultural science in public and private schools in three different educational zones of Kaduna State. The study also intends to look at these variables, the learner, the teacher and the learning environment, because learning can only take place where there is a learner and the learner has to be physically, mentally, socially and morally ready to learn. Thus when the learner is not fit to learn due to some health problems or interest, then the objectives of teaching and learning are hampered. Consequently, besides the two important variables mentioned in teaching learning process, the environment in which learning takes place has to be conducive for learning. In formal learning, schools are not just a place to learn, to read and write but also receive complete education. Therefore, schools have to provide suitable environment for effective and proper development of the learner so as to acquire the desired skills, but where the school environment is deficient

or lacking in the materials required for effective learning, the designed objectives cannot be achieved. The facilities required for effective teaching – learning are; adequate classroom space, curriculum system, experienced teachers, teaching –learning materials such as text books, boards, board marker, and visual aids.

The major emphasis in the Agricultural science subject syllabi across countries in the world is to enable students to develop positive attitudes towards agriculture so that they can see agriculture as a viable source of occupation that can lead to personal and community development. It aims to equip students with relevant agricultural knowledge, skills and attitudes. This is particularly important because it gives students a clear understanding that agriculture is a viable source of livelihood just like any other job in other sectors (Briseid and Caillods, 2004; Laugo, 2009).