CHALLENGES OF EFFECTIVE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF BUSINESS STUDIES IN SECONDARY SCHOOLS

Background of the study: Education, according to Whitehead (2022), is the process through which society's cultural norms and values are passed down from one generation to the next. According to the same point of view, Atwater and Yammarino (2022) defined education as the collection of all the processes by which an individual cultivates abilities, attitudes, and forms of behaviour that are deemed to be of positive value in the society in which he lives. Formal education, informal education, and non-formal education are all valid perspectives from which to examine education. Only via classroom instruction is it possible to achieve a complete education. The majority of one's education can be obtained from sources outside than the traditional classroom setting. The house, other people's companies, travel, and other experiences outside of the classroom are examples of such sources (Atwater, & Yammarino, 2022). Formal education refers to any type of teaching-learning process that follows a standard, well-established, and consistent organisation and pattern. This type of education can take many different forms. To put it more plainly, formal education is synonymous with schooling. Formal education is distinct from informal education in that it possesses control, a curriculum, regular financing, staffing, and evaluation of examinations (Federal Republic of Nigeria 2022). A component of socialisation is the instruction in the use of information. This refers to the process of assimilating individual members of a society into the structured way of life and long-standing customs of that community. Informal education starts when children are very young and continues throughout a person's entire life. Informal education, in contrast to formal education, does not have a set curriculum, legislation, teaching methods, control mechanism, evaluation systems, or staff members that have received specialised training. The education process can be carried out informally by schools, parents, peers, and the media. The majority of learning takes place through social interaction with other people in a specific environment (Isangedighi, 2022). The acquisition of knowledge and abilities through settings other than conventional educational institutions is referred to as non-formal education. Non-formal education is also capable of being carefully planned, staffed, and funded, just like formal education. Education in business is included in the larger category of formal and non-formal education as a subset known as specialised education (Atwater, & Yammarino, 2022). It should be noted that in Nigeria, commercial subject, business education, and business studies all refer to the same thing. Regardless of what term one chooses to use to refer to it, it is included in the vocational and technical education curriculum of the Nigerian school system, which is organised according to the 6-3-3-4 system as outlined in the national policy on education 1977 revised 1981. This information is necessary for a proper understanding of the researcher's discussion presented in this paper. Within the pre-vocational set of disciplines, business studies is typically treated as its own distinct discipline. According to Nanassy (2003), business education is a component of a comprehensive education that equips students with the competencies, information, attitudes, and values essential to enter a variety of occupational fields. Atwater and Yammarino (2022) defined business education as education for business as well as training in business skills, both of which are required for use in business offices and clerical occupations as well as business policy analysis. Business education can also be defined as education for business. Because the beginnings of formal education in this country paid no attention whatsoever to business education, business education got off to a sluggish start in Nigeria and has progressed at a pace that is far slower than that of other types of education. Even when attempts were made to identify it, the image that was portrayed was quite terrible at it since the general public perceived it as an education meant for those who were handicapped, dropped out of school, never did well, and were psychologically maladjusted (Federal Republic of Nigeria 2022).

The colonial masters in Nigeria are credited with initiating the concept of business education as early as the year 1882. Their education was limited to the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve these goals, such as filling out forms and typing, because the primary objective was to have people interpret the terrifying book that is known as the Bible. Another objective was to have people work as clerks and interpreters of the Holy Book (Isangedighi, 2022). Approximately in the year 1930, a clerical training centre was established in Oshogbo, which was located in the former western Region and is now a part of the state of Osun. This was the beginning of training in vocation business studies, which would later become known as commercial education. The clerical officers that were so much needed at the time to fill jobs in the office were the focus of the training that was provided at the centre. By the year 1955, the western region had seen the establishment of a large number of commercial secondary schools, in which subjects such as shorthand, typing, and various business procedures were among those that were taught (Isangedighi, 2022).The Ashby report was the first place that the awareness and impact of business education to the economy was mentioned. The Ashby commission in its report in 1960 noted the imbalance in our educational system and shortage of calibre of workers in our industries and offices. The report also mentioned the importance of business education. After that, he proposed the introduction of business classes into the curriculum of the schools, which would contain a variety of topics. Three languages: English, shorthand, and typing. In addition, the report made the recommendation that post-secondary general commercial education be made available at technical institutes on a full-time basis. After that, it was claimed that the purpose of this was to teach stenographers and junior clerks for the purpose of up-grading to more responsible posts (Atwater, & Yammarino, 2022).

 

Later, in 1969, curriculum conferences gave respect to business education as an essential topic of study in an expanding industrial economy. This acknowledgment came about as a result of the need for business education. Following the recommendation made at the curriculum conference, new business education curricula were developed in Nigeria. These new curricula were implemented throughout all levels of education, from elementary to secondary technical to university. The new strategy will have a significant effect on the growth of vocational business education; for instance, business studies will be reclassified as a topic that falls under the pre-vocational category.

At the junior secondary level, business studies are taught as an integrated topic, which encompasses all of the vocational business fields. These areas comprise five fundamental subjects: bookkeeping, commerce, office practise, shorthand, and typewriting (Federal Republic of Nigeria 2022).

At the level of senior secondary school, on the other hand, business topics are permitted to function independently as their own distinct subjects. In this point, students begin to move toward a career option, which they will most likely continue pursuing either at a college of technology or polytechnic for higher professional training or at a university for additional academic study.

The primary goal of business education is to prepare students for whichever career path they ultimately decide to pursue (pre –vocational training).