Curriculum Reform And Growth Of Nigeria's Vocational And Technical Education

The curriculum of vocational and technical education (VTE) is the bridge connecting vocational qualifications, educational aims and students' ability. It demonstrates the essence and idea of VTE and plays a key role in the development and reform of the system of VTE. The research on the curriculum reform of VET helps to learn the past and the present of chosen VTE system.The research takes the curriculum reform of Nigeria's VTE as the cutting point and uses the key measurements decision department of VTE adopted. By means of field research historical analysis and literature analysis, the paper shows the changes and characteristics of the curriculum structure and explores the problems of the structure. The paper also analyses the measurements and achievements the reform got. Through the analysis on experiences and lessons from the curriculum reform of Nigeria's vocational and technical education, it is helpful to know more about objective rules pushing forward the reform and development of vocational and technical education in developing countries and to boosting system reform of China's vocational and technical education.Based on the basic curriculum theories of VTE, chapter one tells the background and significances of the research and introduces the research outline and methodology as well as analyses the key notions. Chapter two draws a general picture of Nigeria's politics, economy, culture and education and introduces a short history of Nigeria's vocational and technical education from colonized periods to post-independence times and the administrative system and structure system of Nigeria's vocational and technical education. The paper puts emphasis on the key organizations in the Nigeria's curriculum reform of vocational and technical education, such as NBTE, NCCE, NABTEB, JAMB and ITF which include organizations of the core administration, curriculum accreditation, examination and evaluation and practice funds. As the most important part, chapter three discusses the curriculum reform of Nigeria's VTE in three parts. The first two parts mainly analyze the significant policies and measurements taken by Nigeria's government and the ministry of education to the curriculum reform of VTE from 1960S till now. These two parts also discuss the evolvement of vocational and technical education system with the changing political and economical background. The third part of this chapter discussed independently the system of curriculum accreditation and evaluation which is the core and also achievement of Nigeria's curriculum reform of VTE. And the last two parts make a summary of the achievements the reform got and the main problems it faced. Chapter four analyses the main elements influencing Nigeria's curriculum reform of VTE. Accordingly, chapter five gives some hints on the development of China's vocational and technical education combining the problems which China's VTE faces.The creative point of the research lies at the field research method to collect first-hand information on Nigeria's vocational and technical education and analysis of the achievements it got and problems it encounters as well as theoretical and practical research on vocational and technical education in different developing countries and on projects of aiding Africa through education.