BUSINESS EDUCATION STUDENTS TEACHERS ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE TEACHING PROFESSION
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Education is the key that opens other doors of development and its is the teachers that hold the key to the door of education. The importance of teachers in educational development of any cannot be overemphasized. According to the National Policy on Education (1981) states that “No educational system can rise above the quality of its teachers”. Teaching is one of the oldest profession in the world hence, everybody sees to engage in its because of the simple definition often given to it.
Akinpelu (1981:94) defines teaching as the conscious deliberate effort by a mature or experience person to impact information, knowledge, skills to any immature or less experience person with the intention that the latter will learn or come to believe that he is taught on good ground. Teaching represent various activities undertaken by a more experience and more knowledgeable persons to influence the behaviour of the other persons.
Bell-Gam (1998:96) posited that there are number of activities in the classroom which may be called teaching. For instance, writing on the blackboard for students to copy, classroom discussion between the teacher and his student etc. Thus, for any activities to be called teaching. Akinpelu (1981:94) argued that it must be done in a way that is pedagogically sound and acceptable. In modern Nigeria, that is a vulgar rush by the students for professions like medicine, engineering, law and accounting. Similarly, those already in this profession are striving hard to make them more attractive and there is that element of pride and self identification among members of above professions. All these make them more attractive to the students and other members of the public. But unfortunately, the teaching profession which was one of the earliest profession in Nigeria has be relegated to the background and least attractive to students. It will be recalled that before the advent of crude oil and rapid growth in the banking and other private sector, teaching attracted a large number of students during the 1940s through late 1960s secondary school leavers including university students usually made teaching their first part of call but it is obvious in out contemporary society that teaching is now seen as a profession for the dregs, while many sees it as a profession for the women. Interaction with many students in the institution teachers in training shows that while a few of them (especially the female) love teaching profession. Most of them react very negatively on the profession. Many parents from the occupation regarded as a worst job any person could be employ to do. Remark like “God forbid” “My children will never be a teacher”. Teachers has not be paid for the past few months are common discouraging remark from parents and teacher alike.
There are general poor attitude of college of education students towards the teaching profession. Several reasons have been adduced to this, it is not surprising however that the society today has little or no esteem for teachers. This is because teaching is saddled with a lot of problems., the motivation of fulfilling the function of teachers in the classroom is depressed by this low esteem persons realizing low prestige and reward from their occupation direct the energies and interest away from fulfilling their occupational function towards for instance, activities designed to enhance their economic substances. It is also observed that the poor public image of teachers as compared with those of other professions another discouraging reasons students teachers have for detesting the profession. Some of them also get scared of facing large class that contain an average of seventy pupils or more in an effective teaching and learning process. Moreover, for the fact that the teacher’s salary is so small that it is hardly sufficient for him to pay monthly bills it is not even regularly paid this make his morale to be low.
The attitude of Nigerian students towards teaching profession is not peculiar to this country. It is universal problems and it has continued to engaged the attention to government of numerous nation of the world and international organization particularly the international labour organizations (ILO) for example, the 19891 international labour organization second joint meeting on conditions of work teachers held in Geneva in November, 1991 participants were more concerned with the poor income of teachers. They also deployed the late payment of teacher’s salary in member’s nations. In this analysis, efforts will be made to determine the reasons why students do not embrace teaching. Attempts will be made to justify certain claims made above; suggestions will also be proffered on how to make teaching profession attractive to student.
1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
The researcher intent to identify the problems associated with the attitude of College of Education Students to3ards the teaching profession. In doing this, the following will be examined;
The social, economic, educational, religions, and political implication of the attitude of these students towards the teaching profession.
The condition of admission of the students;
The problem saddling the teaching profession;
Attitude of some provost of College of Education towards the provision of essential facilities that could lead to effective teaching and learning activities.
1.3 PURPOSE OF THE STUDY
In order to be able to have a clear direction this study follows certain objectives have been bear in mind. Some of them are;
To find out some of the reasons that make attitude of College of Education students towards the teaching profession unique.
List of the social, economic, educational, religious and political implications of the attitude of the students to the development of moral in this nation.
Identify the problems that discourage the student’s teachers in the teaching and learning process.
Analyze some attitudes of College of Education students towards the teaching profession.