Agricultural development in Nigeria: The need for a paradigm shift in the teaching of Agricultural Science in Secondary Schools

Abstract

Some secondary schools in Kuje Area Council of FCT (53%) were used to determine the adequacy of the present Agricultural Science Curriculum in meeting the needs of sustainable food security in Nigeria. Statistical tools of mean, standard deviation and percentages were used to compare responses from both Public and Private schools, as well as from both rural and urban schools. Using the Likert Scale of 1-4 for ranking, the major problems facing the teaching of Agricultural Science in Secondary Schools in Kuje Area Council were determined (in order of magnitude) as follows: Lack of farm machines for use in the schools; problem of poor funding of the agricultural sector by the government thereby seriously hampering the teaching of the subject in the schools; lack of fish ponds in the schools; lack of school orchards and problem of low level allocation of fund for execution of agriculture and agriculture-related projects in the schools. The present agricultural science curriculum encourages rote learning and places more emphasis on theoretical knowledge display, with less emphasis on practical skill acquisition. Hence, there is the urgent need to provide secondary schools in Nigeria with adequate infrastructural and learning facilities for the effective teaching of the Agricultural Science Curriculum so as to facilitate a paradigm shift from the present classroom rote learning to practical skill acquisition for sustainable food security.