Al-Hikmah University Central Journal
VOCATIONAL BUSINESS EDUCATION FOR SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA
Abstract
The focus of this paper is to explore the role of Vocational Business Education in sustainable economic development. It has been observed that one of the three pillars of development is economic growth and that vocational business education, contributes immensely towards the economic growth of any society. The literature reviewed disclosed that the ability of vocational business education to promote economic growth depends on its relevance to the needs, values and aspirations of the society it is meant to serve. This implies that vocational business education should impact appropriate knowledge, skills, attitudes and competencies needed by the society in order for the products of vocational business education to contribute meaningfully to sustainable economic development. It was concluded that vocational business education is a formidable tool for sustainable economic development in Nigeria because it provides its recipients with the appropriate knowledge, skills, attitudes and competencies that are needed for sustainable economic development. Finally, the findings of the study on vocational business education revealed some issues on: inadequate funding; poor remuneration and motivation of teachers; orientation of administrators; insufficient infrastructure and inaccessibility of digital and internet technology. However, some recommendations are: all stakeholders in Business Education should prioritize and mobilize adequate funds to support the programme; need by government to motivate Business educators adequately through improved remuneration and conditions of service; adequate orientation for school administrators to understand the role of vocational business education in sustainable development, the government supervisory organs in business education should ensure standards are maintained; constant evaluation of the curriculum at every stage with current technological realities; need for business educators to improve on personal skills especially on ICT to keep pace with emerging technologies in vocational business education.