ABSTRACT

Home Economics is one of the compulsory prevocational subjects taught at the Junior Secondary Education level in Nigeria educational system. According to Anyakoha (2007), Home Economics is a skill oriented field of study that is expected to equip learners with survival skills that make for self-reliance, employment and paid employment. Occupational skills are best understood as competency on resourceful skills capable of steering an individual to be self-reliant, independent and productive in meeting lives challenges. Creese, A. (1976) said occupational skills are life survival skills which an individual needs to function effectively and face the challenges of life. Occupational skills in Home Economics include food and nutrition skills, home management skills and clothing and textile skills. By teaching occupational skills Home Economics Education Program enables an individual to learn, explore and prepare for a job or trade. Thus Home Economics could play a significant role in achieving the goals of the National Economic and Development strategy (NEEDS). These goals include wealth creation, employment generation, reduction of poverty, elimination of corruption and the general reorientation of values. In spite of these laudable qualities of Home Economics as a skill, there are series of challenges which impede its growth to be one of the pathways to national transformation. Some of these challenges include, Federal Government’s lukewarm attitude towards vocational and technical education programmes generally in Nigerian Universities, the perception of the society towards graduates of Home Economics as those who could not fit into any other challenging course, lack of candidates interest as they see the programme as expensive, inadequate manpower to teach Home Economics at the Junior and senior secondary school levels; as well as frustration on the part of teachers because of lack of modern equipment for proper practicals to mention but a few.