Curriculum development and implementation: The challenges facing the image of agriculture in schools.

African Journal of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Vol (1), 1.

Abstract

The teaching ofAgriculture in primary ands. econdary schools in Nigeria edticatlimalsystem is handled by both trained and untrained teachers. As long as agriculture revolves around Man in totality, the issue of trained professionals to handle the subject at all formal educational leveti becomes inevitable for the good image, effective curriculum delivery, and the transmission of values and norms to the younger generations. This 'study was carried out to determine the Challenges of Image ofAgriculture in Schools and the implications on future curriculum development . and implementation in South-Western Nigeria. .One research question of 15 questionnaire items guided the study. Thirty (30) students each from six Junior Secondary Schools all totaling 180 students and 72 non-agricultural science teachers randomly selected from the Junior Secondary Schools in Ogun State of Nigeria formed the sample of the study. Data collected were analysed using frequency and mean. Some of the findings are that -Agriculture to the respondents is an energy sapping, very tedious school subject, agriculture involves drUdgery in which one puts in much and gets little or nothing in return, the respondents strongly believed that agriculture is synonymous with farming, that agriculture wastes much of the student 's time on the school time table including their leisure hours, and, that agriculture is not easily divorced from the school punishment because of defective curriculum delivery. Recommendations like the need for the introduction of the use of machinery on the farm to reduce drudgery, reduction of the time of period for practical lessons, better enlightenment on agriculture and farming to students, total avoidance of. the use ofschool farm for punishment ground, and, the strengthening of curriculum development and effective delivery were made.