Coping with the Challenges of the Image of Agriculture in Schools: Implications on Childhood Education in Nigeria.

Journal of Research in Education and Rural Development (JORERD). Vol. 7. No. 1

Abstract

This study was carried out to determine the Challenges of Image of Agriculture in Schools and the implications in childhood education in 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 from the respondents on the research questionnaire items were analysed using frequency and mean. From the analysed data, the following findings were made; 1. 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. 3. That the respondent strongly believed that agriculture is synonymous with farming. 4. That agriculture wastes much of the student's time on the school time table including their leisure hours. 5. That agriculture is not easily divorced from the school punishment. Based on these, some recommendations like the introduction of the use of machinery on the farm to reduce drudgery, reduction of the time of period for practical lesson, better education on agriculture and.farming to students and total avoidance of the use of school farm for punishment ground were made.