ABSTRACT

This study sought to find out the extent to which the skill-based curriculum has been implemented in the senior secondary school in the three educational zones of Abia State, and how far it has empowered the students for job and wealth creation. Five research questions were posed and three null hypotheses were formulated to guide the study. Survey research design and process evaluation design were adopted in the study. The study was carried out in the public senior secondary schools in Abia State located in the south eastern part of Nigeria. The samples were 381 SS3 students and 21 Senior Secondary School Principals of both urban and rural public secondary schools got by a combination of simple random sampling, stratified random sampling and purposive sampling techniques. Three instruments namely observation guide, students' assessment questionnaire SAQ and teachers' assessment questionnaire TAQ were used for data collection. The reliability Indies of 0.88 and 0.94 for SAQ and TAQ were obtained respectively. Data collected were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Mean, standard deviation, frequency count and Percentage analyses were used to answer research questions, whereas independent t-test Statistic was used for testing the hypotheses. Results showed that there is adherence to the content of the skill-based curriculum in the secondary schools even though some schools lack teachers of the trade subjects and facilities. Teachers of the trade subjects were found to be competent based on their years of service and their qualifications although they have not been attending regular seminars and workshops for increased output. The mean of teaching experience of urban and rural teachers are 15 and 13 years respectively, and about 72% and 60% of the teachers in urban and rural schools respectively are degree holders. However some students have acquired marketable skills yet they are not creating wealth with them. It is recommended that government should engage more trade teachers and provide the adequate basic facilities that promote skill acquisition especially in the area of electricity or power supply for effective implementation of the Curriculum; government should ensure that workshops and seminars are organised for teacher of the trade subjects to be trained on regular basis. Students should also be encouraged to see the skills acquired as option for employment and wealth creation. Since students are acquiring marketable skills through this curriculum, it should be sustained in our senior secondary schools