INTRODUCTION
Development can only come from within. It must be endogenous, thought out by people for themselves, springing from the soil on which they live and attuned to their aspirations, the conditions of their natural environment ,‘the resources at their disposal and the particular genius of their culture…. Education should accordingly contribute to the promotion of such endogenous development.
(Thomson 1981.). .
Many scholars have written in support of the idea that the development of any nation is inseparable from education (Adams 1971, Okumola 1987):
It Is also correct that other scholars (IIIich 1975, Thomson 98l, Sham Joof 1987 e.t.c) have expressed some doubts on the contributions of education towards development. It is my view that formal education alone is not capable of creating adequate opportunities for self-reliance and self-employment. A blend of the best in formal education is necessary now in’ Nigeria if we are to educate people who would not look u to only the government when they are out of school. In other words, community education is a ‘sine non’ for self-employment in Nigeria.
BACKGROUND OF UNEMPLOYMENT PROBLEM IN NIGERIA
Before Nigeria’s independence in 1960, few people were educated. The number of educated people lesser than the available spaces and job vacancies. Thus, Nigerians were encouraged to embrace Western Education in various ways. The rate to acquire formal education became more in Nigeria after the Ashby Commission Report in 1960. The report was followed by phenomenal expansion at all levels of our education system primary, secondary and-tertiary. The expansion seemed to be in response to political and social pressures without regards to whatever our manpower needs may be, coupled with the rate of our development both the private and public Sector of our economy. This resulted to what Uche (1987) called the “haphazard and unco-ordinated educational expansion which grew faster than the economy and which also resulted in a great deal of unemployment among primary, secondary schools leavers and University graduates.”
We have also embraced many educational innovations in the past. The abandoned Entebbe Mathematics Programme, the laudable but very poorly implemented 6-3-3-4.programme are few examples. In some of these programmes it was insufficient to substitute the foreign educational content with the Nigerian or local educational material. While doing this, we have not significantly changed the structure of the curriculum. Although students may find it more meaningful to learn with the local materials yet the newly fashioned-out curriculum may be just as merely academic and functionally irrelevant than the former programme. (Thompson 1981).
AGENCIES OF COMMUNITY EDUCATION
Non-formal, informal and formal education constitute the agencies of community education. This paper will be concerned with only the non-formal and informal aspects of community education and their contribution towards self-employment in Nigeria. Anyanwu (1982 251) defined non formal education as,
An integral part of the entire system of education, lying institutionally and significantly outside the formal system of education, and very much a supplement as well as a complement to it. It is the product of change and development in society and it covers a wide range of activities depending on the prevailing social, economic and political circumstances.
The National Policy on Education (1977: 21-22) explained that “adult education and non-formal education consists of functional literacy, remedial continuing, vocational, aesthetic, cultural-and civic education for youths and adults outside the formal school system.”
NON—FORMAL EDUCATION AND SELF—EMPLOYMENT
The characteristics of non-formal education suggests positively that it could
contribute meaningfully towards self -employment of citizens of any
And these characteristics include the following among others:
(1) Non-formal education addresses itself to the common problems of people. And such problems may include those of food, clothing, shelter, roads, water, sanitation etc.
(2) It is enjoyed by people who may not be in school or may not have has a formal education
(3) It helps people to overcome any forms of disabilities, inhibition and constraints.
(4) Its method includes outreach education, extension, workshops and guidance.
(5) It is a potent vehicle for rural development, thereby reducing the e developmental gap between the rural and urban areas. (Anyanwu1982).
Non-formal education can contribute a lot towards the development of agriculture in Nigeria. And through agriculture, many self-employed opportunities are generated particularly in the rural areas where young school leavers migrate to urban centres owing to lack of jobs. As an example, the dynamic leadership of the respected Late Dr. M.I. Okpara vigorously pursued the policy of planting palm trees in the rural areas through such non-formal methods of extention service. Subsidies were paid to farmers who qualified for them. Through such services, there were a lot of palm trees occupying vast areas of farm land in the state. Most of these farms were owned by individuals who were self-employed automatically in their farms. Many farmers who could not cope with the work even employed others to serve in the farm. The operation resulted to the availability of plenty of Palm oil for consumption locally. The palm oil served as a raw material for people engaged in the manufacture of soaps, Vaseline, margarine locally.
Other by-products of the palm tree afforded people opportunity to become self-employed. The palm kernel was exported abroad for the manufacture of vegetable oil. With vegetable oil industries available locally such as that of Nachi in Udi Local Government Area of Anambra State, many people may be engaged in the supply of palm kernel and palm oil to the factory. The palm kernel industry at Umunze in Aguata Local Government Area and the Niproc Factory at Arondizuog in Imo State are industries that needed such raw material for their operations. Some people could also be engaged in the sale of timber from palm trees which are used for the building of houses. The present planting of “palm for palm programme” going in the state is a step in the right direction for it could lead to a re-visit of good old days when agriculture enjoyed a big boom. The extension service is not limited to the planting of palm trees. It could be extended to Other agricultural products like cashew, pineapple. lettuce-growing orange e. t.c.
In the former Western Region of Nigeria, Chief Awolowo of his blessed memory created plenty of self -employment opportunity by growing a, rubber and timber-plants like gmelina. The products of these materials- further created other jobs for other people.
The growing of groundnut, onions, carrot, sugar-cane, e.t.c. were similarly encouraged in the former Northern Nigeria through the able-leadership of the Late Sarduana of Sokoto. What happened that time to agriculture was possible because there were true leaders who were sensitive to the problems of their people.
The growth of some other crops in various parts of the Federation may still provide a lot of self-employment opportunities to our school-leavers. The importation of rice and other food crops from abroad, not only closed the opportunities for self-employment in Nigeria, rather it encouraged self-employment opportunities in those countries that exported the rice to Nigeria. Many Nigerians take rice as food. Beer-brewing industries use rice and maize as good substitutes of wheat that is imported.
What is needed is the creation of awareness to students as well as school- leavers on the use of rice and maize in brewing industries as well as for local consumption that they know already.
Students while in school should be encouraged to grow sunflower in their schools not only for aesthetic beauty but also as a source of vegetable oil. Sunflower has 50% oil content, 30% protein content and 5 – 10% mineral and vitamin content.
Through non formal education, modern farming techniques and poultry-keeping could be taught to school – leavers. Home management practices, hair dressing laundry work, business techniques and Craftsmanship could be taught to school leavers. The purpose of this teaching is to encourage them to become self-employed. Perhaps it would be more appropriate to emphasize the teaching while the students are still in school otherwise the students develop, some phobia on self-employment programmes if they come up when the students are already having the problem. The importance of agriculture was succinctly put together by Akubio when he said,
…Over 70 percent of Nigeria’s adult population is engaged in the agricultural sector and other related industries. The agricultural sector also supplies adequate and cheap raw material for many agro-based industries. Agriculture also provides markets for industrial products as well as gainful employment for our numerous young school leavers. From the above, it is evident that the nation as much to gain from an improved agriculture.
