Millennium Development Goals Essay

consider Wo human is a term usu everyy reserved for an adult, with the term lady friend being the usual term for a charish child or adolescent. However, the term woman is overly used to identify a female gentlemans gentleman, unheeding of age. This paper examines the place of vocational culture as a sum of women chargement in Nigeria. How applicatoryly a nation develops has a lot to do with the quality of human resources and tuitional exposement of its citizens. The concern of vocational raising programme as a positive instrument for the authorizement of women in South-East, Nigeria was discussed.It was predicated on the assumption that vocational preparation encyclopaedism is n premature related to stinting em indexment of women. This programme as well(p) as the curriculum could be knowing to military issue c ar of the needs of the learners in smart set to sire adroitnesss necessary for employment, self-reliance and frugalal pedagogy. The acquisition o f these vocational skills lead greatly overhaul to authorise and transform women into self- dependent persons and adopt her scotch each(prenominal)y vi commensurate.This economic authorization give greatly help to modify the incidence of prostitution,kidnapping, and other social vices that atomic number 18 prepond erant among women in South-East, Nigeria. Hence, it is recommended among other things, that government, hugger-mugger memorial tablets and NGOs should adequately congest the financial backing of vocational rearing programme.Keywords vocational culture, economic say-so, social vices. INTRODUCTION Women play a all-important(a) role in the socio-economic schooling of some(prenominal) hostel. In fact social sustainable knowledge is attainable only if women argon actively involved. Women must(prenominal) because be both participants and beneficiaries of using programmes.The fall in Nations victimization Programme UNDP (1997) observes that women knowledge domainwide constitute half of population, act two thirds of the hours make uped, are registered as only performing one third of these hours, receive only 10% of the worlds income and know 1% of the worlds property registered in their name. This is injustice at its peak, and no sustainable victimisation result take place in such situation of inequality.The Nigerian woman has non pressed demanding to deduce the broad benefit of her economic activism and activities. Going by the 2006 census, al to the highest degree 50% of thetotal population of the outlandish of over 170 million is women. The Federal positioning of Statistics, (2006) reports that 70% of this population ( almost 59,500,000 women) re align and deform in the rural areas. In the last few decades, a consciousness has been awaken orbiculately that unless something is done to empower women as an interest group, global development bequeath remain a mirage.vocational information has been acknowledg e as an instrument for promoting environsally sound sustainable development (FRN, 200430) as well as amethod of alleviating indigence. It is the basis for the full promotion and wearment of the status of women. Vocational Education empowers women by up(p) their seatup hold outards. It is the starting point for womens progress in different fields of human exploit and a basic tool that should be effrontery to women in order to fulfill their roles as full members of the party. Education of which vocational is an aspect, constitutes the single most important institutional boost to women potency.Vocational Education particularly is an excellent tool for bringing about undivided and national development. However, a cursory look at the pattern of womens involvement in vocational raising in Nigeria reveals abysmal low levels. In wound of all the laudable goals and objectives of vocational procreation, Nigerian women still suffer a lot of constraints and inhibitions which act upon a get aheadst their personal and national development. Vocational Education focuses on the learner who is do to imbibe or acquire knowledge, skills, value and even attitudes that enable him to solve his and societal businesss.Educated persons who acquire knowledge and skill lot easily manipulate goods and services to create riches for themselves and the society and thus create employment opportunities for others at that placeby reducing poverty. In absence of this, what is obtainable is a whole lot of women who overleap skills, knowledge and abstract value- orientation to survive in a knowledge-driven providence.They plow out to be societal misfits prostitutes, armed-robbers, kidnapers, cause crises and ferment in the society. This paper examines the importance of vocational training as a means of empowering women in Nigeria. It investigates socio economic and policy-making factors impeding this noble field. It presents a shield for repaird womens economic sta tus with greater participation in vocational knowledge to fight hunger, poverty and unemployment finished wage or self employment in the face of unsafe and corrupt society we find ourselves.VOCATIONAL knowledgeal IN NIGERIA FRN (200429) described vocational direction as those aspects of the preceptal figure out involving, in addition to superior ecumenic education, the study oftechnologies and related science and the acquisition of practical skills, attitudes, understanding and knowledge relating to occupations in various domains of rescue and social life. Fakes (2005) defined vocational education as that type of education that has specific relation with cogitationing(a) life. According to Ogbu whatsoevera (2006), it is practical oriented and spans across areas akin agriculture and related trades, building and wood spring trades, commercial and related studies, electrical, textile and related trades as well as hospitality trades.Going by the above definition, vocation al and adept education are interwoven as both are geared toward development of skills needed in the world of conk out, it is argument in manual and practical activities which prepares one for stipendiary employment in recognise institutions and fields. Vocational education has passed by dint of a series of trends ranging from pre- colonial era to date. Fafunwa (1991) noned that pro forma ( western) education started in Nigeria in 1842, however, prior to this magazine, traditional and Islamic education reach been holding sway in Nigeria.Traditional education has somefeatures of vocational education standardized smiting, building, craftsmanship to mention besides a few. Even with the scratch of Christian missionary activities in formal western education in Nigeria, emphasis was non laid on vocational education in the formal education sector. Pure literacy as a establishst vocational skill acquisition was the goal of education then. However, by 1863, it occurred to th e missionaries that the beach waggon and spade should go together. Hence this principle made some missionary schools to include elements of manual work like farming and bricklaying in their extra-curricular activities.Worthy of mention is that the attempts made by some of the missionary establishments towards industrial and agricultural education failed in most cases. Today, as pressure mounts in long unemployment queues, youth restiveness, mellow cost of living and insecurity in the nation, there is growing need to embrace vocational education as a tool for women authority for accepted national development Goals and Objectives of Vocational Education and nucleotidework The Federal republic of Nigeria, (2004) high uninfecteded what the goals of vocational education should be to include?Provision of trained manpower in the applied sciences, technology and business particularly at craft, advanced craft and proficient levels. ?Provision of technical knowledge and vocational skil ls necessary for agricultural, commercial and economic development. ?Giving instruct and imparting skills to individualistics who shall be self- reliant economically. It is conceptualized that trainees on completion of vocational education cartroad will have employable skills, set up their own business and employ others or copy further education in advance technical programmes or otherinstitutions of higher(prenominal) learning.Vocational education plays a vital role in upward(a) the overall wellbeing of the great deal by empowering individuals through skill acquisition. UNESCO (2006) affirmed that since education is the hear to any effective national development, vocational education is the manipulate key that can alleviate poverty and better the quality of life for all thereby achieving sustainable development through authority of women and youths alike.CHALLENGES OF VOCATIONAL teaching method The importance of vocational education in both personal and nationaldevelop ment cannot be over-emphasized. such(prenominal) type of education is dominant towards the grooming of the citizens that would not only be ripe and productive but having acquired general education could patriotically contribute towards the development of their respective societies. In contrast, in spite of the gain that could be sourced from vocational education, Nigeria is but to attain the level of impressive satisfaction as far as formal vocational education is concerned. This situation could be attributed to the following factorsInadequate personnel in vocational colleges Vocational education in the formal education sector had not been yielding the expected dividends as a result of the paucity of teachers of the vocational courses recognized by the case Policy on Education. This has brought about a situation whereby the personnel readily obtainable are made to take extra work loads which in effect is not well(p) for the development of vocational education. This habituate had raped the official teacher-student ratio of 120 as provided by the Federal Republic of Nigerian in its National Policy on Education.Poor delivery andreaction of the expected skills has been a resultant effect. Another problem that had been undermining the development of interest towards the study of vocational education courses by individuals is the issue of neediness of industries or work opportunities where the skills thus acquired could be meaningfully utilized (Mohammed 2009). It is self-evident that most of the industries in Nigeria are winding up. In view of this, analyse a course that will make an individual wallow in unemployment is not in the go around interest of the individual. For this reason, individuals do pick out for other courses where they have brighter job opportunities.This in fact would bring about the reduction in crook of people who would be enthusiastic towards furthering their education on the line of vocational education. In addition, the proximi ty of the lower-ranking schools to any university that is offering vocational education courses could be a factor towards the development of the zeal for studying vocational education courses. Lack of adequate materials Vocational education is about the development of motor skills.This cannot be achieved where materials are not adequate. In the case of Nigeria, most of the secondary schools or technical and vocationalcolleges do not have the workshops, laboratories and the materials cum equipment that would facilitate the teaching and learning of vocational education courses (Mbakwem and Anyanwu, 2013). This had led to the teaching of theoretical aspects of the courses thus make the learner insufficient in the actual use or practice of principles delivered to them. As a result, the products of formal vocational education schools have failed to meet with the demands of employers of labour as they lack cognate vocational training.Sector-specific corruption and the crisis of funding manifested in grossly inadequate budgetary allocations as well as generally collapsed standards in virtually all levels of Education manifested in symptoms of mass failure, cheating, fraudulent and iniquitous tendencies in schools. These and other numerous obstacles do personify but this work had confined its discussion deep down the scope of the above stated. WOMEN EMPOWERMENT mandate is a call to action and it involves a process of fundamental frequency change in quality of life of any material being.It is the ability to effect changeand make meaningful choices. authorization is investing legally or formally with power, authorizing, licensing, enabling, permitting, giving people more arrest over their own lives. Sako (1999) defines empowerment as the process of strengthening the existing capacities and capabilities of disadvantaged groups in society so as to enable them perform correct towards improving themselves, their families and the society as a whole. It involves the supply of enabling environment for their productive and intellectual abilities to be realized. Wiki defines empowerment as not giving people power but lettingout the power in them.It opines that most women across the globe affirm on the informal work sector for an income. If they are sceptred to do more and be more, the first step for economic growth scrams apparent. Ighodalo (1990) views women empowerment as a process of enabling women to develop the capacity to affirm their potentials. Ighodalo further adds that women should be looked at as individuals that accept some hidden potentials for greatness and so should be encouraged to develop such to the fullest.The process of empowerment must necessarily also include the blowup of womens access to educational opportunities, facilities for skills acquisition and positions of authority. Empowering the woman is empowering all of liberality. This is because the woman is the pivot of the family. get together Nations was skilful to capture this in this years foreign day for violence against women titled From Peace in the home to Peace in the World, it is believed that sceptered women can do more to contribute to pause in the world. Empowerment is a drive towards actualization of the innate potentials found in an individual.Thus, the potentials found in the woman canbe enkindled if empowered. Women empowerment involves issues like (a) How women perceive themselves and are perceived by intimate and distant others in society. (b) How women treat themselves and are treated by others. (c) Ability to make key finishs on matters relating to themselves and their children. (d) The kind of opinion they have in other aspects of decision making in the family. It must be noted here that all these are virtually impossible without proper and adequate training specially at the higher level which includes vocational education. BENEFITS OF WOMEN EMPOWERMENT.Women empowerment could be likened to leveling the playing gro und for women, and this would offer huge potentials to everyone. For example, UNICEF information sheet (2007) states that educating girls and women help develop self confidence, protection from sexual exploitation, change health care, better child education and poverty reduction for generations to come. Women empowerment is a global topic. The United Nations included sexual practice and women empowerment in its development goals as it is an important tool for achieving the Millennium using Goals (MDGs).In Nigeria, a goodnumber of women are now found in many esteemed occupations such as law, medicine, architecture, the armed forces and so on and they are really living up to expectations. At the same time, an equally large number, especially those living in the rural areas are engaged in menial jobs to earn a living. Most jobs performed by women, according to Egunjobi (2005) have no economic values . Explaining further, Egunjobi states that all the work and activities which do not require financial reward are the responsibilities of women. This would explain the global call for women empowerment.There are high prospects in women empowerment. firstborn the potentials of women will attach, resulting in building a virile nation, producing better women, better home makers, better future leaders and a better society. The contributions of females in top management positions revealed that females are up to the task. Women in leadership positions, especially in developing countries, have the responsibility and the potential to influence their society through leadership, particularly when they are enabled. Enabled women are empowered to aspire, attain and performwell in leadership positions tour still carrying out the home front roles. Women are enabled when they are educated, exposed and economically emancipated. Throughout the ages and in all countries, women in leadership positions have force positively on the society. The history of mankind is lavish with su ch women.The last century saw the subject of great women leaders in various spheres of human endeavours, notable among who are Mother Theresa of Calcutta, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Liberia and Winnie Mandela, who relentlessly battled the apartheid regime in South Africain spite of the fact that her husband was incarcerated at the time.Here in Nigeria such women include Queen Amina of Zaria, Idia of Benin, Moremi of Ile-Ife, late prof (Mrs) Dora Akunyili, the former Director, National Agency for Food Drugs formation and Control (NAFDAC) and former Honorable Minister of randomness and Communication, her Re-branding initiative is still fresh in our minds, the coordinator of Nigerian economy and Minister of Finance, Dr (Mrs)Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Prof Mrs Grace Alele.Williams the First Female Vice Chancellor in Nigeria, the latterly Professor (Mrs) Jadesola Akande and even the keynote speaker of this conference, Prof. G. G. Agulanna, among others. Women from time immemorial have exhibited unparalleled ability in policy development and implementation. Education of which vocational education is an aspect remains a veritable branch for women empowerment in all facets of life and a source of strength for national development.With vocational education, women will have greater self- fulfillment and would be able to contribute meaningfully to the social andeconomic development of their societies. Again for economic reasons women no longer lie at home. The present economic recession has dark things round. Both male and female now hand in glove maintain the home even though the man is still regarded as the head of the family especially in the Nigerian Culture. In such instance, women with vocational skills will be able to earn additional salaries and bet on the husband and the standard of their living will be high and they can easily survive hard times. This will make for reductions in social vices like prostitution, theft and other corrupt actsperpetrated a gainst and by women. In a situation where there is need for empowerment, vocational skills acquisition programmes is a sure means for women learners to gain basic education and or a vocational skill. The National Open University Centre for lifelong learning vocational skills acquisition programmes are designed to enhance the skills and knowledge of students, women included, for conterminous employment whether in the nonpublic or public sector or be self employed. As at June, 2013, enrolment figures stand at 1066, 381 of this figure are females.These run their programmes in study centres inthe cities with the exception of Awa-Ijebu, Ogori and Gulak. Women of all ages be to be integrated into the mainstream of a national economy through training. (Olakulehin and Ojo 2006) CHALLENGES TO WOMEN EMPOWERMENT The importance of vocational education in both personal and national development cannot be over-emphasized. Such type of education is paramount towards the grooming of the citizens that would not only be innovative and productive but having acquired general education could patriotically contribute towards the development of their respective societies.In contrast, in spite of the gain that could be sourced from vocational education, Nigeria is yet to attain the level of impressive satisfaction as far as formal vocational education is concerned. This situation could be attributed to Illiteracy, according to Olakulehin & Ojo (2006), remains at the centre of women empowerment problems in Nigeria and that there is a palpable deluge of problems besetting the Nigerian women, all of them airlift from illiteracy. Also, socio-cultural restraints such as limited parental resources, early marriages, pregnancy, childbearing, sexual harassment etc.negatively shock on women empowerment. In many societies, the education of women especially at the tertiary level is considered unimportant since they believe girls do not normally pay back in full measure the money invested in t hem. Again, religious practices of keeping women in purdah and the shariah law system (mostly in the northern part of Nigeria) kibosh women from participation in education especially at the higher levels. In addition special safety-related measures aimed at protecting women and enhancing their effective participation has move round to work against them.For example International ride Organization (ILO) dominions ban women from night work, underground work and stipulate maximum weight to be carried by women. It also provides for maternity protection and welfare facilities at the work place. Some employers have capitalized on this to steal against women and spend less on training them. Added to the forgo some have suggested that women are their own hit enemies. Some women married to wealthy men sometimes have lukewarm attitudes to education. Some women are lazy, lack proper education and are not making positive efforts to improvethemselves. both these pose redoubted challeng e to the empowerment of women. MEASURES TO BE ADOPTED TOWARD efficacious WOMEN EMPOWERMENT The hub of development of any plain lies on how productive and creative its population are, for a country like ours, where women constitutes a reasonable percentage, the government, parents and men in general have obligations to ensure that women are empowered to discharge their obligations to the society and to better their life. In the light of the issues discussed above, the following recommendations are proffered.?Funding of vocational education should be taken seriously by the federal, press out and Local governments. This they can achieve through increase in the budgetary allocation to educational sector which will reflect in the vocational education sub-sector. ?Vocational education should be inculcated into the schools curriculum to promote human empowerment and development through vocational skill acquisition. It is a means of reducing unemployment since it is skilled oriented and employment motivated. exclusively school programmes should be geared toward providing vocational skills.? governing body and other stake holders in education should get in on awareness programmes through workshops and seminars to educate girls, women, parents and general society on the benefits of vocational education for women. ?The private partnership and Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) should be encouraged to embark in vocational education through funding or contributions in kind. This involvement should be seen by firms as a long term investment, and as an aspect of their corporate social responsibility to the nation. ?To empower women, federal government should provide enablingenvironment and all the necessary equipment and materials for the teaching and learning of vocational skills needed for economic enhancement in Nigeria. ?The women should cast away joblessness and criminality through the cultivation of vocational savor and acquisition of relevant skills that will launch them into greatness and economic independence. Conclusion Vocational Education has been viewed in this paper as a panacea to the autochthonous problem of poverty, hunger, Prostitution and other corrupttendencies, paving material way for women empowerment.When women are trained, they explore opportunities in their immediate environment instead of chasing shadows and uncertainties in the urban centres. The development of Vocational Education will go a long way in creating employment, give women the opportunity to develop their enterprising skills, empowering them to be job creators and not job seekers and by providing them with the necessary skills and knowledge to terminate their output income and wealth thereby ameliorate the incidence of prostitution, kidnapping, and other social vicesthat are prevalent among women in South-East, Nigeria.Vocational Education would also contribute to improve the image and highlight the role of women in society. REFERENCES Egunjobi, L. (2 005). Women Empowerment Perspectives and Prospects. Ado-Ekiti Fountain Newspapers and Publishing Co. Ltd. Empowerment Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. http//en. wikipedia. org/wiki/empowerment. retrieved 17/10/2014 Fafunwa, A. B (1991), History of Education in Nigeria New edition, Ibadan NPS Educational Publishers Limited. Fakes, B. B. (2005). Technical Education An Overview of the schooling Process.Capacity,building workshop for lecturers in Polytechnics and Monotechnics in Nigeria for higher competency and productivity. Education Trust Fund. Federal great power of Statistics (2006), annual Abstract of Statistics (2006 edition) Abuja Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004). National Policy on Education quadrupleth edition. Yaba-Lagos NERDC call down. Igbodalo, F (1990), Contributions of Women to National Development. Paper presented at the NAUW on Contribution of women to National Development. ILO (2004) International labour organizations information sheet on the convention on wo rkers with family responsibilities. No. 156, 1981 (July 2004).Mbakwem, J. N and Anyanwu, O. G. (2014) Assessing Qualitative instruction and Learning Environment at Upper radical Education in Imo State, Nigeria in T. A. Bolarin and G. C. Unachukwu (Eds) Education for All Progress and Challenges. Proceedings of the 28th annual relation back of The Nigeria Academy of Education (pp 225-232). Lagos Toptune Educational Publishers. Mohammed, I. A. (2009), Problems and Prospects of Vocational Education in Sokoto State. Text Paper Presented at the Annual Conference of Federal College of Educaton. Gusau. Ogbuanaya, T. C. (2006). Vocational Education raising and Challenges of Human Resource Development.Nigerian Empowering the Youth through Technical and Vocational Education A catholicon for Sustainable National Development. Journal of Professional Teachers 1(2) 207-214. Olakulehin, F. K. & Ojo, O. D. (2006). outmatch Education as a Women Empowerment system in Africa. Turkish Online Jo urnal of Distance education, 7, 1, 1. Sako . R. ed (1999) Women Empowerment and Advancement Manual , Kaduna League for representative Women (Leads) UNDP (1997) Human Development Report 1995 , New York Oxford University Press UNESCO (2006). Revitalizing Technical Vocational Education in Nigeria. Retrieved November 2, 2014 from.http//www. afrreorjo. org/pub UNICEF Information Sheet (2007) Nigeria Country Office. look at as multi-pages TOPICS IN THIS history Vocational education, high education, Millennium Development Goals, Further education, Vocational school, Apprenticeship, election education, Nigeria RELATED text fileS Women Empowerment Womens Empowerment quotation www. undp. org UNDP promotes equality between women and men through gender mainstreaming. The organizations corporate strategy on gender is designed to integrate the promotion of womens empowerment and equality fully in the organizations core business.This strategy calls for gender mainstreaming to become every ones job not the responsibility of a small number of specialists. It rests on three pillars 4121 dustup 21 Pages READ FULL put down Women Empowerment Empowerment of any section of a society is a myth until they are conferred equality forrader law. 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