Crisis in the transition from school to work: The Cross-River-State (Nigeria) lesson* SAMUEL OKON**

SUMMARY The Cross River State of Nigeria is rich, open, and to some extent its virgin fields of industrialization, its agricultural lands, the petroleum industry and allied business have not only provided employment opportunities for its citizens, but have also helped to boost its economy. At the same time, varied educational institutions have been opened for the education of young people. In 1976, many school age children were enrolled in the primary school because the universal primary education scheme was formally launched throughout the country. Although education in the secondary school level depends on one's ability to pay rather than on one's ability to learn, more parents are today able to pay for their son's and daughters' education than it was the case twenty years ago. While the cost of educating young people in recent times has been increasing substantially, the bad fit of schooling at almost every level has become one of the explosive issues in both the state and the national levels (Abdulatif, 1977). Today there has been an increasing concern about the future implications of: (i) the universal primary education scheme on local communities, state, and national governments, (ii) young adults leaving secondary schools for the world of work with the type of orientation that they have in the secondary schools. This concern is aggravated as school intake is outpacing the growth and the opportunities in the small, capital intensive modern sector of the state's economy to absorb the bulk of the increased in the labour force. This concern is felt more because more students are completing secondary education each year and about 70 percent of those attending some kind of formal secondary institution terminate their education at that level and start looking for some jobs.

PURPOSE OF THE STUDY W i t h rising u n e m p l o y m e n t in the state, it is t h o u g h t t h a t an increasingly greater n u m b e r o f s e c o n d a r y school g r a d u a t e s in the state experience difficulties in securing j o b s a n d in m a k i n g the s m o o t h t r a n s i t i o n f r o m school to work. The present study addresses itself directly to s e c o n d a r y e d u c a t i o n a n d the * This report is strictly based on an unpublished doctoral dissertation written by the author at Teachers College, Columbia University, New York, I977, the title, Secondary School Education and Employment in Nigeria - Implications jot Career Guidance: A Study iH the Cross River State.

This study was conducted in the Cross River State of Nigeria which until February 4, 1976 bore the name South Eastern State. ** Ahmadu Bello university. Int J Adv Couns 2 (1979) 177-185. All rights reserved. Copyright © 1979 Martinus Ntjhoff Publishers, The Hague~Boston/London.

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employment problems facing the most recent graduates. More specifically, the study has four-fold purposes: 1. To identify the specific problems facing the secondary school graduates in the school-to-work transition as perceived by the most recent graduates, the secondary school principals, and the employers; 2. To seek information from the three respondent groups concerning the relative importance of the specific problems that were identified; 3. To determine the nature and the extent to which secondary schools engage in activities which facilitate the transition of youth from school to work; 4. To make recommendations which will help to alleviate and solve the problems.

METHOD

Three respondent groups made up the study. They were the graduates of both the secondary grammar and the secondary commercial schools, the principals, and the employers. The sample of graduates was randomly selected from 17 secondary grammar and 3 secondary commercial school in the Cross River state. Of the 200 graduates who participated in the study, 171 came from 17 secondary grammar schools, and 29 were from the then existing 3 secondary commercial schools, of which 133 were males, and others females. All the graduate respondents age ranged from 17 to 23 years. Of the total number of graduates (200) in the study, 126 were the 1974 graduates, and 74 were the 1973 graduates. Twenty principals from the schools in the study and 30 employers from both the public and the private sectors were randomly selected for the study. Instrumentation

The data for the study were collected by using questionnaire developed for each respondent group in the study. Specific questions were constructed to elicit the graduates' responses concerning the specific employment problems they faced in the transition from school to work. The principals and the employers were requested to identify the employment problems they perceive secondary school graduates face in their transition from school to work. They were also asked to express their views regarding the extent to which they feel secondary schools engage in activities which facilitate the transition of students from school to work. The three respondent groups were also asked to

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give suggestions which when implemented would help to alleviate some of the identified employment problems facing the graduates. All the three sets of questionnaires used structured objective items to gather relevant information needed in the study. A number of items were common to all the questionnaires in order to permit simple comparisons among the respondent groups. Openended questions were included in all questionnaires. Procedure

Questionnaires were mailed to 300 randomly selected (1973-74) secondary school graduates, 20 school principals and 36 employers in the state during the period June through August, 1975. A self-addressed, stamped envelop was enclosed with the questionnaire for each respondent to return the completed questionnaire. Following appropriate follow-up activity, 200 graduates, 20 principals, and 30 employers returned completed and usable questionnaires for the study.

RESULTS

The more salient findings in the study are summarized. A. Description of the graduates

The data show that almost 85 percent (169) of the graduates in the study are from families living in the villages, where no business or large business enterprise exists except small scale agriculture at a subsistence level and petty trading. This point partly explains the constant drift of secondary school graduates, the drop outs, and currently the farming population from the rural communities to Calabar, the state capital. The data for the graduates' fathers show that about three quarters of them had not completed secondary education; of the one-quarter who did, about two in five (20 fathers out of 57) had some higher education. Also while 85 graduates' fathers (43 percent) were subsistence farmers and petty traders, 31~ of them in the group were clerical workers. Only 11~ of the graduates' fathers hold jobs in the professional and managerial positions, while only 10~ of the fathers are primary school teachers without degrees. B. Specific areas of concern when graduates were yet students

Upon examining, more closely the specific concern areas of the graduates

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while they were yet students, the findings show that an overwhelming number of them in the sample cited the following four specific concerns as those they would have liked much help when they were yet students: i. ii. iii. iv.

improving mathematical skills (71~); making future educational and vocational plans (73~o); making plans concerning after school work (71~); and making plans concerning where to obtain money for education after secondary schooling (70~).

As educators, we know very well that the secondary school is the critical level where students are bound to make important personal decisions which will have far-reaching consequencies for their adult lives. Also we know that for a great majority of the secondary school students who successfully complete secondary education, the newly gained West African School Certificates mark the end of formal education. In very many occasions too, an overwhelming number of the students when they have finished the final examinations at the end of form five, they will start to look for some kind of wage employment even long before their final examination results are released by the Examinations Council. If we are aware of these points, a question arises. How can educational planners in the state restructure secondary education to increasingly become more sensitive, responsive, relevant, and useful to the critical concerns of young people in the secondary schools?

C. Graduates career aspirations before they completed secondary schooling Study results show that the most note-worthy feature of the respondents' occupational aspirations when they were yet students was that they concentrated their preferences in the occupational categories which typically require at least four years of college training, or a minimum of three years of graduate or professional school. In a developing economy such as that of the Cross River state, it is obvious that only a fraction of the respondents in the group giving those preferences as their choices could achieve those occupational affiliations. The data show that while approximately 32~o (63) of the graduates aspired to the professional occupations, one quarter of the graduates in the group expresses preferences for the managerial and administrative occupations. Unfortunately the desire to select occupations under agriculture and natural resources, teaching in the primary schools, including engineering, was generally low and not commensurate with the current pressing needs of the state.

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Out of 200 graduates in the study, 13 respondents thought most about working in agricultural and natural resources category, 4 graduates aspired to teaching in the primary schools, and only 22 respondents expressed preferences for the skilled technical occupations. D. Discussing educational and vocational plans

Some theoretical literature in career development states that the ease with which educational and career goals are formulated by young people may depend on the assistance available to them for that purpose and the extent to which the young people use such assistance. Secondary school students need all the help they could get from their teachers, schools, and adults outside their schools to enable them formulate intelligent and realistic educational and occupational plans. The data with respect to whether the graduates did discuss their future educational and vocational plans with (i) their teachers, and (ii) adults outside their schools show the following findings; a. That only 47~o of the respondents in the group indicated that when they were yet students they had such discussions with their teachers; b. That 87 percent (173 graduates) of the graduates reported that they had such discussions with other adults outside their schools; c. Of 182 graduates who responded to an item related to whether such discussions were helpful to them in their future educational and occupational planning, the data show that about 70~ of those who responded to the item indicated that such discussions were helpful. E. Knowledge relevant to career decisions

Data related to how much the respondents knew about the occupations they mentioned earlier in the study as their preferences make it clear that while they were yet students only a few of them in the group had 'a great deal of knowledge' about the items related to occupations and decision-making. Of four possible responses to each of the items related to career-decision making, the most frequently checked response categories were 'hardly had any knowledge' and 'had just a little knowledge'. More than two-thirds of the graduates in the group rated themselves as 'hardly had any knowledge' or as 'had just a little knowledge' about the following specific items: a. what people actually do in the occupations (72~o); b. the type and the amount of education or training needed (68~o);

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c. the abilities and qualities (traits) needed (77~); d. the need for new people in the occupations (68~o); e. the starting salary in the occupations preferred (88~o); f. the chances of getting promotion in the occupations (91~); and g. the steps to take in order to prepare for and enter the occupations preferred (77~o). ,a

The above findings provide clear evidence that the respondents while they were yet students did not regard themselves as 'having a great deal of knowledge' with respect to the specific aspects related to career decision-making and the world of work. The findings reveal that: 1. the information which the graduates needed to help them formulate informed career plans and decisions was non-existent in their respective schools; 2. the exploratory occupational experiences of the respondents, experiences that can do much to broaden the career horizons and aspirations of all students were quite limited; 3. to the degree that the specific items in the schedule define essential competencies for effective career exploration, planning, and development, it is concluded that: a. an overwhelming majority of the respondents in the sample had little practical involvement in career planning activities at a time when they had to make major decisions about themselves and their future; and b. the curriculum and the services in the schools attended by the respondents are too little occupationally oriented. On the basis of the findings, a question is asked. How can educational leadership broaden the curriculum, expand the functions and services of secondary schools to better assist young people acquire appropriate educational and occupational knowledge that will help individuals make better, informed decisions? Meeting the needs, interests, and aspirations of young people in the secondary schools through the curriculum represent one of the greatest challenges facing all the state educational policy makers, the secondary school teachers, and the community.

F. Employment problems faced by the most recent secondary school graduates in the school-to-work transition Table 1 below summarizes the result of the analysis of the specific employment problems of the graduates.

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TabeI 1. Employment problems of the graduates: Distribution of respondents who mentioned each problem area

Problem Areas

Respondents Graduates N

Principals N

Employers N

1. Lack of information on job seeking 2. Scarcity and mal-distribution of job opportunities 3. Discriminating and other forms of inefficient employment practices 4. Inadequate skills in mathematics, commercial, scientific, and technical fields 5. Lack of basic work skills and work experiences 6. Inadequate secondary school programme and services 7. Unrealistic job aspirations, lack of interests in jobs

189

17

25

187

18

27

90

14

10

49

8

10

23

12

t0

11

4

12

4

13

Totals

200

20

30

Fifteen specific problems which were subsumed under seven broad categories were identified. 1. Lack of information on job-seeking is cited by more than 80 percent of each of the respondent groups in the study. The graduates who mentioned this problem indicated that they did not know the various business concerns, and the employment agencies which they could have applied for jobs after they completed secondary schooling. Some even indicated that they did not know what to do after they completed their final examination in form five. An overwhelming majority of the graduates in the sample indicated that they did not know the types of job opportunities that were opened or available to them, the employment procedures, and how to start looking for job positions. 2. More than 90~o of each of the respondent groups in the study indicated that 'scarcity and real-distribution of job opportunities' in the state is an important problem. The problem of unbalanced development in the state and its implications had been pointed out already. 3. Other employment problems cited as major barriers to the graduates achieving smooth transition from school to work are shown on the table. 4. When the three respondent groups were asked which of the identified employment problems they considered as the 'most' and the 'second most' important, the findings show that:

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a. 'scarcity and real-distribution of job opportunities' in the state was mentioned by the highest percentage of the graduates, principals, and employers; b. the 'second' most important category was identified as 'lack of information on j ob-seeking'. 5. The three respondent groups in the study suggested various ways which the complex employment problems facing young people in the transition from school to work could be alleviated.

CONCLUSIONS

Throughout the study, career planning and career information emerge as the areas in which an overwhelming number of the graduates in the group said they needed most help when they were yet students. The findings make it clear that: a. the graduates' attitudes toward work, for instance, their unrealistic occupational aspirations and expectations (Problem No. 7) are founded on their inadequate knowledge of themselves and the world of work in which they must eventually find a job and pursue a career. b. secondary schooling has not kept pace with the changing needs, aspirations, and concerns of students. Secondary schools seem to lose sight of the pressing needs and concerns of youth they were created to address. Very little was done by the schools attended by the graduates to bridge the gap between formal secondary schooling and work. The need for secondary schools to become something more than preparation for the next academic level or higher education has been clearly brought out in the study. c. There is an increasing need for the secondary school curriculum and services to be broadened to provide options for each student in the schools and after leaving schools. Inservice training programmes should help teachers become knowledgeable of the career implications of their subject matter. Teachers need some kind of help through the state Ministry of Education in order that they might be able to devise, formulate, and execute plans for infusing the career implications of their subject matter into their teaching. This will help students in visualizing and understanding the relevance of their school subjects to their educational and occupational goals. d. it is suggested that an organized career guidance will specifically help

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students in better understanding themselves, broadening their career horizons by reviewing opportunities available to them, and making intelligent and realistic decisions and choices. Such a service (career guidance) could help students meet some of their educational needs in addition to helping them in their occupational expIoration, planning, and development. e. the findings of this study recognizes that the long range answers to the problems facing youth in the transition from school to work do not lie only in making efforts to better attune secondary education to the changing needs, concerns, and aspirations of students. Reforms within the secondary education by themselves (for example the introduction of the comprehensive secondary schools in the state, and career guidance suggested in the study) will not solve the complex employment problems facing the graduates especially if students lack basic competencies such as communication, computation, problem solving, interpersonal relation skills, and if there are no job opportunities for them. The study recognizes that many causes of secondary school graduates' unemployment, (the scarcity and mal-distribution of job opportunities and the discrimination and other forms of inefficient employment practices) are beyond the influence of secondary education. The study recommends that whatever adjustments will be made in secondary education in order to allow it respond more effectively to the students and the society's needs will have to occur as complementary to the steady and sustained economic improvement of both the rural and the urban areas of the state. This will promote productive employment opportunities for a large number of young people who at present cannot be productively absorbed into urban life and employment. f. secondary schools should utilize the resources of the government, business, industry, and the community to help students in their career exploration, planning, decision-making, and in establishing closer links between formal secondary schooling and work. REFERENCES

Abdulatif, Lasun. 'Which is faulty, the education or degree?'. Nigerian Herald, 5 (Dec. 29, 1977), p. 7. Abdulatif, Lasun. 'Overhaul educational system first'. Nigerian Herald, 5 (Dec. 30, 1977), p. 6.