EFFECT OF EMPLOYMENT ON SANDWICH GRADUATE AT THE LABOUR MARKET
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EFFECT OF EMPLOYMENT ON SANDWICH GRADUATE AT THE LABOUR MARKET
Chapter one
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of the Study
The growing and expanding fiscal responsibilities of governments at the federal and state levels have had an impact on their ability to constantly recruit adequately qualified instructors to satisfy the growing student enrollment in Nigerian secondary schools
. As a result, the use of Sandwich Programmes and part-time programmes at Nigerian tertiary institutions remains a reliable source of improving serving teachers’ professional academic quality while also increasing the number of teachers in Nigerian secondary schools quantitatively without sacrificing quality and standards (Mezieobi, 2006).
According to Mkpa (1997), the purpose of Sandwich and Part-time teacher education is to provide opportunities for the intellectual development and competence of teachers in their professional assignments
as well as interested persons in teacher education, who would be unable to participate in regular school-based programmes due to job protection and the maintenance of their family socioeconomic responsibilities as adults.
Interestingly, the much-touted distance education programme, launched by the Obasanjo regime in 2000, is ideal for improving access to education, but it is hampered by a lack of feasible communication gadgets and adequately packaged programmes, an epileptic power supply
a lack of trained manpower in distance or sandwich learning, and effective machinery to monitor its implementation. Sandwich and part-time teacher-education programmes are intended to enable broad access to human resource development in teacher education (Dashen, 2002).
The overwhelming reaction of prospective students to part-time study and sandwich programmes during this era of economic downturn cannot be overstated. This is because many people are eager to go to school full-time and spend all of their time reading.
However, given the current socioeconomic conditions in our society, many students believe that before beginning any education programme, they must work in a job that pays them a regular salary.
As a result, it is usual these days to see candidates racing into sandwich programmes that are completely seasonal, leaving the rest of the year free to pursue productive employment.
It is not surprising that the majority of candidates for such a programme are adults, given the diverse range of their vocational and non-vocational interests, as well as the obstacles that stand in their way of full-time study programmes, such as problems arising from domestic lives, work, and study (Afe, 1990).
According to Afe’s (1990) survey of sandwich students’ ages, they are anticipated to be independent of their parents’ or guardians’ care by the ages of 25 to 51. Over 70% of them are married and have children.
Interestingly, sandwich students’ interest in continuing education has grown, as indicated by the number of Colleges of Education, which climbed from less than 8 to roughly 17 by the late 1970s.
External candidates are currently being taught for Nigerian Certificates in Education by NTI – National Teachers’ Institute Centres, as well as other centres with other labels, such as Project-Time, in order to produce more teachers in our schools.
According to Ilogu (1996), the goal is to mitigate the effects of the population growth caused by the implementation of the National Development Plans (1960-1985) and Universal Primary Education (UPE) in the 1970s.
According to Makinde (2001), the subsequent increase in the number of secondary school graduates these days, compared to the annual decrease in the number of new applicants into universities, is generating great attention among institutions of higher learning.
Similarly, the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) isn’t helping matters by imposing an unprecedented drop in admission quotas for various facilities.
The majority of adults would be disadvantaged learners, given the primary concentration is on emerging young. It’s no surprise, then, that several Nigerian colleges have sandwich programmes.
The Institute of Education’s functions provide evidence of the foregoing. They are among others:
(a) Organise in-service training and other courses and activities for teachers;
(b) convene conferences, seminars, and organise study courses;
(b) organise pre-service, in-service, and continuing education courses for teachers and educators;
(d) to bridge the gap between the “Gown” and the “Town” through programmes that address the present needs of the society it serves.
The National Policy on Education (1981) mandates that the National Certificate in Education (NCE) would be the minimum qualification for primary school teachers as soon as the 6-3-3-4 system was implemented.
As we are all aware, several batches of SSCE graduates have been produced. This implies that most secondary teachers who previously held an NCE credential must enhance their academic levels in order to adequately fit into the secondary school system or risk being reassigned to the primary school sector (Madufor, 2000).
There is little question that sandwich graduates’ employment has been affected by the type of programme (sandwich) they have completed in school. Despite the fact that sandwich graduates no longer have sandwich written on their diplomas, they do not have the same employment opportunities as full-time graduates.
This means that they face severe discrimination in the labour market. According to Munachi (2000), many firms prefer to hire or engage full-time graduates over sandwich graduates.
Employers believe that sandwich or part-time students are inexperienced in their chosen academic subjects and hence lack topic mastery. They also presume that those who have completed the sandwich course are already elderly and capable of working successfully and effectively if employed.
According to Onwuama (2001), graduates’ employability is now exclusively determined by their school curriculum, age, and grade points. Onwuama argued that young graduates who completed the full-time programme and received a first class or second upper division are more likely to be hired than those who received a second class lower, third class, or completed the part-time or sandwich programme.
This is due to a scarcity of jobs in the country, which has forced employers to take a strict approach in order to remove some people seeking employment in the labour market.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The impact of employment on sandwich graduates at the University of Lagos cannot be overstated. There is little question that sandwich graduates’ employment has been affected by the type of programme (sandwich) they have completed in school.
Despite the fact that sandwich graduates no longer have sandwich written on their diplomas, they do not have the same employment opportunities as full-time graduates.
This means that they face severe discrimination in the labour market. According to Munachi (2000), many firms prefer to hire or engage full-time graduates over sandwich graduates.
Employers believe that sandwich or part-time students are inexperienced in their chosen academic subjects and hence lack topic mastery. They also presume that those who have completed the sandwich course are already elderly and capable of working successfully and effectively if employed.
The aforementioned issues prompted this researcher to investigate the impact of employment on sandwich students in the labour market, using a study of University of Lagos graduates.
1.3 Goal of the Study
The aims of this study include the following:
(1) Determine whether the sandwich programme influences graduates’ employment in the labour market.
(2) Determine whether there is a difference in employment between sandwich graduates and full-time graduates of the University of Lagos.
(3) Determine whether there is a gender difference in the employment of sandwich graduates based on the type of academic programme.
(4) Determine whether sandwich graduates’ job patterns differ by age.
1.4 Research Questions.
This study addressed the following research questions:
1. How will the sandwich programme effect graduate employment in the job market?
2. Will there be a difference in employment between sandwich graduates and full-time graduates from the University of Lagos?
3. How can we determine whether there is a gender difference in the employment of sandwich graduates based on the type of academic programme?
4. To what extent will ageing affect sandwich graduates’ employment prospects?
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