CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background to the Study

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CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION Background to the Study To a large extent, the success or failure of any educational system depends on the successful planning and execution of the instrument called curriculum. A curriculum is like a plan of a house, it is a mapped out plan of instructions or guides to be followed in the process of teaching and learning in a formal learning institution. Some educationist claim that the wealth or poverty of a nation depends on the content of the nation's educational curriculum. This is because, the value, dreams and desires of a nation are first of all interpreted in curriculum. Curriculum therefore, consists of a carefully mapped out programme containing what to teach, how to teach it, when to teach, and how to evaluate. Curriculum planning and development is therefore, concerned with the subject-matter, content, the pedagogical methods required to administer the content, the learner, the teacher, the physical and psychological environment of the learners. All these are required for the achievement of the goal of education. The curriculum is defined in various ways due to its changing nature. The changes in concepts emanate from changes in the concept of the knowledge, the learner, and the role of the learner. The concepts change to

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cope with the knowledge explosion in the society. Based on the above, Ferdinand (2007) defined curriculum as the totality of all the experiences provided to a learner under the auspices of the school. Curriculum is concerned with all activities in the school which lead to the development of learner's cognitive, affective and psychomotor. It is an official document used in the school or any formal setting prepared for a learner and serves as a guideline for a facilitator of learning.

A worth-while curriculum is never static. It is subject to change. As societal needs change, it becomes paramount to match the polytechnic curriculum with the needs. This leads to the replacement of secretarial studies with office technology and management in order to meet societal changes and demands on information and communication technology (ICT). Emphasis on ICT brought about drastic change in course offering in polytechnic with ICT carrying the highest unit. This is in line with the first goal and objective for the acquisition of secretarial skills which states that graduates of the Office Technology and Management (ND and HND) programmes should fit properly into the office of any computerized organisation and perform professionally the functions of a secretary (Iredia, 2006).

The acquisition of new skills became necessary because of the emerged and emerging new technologies that have changed the way people think, live

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and work. According to Agomuo (2010), the fast changes that have occurred and continue to occur in office work calls for preparedness. Supporting the above statement, Nte (1995), declared that, time indeed has come for employers, academics, practitioners and educational planner to face realities of the time, if they are to flow along with the change of the time. The dynamism of the time is a function of varied innovation, inventions gradually affecting the entire workings and business life of the society. Those who do not want to move with the changes will be left in their static state or kept in the cooler.

The primary mission of Office Technology and Management is to offer training in skill and knowledge in science technology and the arts for the use of brain, mind and hand for promoting self-reliance, technological advancement and sustainable national development. In a bid to meet the societal changes and demands in information and communication technology (ICT) leading to curriculum change, old courses have been removed and new courses like technical English, citizenship education, introduction to business, shorthand, ICT, office practice, modern office technology, management records, research techniques, principle of accounting, small business management, communication skills, project, social psychology, business law, office administration and management, research method, professional career

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development, database management system, oral communication skills, elements of human resource management, professional ethics and social responsibility and Nigeria labour law introduced to ensure that the content of what the students learn is in line with the industrial and societal needs. Keyboarding is still taught in the programmes as part of a semester course in computer applications, but there is a push to teach keyboarding at a much earlier stage in education.

The National Diploma (ND) and Higher National Diploma (HND) programmes in Office Technology and Management last two years each, and they are designed to equip students with secretarial/office skills for employment in various fields of endeavour. Agomuo (2010), defined Office Technology and Management as the technology used in the office like a computer and a printer. It is something that helps one to be effective in the office and helps one to achieve one's goals which convention would not allow the individual to effectively do. Students of OTM programmes are exposed to courses in their special areas as well as courses in general education. In addition to the acquisition of practical skills in office technology and management, the students are equipped with effective work competencies and socio-psychological work skills, which are very essential in everyday interaction with people.

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The objective of the Office Technology and Management programmes therefore, is the acquisition of OTM skills. These include at the National Diploma (ND) level, the ability to write in shorthand for three minutes varied materials of 1.3 syllabic intensity dictated at 80 WPM and transcribed on the typewriter with a minimum of 95 percent accuracy, type effectively various office jobs and acquire a typewriting copying rate of 40 WPM on passages not below 1.30 syllabic intensity with 98 percent accuracy. The student should fit in properly into the office and any organisation and perform professionally the functions of a secretary which among other things include ? relating the functions of the office to the whole organisation, attending meetings and providing information as may be required, taking accurate records of meetings, filling and retrieving information, taking appropriate action independently when faced with challenging secretarial office problem, showing personal qualities and attributes conducive to tolerance and co-existence with the work group and, at the Higher National Diploma (HND) level, the ability to acquire general education and a solid foundation for advance studies.

The general entry requirement into the National Diploma (ND) programme as spelt out by National Board for Technical Education (NBTE) are: the West African School Certificate (WASC), Senior Secondary Certificate (SSC), the General Certificate of Education (GCE), Ordinary Level, National

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