Students Perception Of Practical Agricultural Science In Senior Secondary Schools
[A CASE STUDY OF IFELODUN LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF OSUN STATE]

Ikeoji, (2007) maintained that the basic goal of the National Policy on Education is to make education both practical and useful. It has also been observed that vocational education originated out of the need for the system to make its products useful to themselves and to the society.
Teaching of agricultural science at the secondary level requires a solid foundation in theory and practical aspects by the teacher of agriculture. The 6-3-3-4 system of education requires that agricultural science be taught as a prevocational subject at the junior secondary schools and as a vocational subject at the senior secondary school level (FRN, 2004). Surprisingly, the 2007 Universal Basic Education (UBE) programme in contrary resolved that agricultural science be made an elective course but an attempt is on the top gear by serious-minded and thought provoking experts/educationists to revert it to its compulsory course status considering its national relevance (Egwu, 2009). Even though agriculture is a vocational elective at senior secondary, the performance of students in the subject and the sector has not improved. Ikeoji and Agwubike (2006) noted that graduates of vocational agriculture in senior secondary schools in Nigeria have often not been able to take up their responsibility in paid jobs at the completion of their secondary education, thus, defeating the goals of changing agriculture to a vocational subject at secondary school level in Nigeria. The continued emphasis of agriculture in the curriculum is a response to tailor the curriculum to prepare the students for the kinds of existing jobs both in rural and urban set up ( Bird, 2002 and World Bank, 2000). This was aimed at redefining and restructuring the curriculum to correspond to the needs of new economic reality. These views gain the support from UUNESCO (2012) which focuses on qualitative education in which the youths acquire skills for reducing unemployment, poverty and promoting rural economic. In view of the importance of agriculture to a nation, Nigeria adopted the teaching and learning of the subject at all levels of education. As provided in the National Curriculum for senior secondary school ,Federal Ministry of Education(FME, 2008), Agricultural Education is designed to lay a solid foundation for vocational agriculture that is proposed to train individuals to acquire relevant occupation skills, that will make them to be productive farmers. The teaching of Agricultural Science education in Nigeria secondary schools was first initiated in 1967. The curriculum in agriculture was jointly developed by the Nigerian Educational Research Development Council (NERDC) and West Africa Examination Council (WAEC). The main objectives of introducing the teaching of agricultural science include:
1.    Encouragement of students in the use of their hands;
2.    The appreciation for the dignity of labour;
3.    Familiarity with biological processes and thereby instilling rationality in the students;
4.    Increasing self-sufficiency and self-reliance in food production students to produce part of their food needs and improve their diet and thus minimize the cost of feeding in their secondary schools.
Agricultural Science as one of the west African examination council subject  is taught theoretically and practically. The school farm or garden is often used as a means of providing practical experience for the students. The relevance of the current senior secondary vocational agriculture curriculum has raised divergent views from different stakeholders. For instance, Ochu and Umunnagbu (2005) in a study titled: Relevance of the Practical Content of the Senior Secondary Vocational Agriculture Programme” opined that the programmes are suitable for developing the right caliber of middle level manpower for the agricultural subsector of the economy. This finding however indicated an improvement over findings in the earlier reports made by Ivowi (1983) and Zahradeen (1990) who variously reported skills content deficiency. Ochu and Umunnaegbu therefore concluded that given the right environment, the existing content will guarantee the acquisition of relevant occupational skills. Granted that the curriculum is suitable and appropriate all that remains would be an enabling environment for full expression of intended objectives (Amadi, Orikpe & Osinem, 2007).