ABSTRACT
The study investigated the
effects of Pre-NCE programme on the academic performance of students in the
Biology department in College
of Education,
Ikere-Ekiti. It also compared academic performance of students based on their
modes of admission into NCE progamme. The project is based on experience rather
, the idea of research h where some research question were formulated to give
more information into the investigation at the study through the researchers. The relevant data
were analyzed through their frequency table. The frequency of the responses was
found and these were converted to sample percentage. The study adopted survey
research design which was carried ex post facto. The population of the study
consisted of students and staffs in College of Education
Ikere-Ekiti.Simple random sampling technique was used to
select the respondents.The result indicate that the effect of Pre-NCE programme
on the academic performance of students in the Biology department in College
of Education has been
effective in the school. The result also revealed that Pre-NCE programme is not a wasting of time for
students in higher institution like Universities, Polytechnics and College of Educations. This study provides a significant
volume of useful information to stakeholders: policy makers, teachers, students
and parents. Among other things thestudy recommends that students seeking
admission into the 100 level programme of the college either throughPre-NCE or
Direct Entry should be given fair treatment.
INTRODUCTION
According
to Advance Learner Dictionary of current English, Preliminary refers to coming
before a more important action or preparatory. Preliminary course therefore
refers to the success of student in assignment, test, and examination taken in
subject during the student course of study.
The
Pre-NCE programme was introduced some years back to address the issue of low
intake of students into some programme named Science, Vocation and Technical as
well as languages. At a point and to some extent, the Pre-NCE progrmme become
the route some college
of Education took to
attract students not only into the critical areas mentioned but also into all
the schools and programmes. At the inception of the Pre-NCE programme, it was
introduced to prepare students to meet the requirement for admission into the
NCE regular programme. Then a certain performance level in the deficient
subjects was the condition required to transit into the regular NCE progrmme. But
today, that has become a thing of the past.
The
current reality is that no matter the level of performance of the prospective
candidate at the Pre-NCE level he or she is required to sit and pass the Joint
Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) entrance examinations or (UTME)
examination and obtain scores within the national examination minimum cut-off
point before he or she could gain admission into the college of Education of
his or her choice
The realization that education is an instrument for national
development has compelled the federal government of Nigeria to make education
accessible to every Nigerian irrespective of the socio-economic background. For
instance there is provision for all levels of education starting from the
primary to the tertiary level. With the recognition of education as a veritable
key to individual and national development clamor for education especially
tertiary education has increased in the recent times. A sizeable number of
candidates apply for admission into colleges of education every academic
session with only a small percentage securing admission due to lack of enough
spaces and, or lack of prerequisite requirement.
According to NCCE (2009) eligible candidates for admission
into 100 levels in the colleges of education must possess five credits at most
in two sittings, two of which credits must be in the area of specialization of
the candidates. In order to provide opportunity for the teeming population of
students who lack the prerequisite qualifications, who could not meet the JAMB
cut off point for admission into tertiary institutions and the need to
ostensibly improve admission rate into the colleges of education, the National
Commission for College of Education devised the PRE-NCE programme which grooms
the students before they take JAMB Examination for entry into tertiary
institutions.(NCCE 2007).
According to the National Commission for Colleges of
Education (2007) the Pre-NCE programme has tremendously improved the admission
rate in the colleges of education and probably improved academic performance of
the students concerned.
It
should be noted that the other category of students who gained admission into
colleges of education are called Direct Entry students. This group of students
who possess the request requirement should meet the cut-off mark in the matriculation
examination conducted by the Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB) The
entry qualifications of Pre-NCE and Direct Entry students are different. In the
College of Education Ikere for candidates to gain admission
into Pre-NCE Programme, the candidate must possess three passes.
The Pre-NCE students would also spend one year at the Pre-NCE
level before transiting to 100 levels or part one. During the Pre-NCE programme
the students are taken through a number of courses which are in the main
preparatory for 100 levels and the entrance examination into college of
education conducted by JAMB.
This paper is therefore interested in comparing academic
performance of Direct Entry and Pre-NCE students with a view to providing
invaluable data for Education administrators to make valid decisions regarding
Direct Entry and Pre-NCE programme.
According
to Idika (2007) the main objective of establishing the College of Education
is to afford student with minor deficiency in their principal subject who are
unable to secure direct admission on opportunity to gain admission to college.
Statement of Problem
This research work, “the effects of Pre-NCE programme on
academic performance of biology students in biology department college of
education ikere-ekiti” Considered the impact and establishment whether the
introduction of Pre-NCE has enhanced the academic performance of students in
the biology department at NCE level.
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study is to establish
whether the Pre-NCE programme improve the academic performance of students at
NCE level in biology department or otherwise.
Objectives of the Study
The aim
of this study is to review the academic performance of student via the entry
qualification of students into the college and carry out a comprehensive
assessment of the Pre-NCE programme with the view of establishing the impact
both positive and negative on the academic performance of student in the
college of education. To also ascertain the effect of Pre-NCE programme in the academic
performance of student in college of education and also to appraise the
academic performance of student admitted into the school through Pre-NCE programme.
REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE
Introduction
The issue of the relationship between direct entry
qualification and student effects of Pre-NCE programme academic performance of
students in college
of Education, Ikere –
Ekiti in particular has attracted the attention of several schools and have
contributed immensely however in different perspective.
Conceptual Framework
An increasing in amount of work has been carried out in
Pre-NCE programme. Numerous studies have also investigated the relationship
between the direct entry qualification and academic achievement in Pre-NCE
programme. Every tertiary institution for learning in Nigeria has its
own entry qualification for its various programme and prospective candidate
must attain such qualification before he or she is admitted to any preliminary
course.
The new National Policy on Education (NPE) provide the
following requirement for admission into preliminary programme in the college
of education
O’ Level Certificate
Every applicant must
possess Senior Secondary Certificate Examination (SSCE), West African
Examination Council (W AE C), National Examination Council ( NECO), General
Certificate of Education ( G CE), National Business and Technical Examinations
Board (NABTHEB). Candidate with any of these result must attain three subject
at a pass level including English language and minimum of two credit which must
be in a subject is regarded for the preliminary programme.
Teacher Grade (II) Certificate
A prospective candidate must possess merit or credit in at
least three subject’s two of which must be related to the course of study.
Hence, with the establishment of Joint Admission and Matriculation Board (JAMB)
the entry requirement into the college of education was change.
Now, the (JAMB) entry requirement into the Nigeria colleges
of education is o’ level passes in at least five subject must be at credit
level. The object of this encourage the prospective subject in their lower
level (Secondary School) to work harder in order to be achieving their
education objectives in higher institutions, and also to maintain standard and
uniformly. The entry qualification into any course of study to a great extent
determines the behavior of the learner in a chosen or course of that specific
study.
Entry Qualification into Pre-NCE
Science Department
The applicant must possessed at least
three subject at pass level including English language and two other relevant
science subjects in any of the following
examinations (WAEC/ SSCE/NECO/ GCE/ NABTHEB).
A
complete Teacher grade II certificate with passes in English language,
Mathematics or Arithmetic processes, General / Integrated science and by other
science, Agricultural science, Applied Biology, Home Economics and so on.
Entry Qualification into Pre-NCE
Technical
The applicant must obtain three subject at a pass level
including English language and two other Technical subjects or applied science
in any of the following examinations
(WAEC/ SSCE/NECO/ GCE/ NABTHEB).
Entry Qualification into Pre-NCE Art Department
The applicant must possessed three subjects at a pass level
including English Language or literature in English, Mathematics and Arts
related subjects in any of the following
examinations (WAEC/ SSCE/NECO/ GCE/ NABTHEB).
Entry Qualification into Pre-NCE
Business Studies Department
The application must obtain three subjects at a pass level
including English Language and Business related subject in any of the following
examinations (WAEC/ SSCE/NECO/ GCE/ NABTHEB).
A
complete Teacher’s Grade II Certificate with at least a pass in English
Language, Mathematics/ Arithmetic processes integrated or General Science or
Geography or Social study.
Afolabi, A.O (2005) regarded it as the
foundation on which academic work in the institution is built, especially the
NCE programme. He furthermore, in his write up in journal of National
Commission for College of Education (NCCE) observed that researcher in entry
qualification and academic achieving have been handled from various angles and
levels by many psychologists. The end result has been in consistent. He
maintained the Endler and Steribe work on prediction in relation on entry
preliminary at the NCE level as one of the fruitless tasks in psychologist and
educational research.
Determinant of Pre-NCE Programme
According to Oyedeji (2002) in resent time student
performance in Pre-NCE programme has been a source of concern to scholars in
schools in preliminary studies as well as teacher at the NCE level of
education. This is to serve as an eye opener and a theoretical foundation for
the study. In fact learning is a process whereby capacity and tendencies change
as a result of action and exposure.
The Quality and Quantity of Teachers
The roles of teachers in facilitating student’s performance
in Pre-NCE programme cannot be overemphasized and it will continue to be part
of the Nigeria
certificate in Education (NCE)
Frrant (2003) highlight that, it is duty of a teacher to help
his student to develop as fully as possible to teach and guide the student at
appropriate time and when possible. It will be very difficult for the student
to enhance knowledge effectively if there is no teacher to teach and guide the
student where need be.
The Federal Republic of Nigeria (2004) National Policy on
Education also acknowledge the education of children and adults who have
learning difficulty because of different sorts of handicaps blindness, partial
Sightedness, deafness, hardness of hearing mental retardation, social
maladjustment and Physical handicaps and so on, Due to circumstances of birth
inheritance, social position, mental and physical health pattern or accident in
later life. As a result a few children and adult are unable to cope with the
normal school class organization and methods. There are also the special fitted
children who are intellectually precocious and find themselves in sufficient
challenged by the program of the normal school and who may take to stubbornness
and a pathy in resistance to it.
It is evident from the literature review that there are many
features that determines the student performance in Pre-NCE programme .The view
expressed by various authors like Afolabi (2003). Afolabi further and said that
knowledge and book feels that with problem of shy rocketing for the possible
solution invariable centers on university admission. They open that the society
need increasing trained personnel to meet its changing technology.
Review of Related Literature
This aspect of the study examines relevant historical antecedents
or background of the Pre-NCE programme, evolution and development of tertiary
education especially colleges of education, previous studies on the
relationship between academic performance of Direct Entry and Pre-NCE
candidates.
The evolution and development of tertiary education in Nigeria can be
traced to the report by Ashby Commission 1960 (Olayemi, Adenigbagbe and Oluwadamilare
2010). Among other things the commission recommended that the development of universities
in Nigeria
should be given all the seriousness it deserves and that all the universities should
have education degree programme. In order to meet the manpower needs of the
increasing number of secondary schools which the universities at the time could
not meet. There was acute need to establish intermediate teacher training
institutions. Hence, the establishment of colleges of education was aimed at
producing middle level professional teachers to teach in the teacher training
schools and in the secondary schools especially in the lower arm of the
secondary schools.
Oke, Ogunjide and Oladimeji (2008) reported that the first
set of Colleges of Education was known as Advanced Teacher Training Colleges.
Those advanced teacher college later transformed into colleges of education of
which College of Education Ikere - Ekiti was established
in 1976 with the objective of producing high-caliber teachers who can teach in
integrated or special education classes.
According to Ogunjide (2008) in Oke and Odetokun (2003).There
were fifteen federal colleges of education, thirty-five state colleges of
education and few private colleges of education. However, other source
indicates that there are twenty Federal Colleges of Education. (Saint and
Stansser 2003).
The Pre-NCE programme and other courses in the nation’s
colleges of education are controlled and monitored by the National Commission
for College of Education. The Pre-NCE Programme was mounted
in the colleges of education in order to increase the admission rates
especially in the early 1990s when admission rate into college of education was
seriously dwindling probably because of lack of interests of students in
colleges of education programmes and because of lack of admission requirement
for Direct Entry into 100 level or part one.
Idika (2007) examined the relationship between entry
qualification and final performance in the Nigeria certificate in education.
The study showed that there was a low positive correlation between the entry
qualification and the final performance of students in the NCE technical
programme. In a related study Afolabi (2005) examined the entry qualification
as a predictor of college student’s performance in Micro teaching. The findings
of the work indicated that there was similar low relationship between entry
qualification and performance in academic courses.
Summary of the Review of Literature
The reviewed literature on the subject matter of the study
revealed a steady growth of higher education institutions especially colleges
of education in the country. The need to boost admission rate into the colleges
coupled with the need to assist some students who have deficiencies in their
senior school certificate examination led to the operation of Pre- NCE
programme. Previous empirical studies showed a low positive relationship
between entry qualification and academic performance.
REFERENCES
Afolabi, A.O (2005) Entry Qualification As a
prediction of College Students Performance in Microteaching Ife Journal of
Curriculum Studies.
Federal Republic of Nigeria (2012)
National Policy On Education. Revised Edition. NERCPress, Yaba Lagos.
Idika N. (2003). The Relationship Between Entry Qualification
and Final Performance in the Nigeria Certificate in Education (technical)
Programme Asaba Journal of Education Studies
Majosan J.A & Bakare G.C.M (2007) Entry
Qualification Journal of African Educational Research.
Mwajei T.A (2001). The Relationship BetweenEntry
Qualification and Academ Success inAccounting Education. A Case Study of FCE
(T)Asaba”. Unpublished NCE Project. FCE (T). Asaba.
National Commission of College of Education
(2009). Minimum Standard for NCE Teacher- Education. Abuja: NCCE PR&XS
Oke, C.S. Ogunjide J.A & Oladimeji M.A (2008) An
introduction to Historical Development of Education in Nigeria Oyo: Folayemi
Cristhle.
Olayemi Bio, Adenigbabe H.A Oluwadamilare O.O. (2010)
History of Education Ilesa: God’s Grace.
Saint, W.H & Frrant (2003) Higher Education in Nigeria: A
Status Report. Washington
D.C: The World Bank.
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