PROFESSIONALIZATION OF TEACHING THROUGH FUNCTIONAL TEACHER EDUCATION IN NIGERIA

This paper specifically focuses on professionalization of teaching profession through functional Teacher Education in Nigeria. The first part of the paper examines the concept of teaching, professionalization and functional Teacher education in Nigeria. The second aspect examines the strategies for professionalization of teaching in Nigeria. The third aspect focuses on the problems of professionalization of teaching in Nigeria. The paper is concluded with the implication of professionalization of teaching through functional teacher education

A Viable Entrepreneurship Education as an Antidote for Eradication of Poverty and Unemployment Among Youths in Nigeria

Nigeria is passing through a period of uncertainty and pervasive economic recession which has further aggravated the problem of poverty and unemployment among Nigerian youths. These jobless youths take solace in all form of atrocities and social vices that pose a serious threat to sustainable development of the nation. This research took a cursory look at the concepts of poverty, youth unemployment and viable entrepreneurship education. It highlighted the lofty objectives of viable entrepreneurship education in Nigeria. The various factors responsible for poverty and youth employment in Nigeria were identified. Attention was also directed to the role of viable entrepreneurship education in eradicating poverty and youth unemployment in Nigeria. Based on the findings, it was recommended, among others, that the curriculum of educational institutions in Nigeria should be more pragmatic and have built-in-job training programmes which would enable all students to acquire relevant entrepreneurial skills required for self-employment, job and wealth creation and poverty eradication

Effective Management of Tertiary Education in Nigeria as a Panacea to Good Governance and National Security

Tertiary education is widely accepted in Nigeria today as a form of investment in human capital development that yields economic benefits and contributes significantly to the nation’s future wealth and development by increasing the productive and consumptive capacity of the citizens. Tertiary education equips the individual with relevant knowledge, skills and attitudinal orientation required to progress in one’s chosen career in life and contribute meaningfully to the economic growth and security of the nation, through purposeful governance. Ironically, tertiary education in Nigeria today is facing myriads of problems. Effective management of the tertiary education entails that the administrators of the tertiary institutions must identify these critical problems and harness judiciously available resources towards alleviating them. Effective management of tertiary education in Nigeria as a panacea for good governance and national security depends greatly upon the quality and quantity of all resources earmarked for this level of education, by all its stakeholders as well as prudential management of the resources.

Practicable Vocational and Entrepreneurial Skills Acquisition for job Creation and Poverty Alleviation Among Nigerian Youths

Purpose:  This study examined the concepts of poverty, youth unemployment and vocational and entrepreneurial skills acquisition. It also identified the various factors responsible for poverty and youth unemployment in Nigeria. It highlighted the rationale for Nigerian youths to acquire vocational and entrepreneurial skills for self-reliance, income generation, wealth creation and employment generation for others.   Theoretical Framework: The aim of  vocational and entrepreneurial skills acquisition is to make it practicable in order to drive and deliver the purpose of job creation and poverty alleviation among Nigerian youths. Making it more practicable achieves the driving force to creating economic values and creative business engagements by Nigerians. The focus also provides job opportunities for the teeming Nigerian youths, channels their future to productive activities and turn to make poverty and unemployment to be things of the past if the practicability is achieved through entrepreneurial activities.   Design/Methodology/Approach:  The study adopted the mode of conducting literature review and conceptualization of the variables and x-rayed the  reasons for poverty and unemployment and deepen how the social problems can be identified and reduced to the barest minimum in Nigeria.   Findings: Our findings revealed there is serious poverty and unemployment in Nigeria. It as well suggest that it is of valuable and useful direction to promote practicable skills acquisition among Nigerian youths and that the curricula of Nigerian educational institutions should be more pragmatic and have built-in-job training programmes that would enable students to acquire relevant practicable vocational and entrepreneurial skills required for self-employment, job and wealth creation and poverty alleviation. While all stakeholders should be actively involved in the funding of vocational and entrepreneurship education.   Research, Practical & Social implications: This study in its focus contributes to a better understanding of the important role being played by entrepreneurial skills acquisition in achieving practicable vocational skills and to develop entrepreneurial attitudes of Nigerian youths  that will form the economic growth of the country through their engagements and make them employers of labour through their acquired practicable vocational skills acquisition to better the society. This study also contributes to a better understanding of the causes of the menace which therefore proffers solution to tackling the problem of poverty among Nigerian youths through the provision of a viable, robust, comprehensive and practical-oriented vocational and entrepreneurship education.  It also expressed how the collective responsibility of all prominent Nigerians could be keyed-into supporting entrepreneurship programmes in Nigeria in the area of funding of vocational and entrepreneurship education in Nigeria which both Government at Federal, State and Local Government levels and the Non-Govermental Organisations (NGOs).   Originality/value: The added value of this study provides insights on how vocational entrepreneurial skills acquisition programmes can be practicable effective in a way to structure the future of Nigerian youths and citizens for productive economic activities. It is as well sought how poverty and unemployment can be reduced and make citizens focus for economic growth and self-dependence businesses

Youth Empowerment Programmes Through Entrepreneurial Skills Acquisition for Self-Reliance in Ondo State, Nigeria: An Appraisal

Purpose: The study appraised youth empowerment programmes through entrepreneurial skills acquisition for self-reliance in Ondo State, Nigeria.   Theoretical framework: The conceptual framework was developed based on an extensive literature review to establish the relationship between youth empowerment, entrepreneurial skills acquisition and self-reliance. This framework serves as a guiding structure for the study, determining the way out of the virulent, devastating, torturing, and continuous  menace of poverty and unemployment bedeviling the youths of Nigeria and proffer lasting solution through entrepreneurial skills acquisition for self-reliance.   Design/Methodology/Approach: The study adopted empirical research approach. Data was gathered from four hundred and fifty participants drawn from six Entrepreneurial Skills Acquisition Centres in three Local Government Areas of Ondo State. The collection of data was by the means of a questionnaire that was structured and well-validated titled Entrepreneurial Skills Acquisition for Job Creation Questionnaire. Descriptive and inductive statistics were used for the data analysis.   Findings: The outcome revealed that many jobless school leavers and graduates in Ondo State were completely ignorant of training opportunities provided by Ondo State Government due to inadequate publicity of the programmes. The Entrepreneurial Skills Acquisition Programmes were not sufficiently funded; most of the Centre buildings were dilapidated and poorly maintained; while the resource persons at the Centres were grossly inadequate and poorly motivated. The acquired entrepreneurial skills have been helping the recipients to set up small-scale business enterprises for self-employment and reliance.   Research, Practical and Social implications: The study contributes immensely and shows that it is no more contestable that in Nigeria today, the acquirement of appropriate entrepreneurial skills will greatly assist the jobless school leavers and tertiary educational institutions graduates in ameliorating the problem of unemployment and poverty and also lessen the several crimes and social vices commonly committed by most youths of Nigeria. The Nigerian youths who have acquired entrepreneurial skills will undoubtedly decide properly on the business enterprise to embark upon and how to seek initial financial assistance to put it in progress.   Originality/Value: The conceptual framework of the study, its empirical research approach, incomparable modality, and practical recommendations contribute to the existing body of knowledge on youth empowerment programmes through entrepreneurial skills acquisition which champions the reduction of unemployment and poverty in Nigeria. It as well  providing valuable direction for stakeholders in  building a supportive creativity in the educational system

COMPUTER AIDED DRAFTING AND CONSTRUCTION OF STANDARD DRAFTING TABLE FOR COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING STUDIO IN AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY

There is a serious need to design and construct a more convenient drafting table with a reduce cost for the high number of Students using design studio in mechanical and mechatronics department, Afe Babalola University Ado Ekiti, Nigeria. This project presents the design and fabrication of a standard drafting table with the use of “AutoCAD TM” software. The design helps to find out a precise dimensions of various part of table with great accuracy within small time and gives fine representation of drafting table. The detail drawing enhance the speed of production as each technician working on the table work on different part which makes the fabrication more faster and précised. The joining of the part was done through arc-welding using gauge 10 electrode. The slot on the adjusting hanger was machine on milling machine. The table was fabricated using a 2”*2” square pipe of 2mm thick of mild steal material commonly available in market. Main part are: stand of 2”*2” 3ft long, middle and stand brace 2”*2” 2.5ft long, the base of 1ft and the top was made of a plywood of 3ft by 4ft as the standard size for A1 paper for drafting. The straight edge of the board help in the squaring of the drafting table and a accurate drafting. The total cost of production per one is approximately N22,300. Compare to the market price from some other company of the same product of $250 as at the time of production. This makes the institution to produce 50pieces of the drafting table

OPTIMIZATION OF DOUBLY REINFORCED BEAM DESIGN USING SIMULATED ANNEALING

The optimization of the doubly reinforced concrete beam was investigated in this paper using the simulated annealing. Materials costs are considered as the objective function. The variables are the width, depth, compression steel, tension steel and cost. The constraints are the ultimate moment of resistance, compression/tension-steel ratio, minimum and maximum area of reinforcements. At the concrete compressive strength of 25 MPa, it is demonstrated that simulated annealing method can be used to optimize the design of concrete beams

OPTIMIZATION OF DOUBLY REINFORCED BEAM DESIGN USING SIMULATED ANNEALING

The optimization of the doubly reinforced concrete beam was investigated in this paper using the simulated annealing. Materials costs are considered as the objective function. The variables are the width, depth, compression steel, tension steel and cost. The constraints are the ultimate moment of resistance, compression/tension-steel ratio, minimum and maximum area of reinforcements. At the concrete compressive strength of 25 MPa, it is demonstrated that simulated annealing method can be used to optimize the design of concrete beams

Clinical audit of paediatric magnetic resonance imaging under sedation at a Nigerian tertiary institution

Background: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in paediatric patients requires them to be calm during the procedure to avoid motion artefacts in the acquired images. Sedation and/or anaesthesia is a way to achieve this. We evaluated all paediatric MRI sedations since installation of an MRI device in our hospital. Material/Methods: We retrospectively reviewed 69 paediatric MRI sedations performed over a 5-year period using records of patients' biodata, MRI date, indication, findings and scan time, sources of referral, body region scanned, type, dose, related adverse events and route of administration of sedatives as well as image quality. Results: The median age and weight of the patients were 24 months {range of 0.3 months (10 days) to 132 months (11 years)} and 11.5 kg (range of 2.6 kg to 42 kg), respectively. Males constituted 50.7% of the patients. Most participants (94.2%) were in-patients of the hospital, mainly (60.0%) referred from the paediatric unit, with slightly over one third (36.2%) of the studies performed in 2015. The commonest indication and scanned body region were macrocephaly (18.8%) and the brain (76.8%), respectively. Hydrocephalus (17.4%) was the commonest MRI finding. Sedation was planned in 66 (95.7%) patients and was successful in 68 (98.6%). Midazolam and the IV route were the commonest sedative agent and route of administration, respectively. Image quality determined by age was fair to good in 68 (98.6%) patients with only 1 patient requiring re-scanning due to motion blur. No adverse events with sedation were recorded. Conclusions: Midazolam via the IV route with or without oral route is the drug of choice for MRI sedation in children in our institution with a success rate of about 99%

OPTIMIZATION OF SINGLY REINFORCED BEAM DESIGN USING SIMULATED ANNEALING

This paper investigated the optimization of a singly reinforced concrete beam using the simulated annealing. The enhancement of minimum cost of structures and the adoption of the algorithm method of simulated annealing were projected in resolving the complications of constraints associated with optimization problems. The variables are the width, depth, compression steel, tension steel, and cost. The constraints are steel ratios, ultimate moment of resistance, maximum and minimum area of reinforcements while materials costs are considered as the objective function. It is demonstrated that using the concrete compressive strength of 25MPa, simulated annealing can be used to optimize the design of concrete beams effectively. The results also indicate that the complications connected to the actual and genuine evaluation of costs of structures and the connectivity with the compulsory restraints can be adequately resolved using this method