Vocational skills and formal education: their bond, effects and role to nation building
During the January-February 2014 edition of Edulight Magazine, in one of our
segments tagged Bring it on, a debate was initiated that encourage
students to take their stand on a particular issue. The publishers did trigger the
attention and involvement of her esteemed readers by posing a vital topic which
compares vocational skill with formal education. Interestingly, we had two
fascinating arguments in writing: one for
and the other against vocational
skill. The two contending positions got one thinking, is there really much
difference between the two of them or are simply same of a kind?
In this edition of EDU FOCUS, we will be examining
the relationships between both of them as a learning process vis-à-vis their
effects and role to the nation at large rather than looking at their
differences. Here are some of the key similarities and effects of both
vocational skills and formal education:
·
Vocational skill and formal education
both have two respective parties, i.e. the tutor who passes knowledge and the
student who receives knowledge. However, for vocational skills the tutor is referred
to as master or mistress while for
formal education he is called either teacher
or lecturer depending on the tier. The students remain students in the formal educational setting while for vocational
skills they are mostly called apprentice.
·
Vocational skill involves the
impartation of knowledge just as we have in the formal educational sector.
Although for vocational skill it is focused on a particular line of skill which
is not the case for formal education at the early stage of education until one
gets to the tertiary level.
·
They both have a specific target of
adding value to humanity which could be in terms of providing service or
producing goods all for human consumption. This as a matter of fact is the
underlining factor to everything we do. As the students are mostly determined
to learn the rope of their desired/chosen profession over a targeted period,
the tutors are always willing and readily available to see to the actualization
of their dream by impacting and equipping them with the know-how.
Whether vocational skill or formal education, one
thing is certain: their benefits cannot be over-emphasized. We will carefully
examine some of their tremendous benefits, effects and roles to the individual
and the nation at large;
·
They both empower us as humans to be
solution providers in our respective fields, whether you are a vocational skill
person or career person. This brings true fulfillment in whatever one is doing
and earns a living also from.
·
The constant improvement that
consciously and deliberately happens to these two will guarantee the
development of the country at large in all fronts, which in turn will bring
about the expansion of the economic frontier and improved living standard.
·
Both vocational skill and formal
education will to an extent enhance security and decline in immorality in the
country. This is because the citizens will be focused and take their minds off
destructive acts. After all a popular saying holds that - ‘An idle mind is the
devil’s work shop’.
There is no denying the fact that in this our
present world, one is advised to possess either of the two or both, and keep improving
on it in order to have a secured future and a vibrant economy as we have in
some Asian countries, Europe and other fast developing countries.
