Abstract:
The major purpose of this study was to evaluate Higher National Diploma Animal production programme of colleges of agriculture in North central Nigeria. Eight research questions were answered and two null hypotheses were tested at 0.05 level of significance. Mean, and percentages were employed to answer the research questions, Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the null hypotheses. The study employed a survey research design including goal evaluation and goal-free evaluation models. The population of the study was 244 respondents consisting of 34 lecturers, 10 instructors and 178 HND II students in four colleges of agriculture and 22 graduates of the programme. A structured questionnaire containing 203 items was designed and used for data collection. Also, a check-list of facilities, tools and equipment and that of teaching staff was employed in data collection. The instrument was subjected to face validation by three lecturers from department of Vocational Teacher Education, two from Animal science Department, faculty of agriculture, all in University of Nigeria Nsukka and one lecturer from College of Agriculture Yandev (Benue). The reliability coefficients (Internal consistency) for three sections of the instrument was .98, .95 and .94 using Cronbach alpha reliability test. Four research assistants were used in the administration and collection of the questionnaire. It was found out that (1) course contents used for running HND animal production programme are relevant. (2) most of the facilities, tools and equipment were considered inadequate. (3) Facilities, tools and equipment used for running animal production in the various colleges of agriculture were considered suitable by respondents. (4) In college of agriculture Yandev, three principal lecturers were available out of the four required, instructors were also adequate, senior lecturers, lecturer 1, lecturer 2 and assistant lecturers were found inadequate in the college. In Lafia college of Agriculture, all categories of lecturers and instructors were found inadequate, In college of Agriculture and Animal Health Jos, chief lecturers, principal lecturers, lecturer 1, and instructors were found adequate, while senior lecturers and assistant lecturers were found inadequate in the college. The College of Agriculture and wild life Management, New Bussa Niger, had inadequate teaching staff in the chief lecturer, principal lecturer, senior lecturer and lecturer 1 cadres. However, lecturer 2, assistant lecturer and instructors were adequate in the college. (5) supervisors rated HND graduates of animal production incompetent (low competence) in establishing pasture, deworming cattle, castration, vaccination, beak trimming, preparation of rations for layers and broilers, tattooing, tail clipping, ring nose of hogs, injecting of iron and flushing in sheep.(6) It was also found out that there was no significant difference in the mean response of colleges of agriculture lecturers, instructors, supervisors and HND graduates on the relevance of programme course contents. Also, there was no significant difference in the mean ratings of college of agriculture lecturers, instructors, and supervisors on the suitability of facilities, tools and equipment. It was therefore recommended amongst others that government should provide more facilities, tools and equipment for running animal production programme in the colleges of agriculture studied, and that National Board for Technical Education should ensure that adequate and qualified lecturers are recruited.
