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

Today about 60 percent of the Nigeria population is employed in agricultural sector in one form or the other (Alkali 2010). This fact has influenced the national policy and practice of the country. The policy and objective are tailored toward self-sufficiency in agricultural science. Agricultural Science is one of the vocational subjects taught in senior secondary school in Nigeria. This is because of its promising role in promoting self reliance through the provision of employment, opportunities and production of staple foods for the populace together with raw materials supply for the agro-allied industries, (Daluba, 2013). It is an important sector   which earn a foreign exchange for developed nation like the united state of America and Canada. Agriculture as an industry requires adequate and highly trained manpower that will be  involved in the production of desired products. The manpower required for the training of the farmer in term of practical skill can only be achieved through vocational agriculture.
The term vocational education is general and includes every form of education that aims to the acquisition of qualifications related to a certain profession, art or employment or that provides the necessary training and the appropriate skills as well as technical knowledge, so that students are able to exercise a profession, art or activity, independently of their age and their training level, even if the training program contains also elements of general education (Kotsikis, 2007) Denga (1990) has defined vocational education as any form of education, formal or informal which specifically furnishes an individual with knowledge and practical skills to perform in his chosen occupation. Ogunwole (2000) believes vocational education is a programme that develops abilities, attitudes skills and understandings that make learners intelligent and have occupational competence in their changing economic life. It is the education that prepares an individual for productive life and satisfying career. It is an education for gainful employment. Oyeyinka (2000) see vocational education as an aspect of education designed for those who are interested and can benefit from learning specific type of skill in specific occupation cluster. It prepares individuals for saleable skill and make one fit into his society to make contribution to its development.
Vocational education in agriculture is therefore a type of education for training youth and adult in the art of farming and other related occupation in agriculture. Vocational agriculture involves actual involvement in farming activities which call for practical while agricultural education is the acquisition of skill and knowledge in agricultural science with the view of imparting these knowledge and skill into prospective famers for better productivity.
According to Okorie (2001) vocational agricultural education encompasses farming and agro allied  business organization, including other involved services and sales in agriculture This definition buttresses the meaning of vocational agriculture which says that vocational agriculture involves actual involvement in farming, while agricultural education is the acquisition of skill and knowledge and the dissemination of the skill/ knowledge to the recipient.
The delivery of vocational agricultural science at secondary school level should not be handled as a science parse but as vocational subject for acquisition of practical agricultural skills for meaningful living (Obi 2005).
The issues of self-employment and self-reliance in Nigeria call for the choice of agriculture as a Career. Akinsanmi (1980) asserted that the trends for young people nowadays to become self-employed accounts for popularity of agricultural science education as a vocational subject. 
Objectives and Contents of Agricultural Science Curriculum
In the National Policy on Education (NPE 2014 ),Agriculture is one of the subjects offered in  Junior and Senior Secondary Schools, as a pre-vocational elective and vocational elective respectively (Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2013). The curriculum content of the senior school level was structured to focus on three major areas: production (food production), production (agronomy and forestry) and economics (agricultural economics and farm management). ‘Guided Discovery’ a method that lays emphasis on learning by doing was recommended in the curriculum to enable the students explore and harness the agricultural resources within their local environment. This will help students in food production and other agricultural products for themselves and their community (Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council, NERDC, 2012). The overall objective of the revised curriculum is to provide students with adequate knowledge and skills that will enable them to discover their talents and enrich agricultural science education in Nigeria (NERDC, 2012). Specifically, the objective of senior secondary Agricultural education are to:
1.    stimulate and sustain students interest in Agriculture;
2.    impart functional knowledge and practical skills in agriculture to students;
3.    prepare students for further studies in area of agriculture; and
4.    prepare students for profession in Agriculture (NERDC, 2012).