A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION BETWEEN NIGERIA AND CHINA: ENHANCING INNOVATION, PRODUCTIVITY, AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INSTITUTIONAL SUPPORT AND TRAINING
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46827/ejsss.v12i1.2130کلمات کلیدی:
technical education, innovation, productivity, sustainable development, institutional support, trainingچکیده
Technical education is increasingly recognized as a catalyst for innovation, productivity, and sustainable development, yet its effectiveness largely depends on institutional support, training systems, and policy environments. This comparative study between Nigeria and China investigates five key objectives: institutional support for technical education, curriculum alignment with industry needs, the contribution of technical education to innovation and productivity, challenges in implementation, and strategies transferable across contexts. A total of 384 respondents were selected, ensuring a statistically reliable representation of the target population. Specifically, 192 respondents were drawn from the Nigerian universities and another 192 from the Chinese universities to ensure balanced representation across both contexts. Additionally, 20 stakeholders were interviewed online, including 10 from Nigeria (6 lecturers, 4 administrators) and 10 from China (7 lecturers, 3 administrators). Data collection employed questionnaires and semi-structured interviews administered via Google Forms, Google Meet, and Zoom. Validation of instruments through Principal Component Analysis (KMO = 0.82; Bartlett’s χ² = 756.24, p < 0.001) confirmed construct validity, with five factors explaining 71.4% of variance. Reliability analysis revealed a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.87, indicating strong internal consistency. The findings showed that China’s strong institutional backing, curriculum integration, and industry engagement translated into greater innovation and productivity outcomes, whereas Nigeria’s progress was constrained by funding gaps, weak instructor capacity, and fragmented governance. The study concludes by recommending structured industry-academic partnerships, enhanced instructor training, and cohesive policy frameworks to strengthen Nigeria’s technical education system while providing lessons for other emerging economies.
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