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ArticleForestry education in Nigeria: Are forestry students unwilling to study the course and does it influence their academic performance?
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.Forestry education in Nigeria, as it is globally, is faced with several drawbacks despite the urgent need to train more professionals who can tackle the increasing issues related to forestry. One of these concerns is the reducing interest in academic forestry programs evident by low enrolment rates. However, forestry education still pools relatively good enrolment across Nigerian tertiary institutions, often due to candidates’ inability to secure their initially desired courses. Meanwhile, this could have influenced their academic achievements and career progressions. This study, therefore, analysed the unwillingness of forestry students in Nigeria to study the course and its impact on their academic performance, taking the department of Forestry at FUTA as a case study. A survey was used to collect data from the students (193) on four study levels, comprising their demographics, unwillingness to study forestry, interest to further in forestry-related works and studies, and their academic performance. Descriptive and Chi-square statistics were then used to analyse the responses. The results show that majority of the students were male (56%), mainly within the ages 20-25 (60%) and had been admitted via the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (63%) with no prior forestry awareness, unlike the direct-entry students who mostly had post-secondary forestry-related experience. Widely, students’ perception evidenced their unwillingness towards the discipline with about 68%, 65%, and 94% of them not having prior knowledge about forestry before admission, never chose the course, and would not wish to further in any related post-study engagements, respectively. Meanwhile, only their educational background and their parents' educational level were found to have influenced their unwillingness. It was also revealed that this unwillingness impacted their academic performance significantly. Therefore, Forestry education should be made more attractive in every way possible to facilitate students’ interest and consequently improve academic performance and professional competence in forestry sector. Keywords: Forestry education, unwillingness, interest, influence and academic performance ID: 3623841 -
ArticleWhere are the foresters? The influx of forestry graduates to non-forestry jobs in Nigeria
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.Foresters play important roles in the sustainable management of forest resources in many countries. In Nigeria, hundreds of forestry students graduate from various forestry schools annually. However, the high unemployment situation in Nigeria has left millions of gradutes from higher education institutions jobless. Recent research shows that a major challenge facing forestry students and graduates in Nigeria is difficulty getting jobs and poor prospects for career achievement in the forestry (and forestry-related) sector. Our case study research is based on a survey of a cohort of 56 forestry students who graduated from the Federal University of Technology Akure – FUTA, Nigeria (a top-ranking forestry school in Nigeria), in 2016 to understand the cohort’s job experiences five years after leaving school. First, our research shows that 84% of forestry graduates from the cohort were in non-forestry-related jobs, and the remaining 16% were in forestry-related, academic jobs as lecturers, researchers, and graduate students. Second, an estimated 90% of respondents acknowledged that forestry graduates were moving to non- forestry jobs mainly because of the lack of job opportunities in the forestry profession. Other reasons included earning a living, lack of interest/passion in the forestry profession, or the respondent being compelled externally to study forestry. Our research offers insights into the post-graduation experiences and current job engagement of forestry graduates in Nigeria with suggestions on the way forward. Keywords: forestry jobs; foresters; forestry education; unemployment; Nigeria ID: 3602387 -
ArticleAssessing the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic on the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities: A case study of communities in Oluwa forest reserve, Nigeria
XV World Forestry Congress, 2-6 May 2022
2022Also available in:
No results found.Though the COVID-19 pandemic is primarily a health crisis, it has a worldwide impact on the communities and economies. This impact has resulted in global socio-economic disruptions and diminished people’s livelihoods. Meanwhile, forests provide economical and livelihood support for many people around the world. For example, one-fifth of the global population depend on forest products for livelihoods and forty per cent of the extreme poor in rural areas live in and on forests. However, restrictions on physical activities as a measure to combat the pandemic also impacted forestry activities, which has put forest-based livelihoods at risk. Quantifying the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on forest-based livelihoods could help to better support and economically empowered people whose lives depend on the forests. Therefore, six communities were randomly selected in and around Oluwa forest reserve, Nigeria and a structured questionnaire was used to collect primary data from respondents using purposive sampling. The data collected was analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics to understand the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities in Oluwa forest reserve in Nigeria. The findings from this study could be a valuable resource to rebound from the impact of the crisis. Additionally, this study could potentially strengthen the response to the pandemic and improve the resilience of forest-dependent communities. Keywords: COVID-19; communities; forest-dependents; forest reserve; Nigeria ID: 3623746
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