OJERINDE, OLATUNDE ADEYEMI

+234 706 259 7915 / olatundeoje4@gmail.com

Topic: English language learning apathy: An agender problem in Technical

Vocational Education and Training.

Introduction
There is a deepening crisis of apathy towards English language learning, generally among
students of institutions of higher learning, and specifically among Technical and Vocational
Education and Training (TVET) trainees. This lack of interest is more distressing because of the
consequential communicative incompetence of both female and male learners. English occupies
a delicate position in the Nigerian educational system. Delicate because the neglect of English
has a direct negative impact on the whole system due to its historic position, economic
implications, social status, global stature, and the democratized nature of knowledge. Unlike
other crises that have plagued our educational system, the problem of learners’ apathy towards
learning English is systemically agender because it is common to both female and male students.
Conceptualisation
The English Language: the English language is perceived by an average Nigerian as a
colonial language; hence, a colonial inheritance. However, English has metamorphosed from
being an inheritance to a property. It has transformed itself and its users to a degree that both
cannot separate their paths. According to Akande and Okanlawon (2011), “English performs a
useful function in a multilingual society and will continue to do so” (p. 199). And beyond
Nigeria, “the status of English as a world language due to its spread over most of the world is no
longer an issue of debate. English is one of the most widely used and spoken languages in the
world today” (Nsungo, 2020, 176). English performs critical roles and functions in the Nigerian
society including being the most popular official language and the most used foreign language
that connects Nigerians within and to the world.
Learners’ Apathy: The evolution and status of English in Nigeria, consequent upon its
roles, have compelled attitudinal changes towards its learning. Due to many functions it performs
in Nigeria, “attitudes to the language have changed since colonial times” (Akande and
Okanlawon, 2011, p. 200). According to Akande and Okanlawon (2011), “reasons for learning
English now are more pragmatic in nature and run counter to Phillipson’s argument that those
who acquire the language…are victims of linguistic imperialism” (200). This assertion
emphasises the importance of English against the fact of its colonial origin.
However, the apathetic attitude of learners runs counter to the pragmatism of English
usage in our educational system, particularly its role in TVET. It is counter-productive for a
learner in vocational studies to ignore or treat with levity, the learning of English in a world that
is dominantly shaped by the language. Thus, it is distressing that students are, in today’s
borderless world, apathetic toward English learning. Their insouciance is seldom expressed
jokingly as “good English does not translate to intelligence”. This assertion, which attempts to
separate intelligence from good communication skills, is reflective of the hostility learners have
developed and harboured for English. This could be symptomatic of their difficult struggle with
basic skills of English and can as well be a pointer to a faulty syllabus. Meanwhile, as plausible
as that expression may seem, more factual is intelligence and competence cannot be complete
without good communication skills. In the context of the Nigerian education system, competence
is jaundiced without good communication skills, in English.
Agender Nature of the Problem: It must be specially noted that a problem is a problem,
not a challenge. A strange trend in the culture of religiosity which has elevated motivational talk
shows has muddled the meaning of “problem” and “challenge”. According to Oyegoke (2011):
recent motivational talk culture gives out that “problem” is denotatively negative and
therefore problematic in usage; it suggests as a more salubrious substitute, the English
 word “challenge”. The thinking is that “problem” is a psychological/spiritual stone-wall
that instills fear and negates actions, while “challenge” extracts a more positive, more
pragmatic reaction to the issue or situation that is being captured in words” (p. 3).
Unfortunately, that semantic muddling has erased the actual meaning of “challenge” and
simply uses the word with the same semantic implication as that of a “problem”. A problem in
all its semantic and pragmatic implications is used here to mean a “source of perplexity, distress,
or vexation” (Merriam-Webster). It is “’a matter difficult of settlement or solution… and also, a
proposition in which something is required to be constructed” (Oyegoke, 2011, p. 4). The
discussion of learners’ apathy towards English language learning should not be semantically
obfuscated. It is a source of perplexity and vexation that transcends barriers of genders. The term
agender is used figuratively to project the problem as common to both genders without
identifying as peculiar to either.
Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)
Pace (2021) defined Vocational Education and Training as “education and training which aim to
equip people with knowledge, know-how, skills and/or competencies required in particular
occupations or more broadly on the labour market” (p. 233). As West (2012) put it, the meaning
of VET has shifted from denoting:
a fairly specific training or re-training for particular jobs to a very wide concept,
overlapping with general education and spanning, in theory at least, secondary
education, adult training both general and in connection with active labour market
measures, much of the higher education and lifelong learning as a whole. (p. 19).
Basically, TVET has expanded in its scope due to certain factors including sophisticated
technology which requires greater competences for both teachers and learners. Pace (2021)
averred that “the rapidity of technological and social change, the dramatic shifts from agrarian or
industrial eras to the knowledge era and beyond…have impacted on countries and economies
across the world (p. 234). These factors and trend have combined to alter the idea and notion of
VET. For Pace (2021), “VET is no longer a limited career associated with higher degree labour
with less cognitive demand. It now requires higher degree of skills and finesse” (p. 234).
The question therefore is, can VET trainees, as well as trainers and institutions, in spite of
these factors and heightened cognitive requirement of sophisticated competences afford to brood
hostile attitude towards learning English language in the realities of a fast pace globalization?
This question has become imperative in view of the growing apathy towards English language
which is now at crisis level beyond gender barriers. This will be further expounded under the
sub-headings: Communicative Competence in TVET, Privileging English language and Current
Approach and Suggestions.
Communicative Competence in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET)
Competence is “the ability to carry out a real, vital action and the qualification
characteristics of an individual, taken at the time of his inclusion in the activity” (Jalilovna, 2020,
p. 88). Competence is directly connected to performances and actions in specific time that can be
measured. Often times, different competences or skills set are required for a successful
performance. In VET, different competences have been identified using different competency
models. According to Jalilovna (2020), “competency model is a set of competences required to
successfully complete a given job [involving] wide variety of knowledge, abilities, skills and
individual personality characteristics” (p. 90).
Scholars have identified different models of pedagogical competence of vocational
teachers/learners in the context of sustainable development. According to Diep and Hartmann
(2016), “competences are always solid due to broad knowledge which is classified into
professional declarative and procedural knowledge” (p. 3). On the one hand, declarative
knowledge is mentally representational understanding expressed in semantic networks. In other
words, a verbal description denoting that “someone is aware of the knowledge and can verbalise
it” (p. 3). On the other hand, procedural knowledge is “embodied knowledge: how to do
something successfully” (Diep and Hartmann 2016, 3). Other scholars (Terhat, 2000, 55; Kosinar
2014, 32; Carle 2002, 10) as cited by Diep and Hartmann (2016), have expanded this
competence domain to include “action routines and forms of reflection”; therefore competence is
hinged scientifically sound knowledge, situational flexible applicable routines, and on specially
professional ethics representing the action guiding standards of value” (p. 3). Shulman (1987),
cited by Diep and Hartmann (2016), also classified pedagogical competence into five main
dimensions:
(1) general pedagogical knowledge relating to broad principles and strategies of
classroom management and organisation, (2) subject-matter content knowledge, (3)
pedagogical content knowledge, (4) curricular knowledge, (5) other knowledge with
reference to knowledge of educational context, knowledge of learners and their
characteristics, knowledge of educational purposes, values and their philosophical
historical grounds. (pp. 32-32).
Diep and Hartmann (2016) proposed a six-area model which expanded other scholars’
(Shulman’s (1987, 32), Terhat, (2000, 55), Kosinar (2014, 32), Carle (2002, 10) models to
include communicative and language competence. The six intertwined areas are “(i) teaching
competence, (ii) educating competence, (iii) professional competence, (iv) competence of linking
real work processes with professional learning processes, (v) competence of self-reflection and
improving the qualification and (vi) communicative and language competence” (pp. 7-11). Diep
and Hartmann (2016) discussed competences from a pedagogical perspective. This view suggests
vocational teachers were their main concern. However, these pedagogical competences are
apposite to learners particularly because VET students in teacher training institutions are equally
potential teachers.
Diep and Hartmann (2016) defined communicative and language competence as the
“ability to use language and communicative skills to convey the learning content logically and
attractively, to convince and to advise the vocational learners, to educate them as well as to help
them in learning processes” (p. 10). It is basically “the ability to communicate well in a
language” (Macmillan).
It is important to note the difference between coomunicative competence and linguistic
competence. According to Jalilovna (2020) “communicative language competence can be
considered as comprising several components: linguistic, sociolinguistic and pragmatic” (p. 89).
It is however clear that learners tend to confuse linguistic competence for communicative
competence because they are more concerned with linguistic competence which is restrictive and
often leaves them with the knowledge of grammar of English without the ability to use English.
Jalilovna (2020) observed that students learning English are:
not equipped with necessary tools that should enable them to take part in a two-way
dialogue in English as they found themselves incapable of expressing their emotions,
feelings, agreements, likes and dislikes in an English context [because] instead of
acquiring ways of using language in meaningful situations to produce meaningful acts of
communication, they have mastered formation rules of the language. (p. 89).
The distinction between linguistic competence and communicative competence is of great
import to understanding the fault lines in learners’ incompetence in relation to their syllabus.
Linguistic competence is limited to tacit knowledge of language structures which include units of
grammar and punctuations. However, communicative competence entails ability to use language
in real life situation. What is obtainable today is that students can clearly tell about the four skills
of language --listening, speaking, reading and writing, only in theory without the ability to read
and write at expected level of competence. Reading and writing are major skills of literacy and
germane to learning process. Listening and reading are also vital skills because they are receptive
language skills that enable students to receive information in lecture rooms and printed materials
as well as electronic copies of study materials. Hence, the required level of competence needed
by students in tertiary institutions to absorb information is relatively high. Most importantly, all
these must be done using English language. In other words, communicative and language
competence for Nigerian students of VET compels mastery of the language of communication
which is English. This inevitably privileges English language in Nigeria.
Privileging English language
According to Jalilovna (2020):
…the successful adaptation of a student of a tertiary higher educational institution at an
enterprise largely depends on them by a set of professional competences acquired during
their studies at a higher educational institution. In our opinion, one of the most necessary
for the formation of the professional competence…is the communication competence. (p.
90).
In Diep and Hartmann’s (2016) competence model for TVET, unlike in other scholars’,
communicative and language competence is foregrounded because “the role of communication
has increased in modern society due to the growth and expansion of interpersonal, inter-regional
and international relations” (p. 11) and, with the increasing numbers of information driven
societies and expansion of social experience, communicative competence has become “critical in
situations of public speaking, debate, dispute, negotiation, meetings, presentations, industrial
conflict resolution” (Burganova and Valeev, 2015, p. 79).
In the Nigerian context, English is synonymous with communication across many strata
of the society, educational sector in particular. Therefore, English retains its privileged status not
because of colonial or political hegemony but because of the pragmatism that defines the nature
of today’s globalized world where most communicative acts are done in English as alluded to by
Akande and Okanlawon (2011). It is therefore contradictory that with all the privileges good
communication skills command, learners are apathetic towards learning English. This apathy
borders on hostility and it has reached a point of crisis that requires urgent actions to effect
attitudinal changes.
Akande and Okanlawon (2011) observed that “reasons for learning English now are more
pragmatic in nature (p. 200) aside the fact that “English occupies a historic position in Nigeria”
(Oyegoke 2010, p.1). English has become a part of our culture, particularly our educational
process from the lowest level to the highest level, notwithstanding the national policy on the use
of indigenous languages at the primary school level. In addition, English has a global role that
commands great advantages and consequently bestows privileges on its users. The subject of its
relevance and consequential privilege continues to be a discourse focus in “ideological and
cultural debates” (Oyegoke 2010, p.1). However, the important roles and functions in Nigeria
cannot be ideologically wished away.
In a reminiscent tone, Oyegoke (2010) examined that:
…up till the early 1980s English was doing reasonably well in this country [as] majority
of the users of the language understood it as such: a language…. There was fondness for
the language for a number of reasons: (i) English was the language used by erstwhile
colonialists; (ii) English had become the official post-colonial language; (iii) English had
 become the language of the intellectual elite; (iv) English was the language of political
elite; (v) English was a mark of education, erudition and power; (vi) English was
procured as an item of influence and respectability; (vii) English was above all, a vital
instrument of communication locally and internationally. (p. 2).
All these have yet to change and in addition to reasons Oyegoke (2010) adduced, English has
today become more embellished with greater influence and privilege.
According to Lazaro and Medalla (2004), “English is far more worldwide in its
distribution than all other spoken languages. It is an official language in 52 countries as well as
many small colonies and territories. It has become the most useful language to learn for
international travel and is now the de facto lingua franca of diplomacy” (p. 278). More
importantly in a technologically advanced world, “about 75 percent of the world’s mail, telexes
and cables are in English. Approximately 60 percent of the world’s radio programs are in English
as well as about 90 percent of all internet traffic” (p. 279). Lazaro and Medalla (2004) averred
that “money and language shared similar characteristics…just as money allows society to move
beyond barter, a common language also facilitates transactions and lower cost [because] learning
language is in itself a growth industry in the world” (p. 281).
The Economist (2021) cited in Pace (2021) opined that “language has replaced work visa
as the main barrier to mobility”. This is particularly apt for students in the third world who may
not have visas to travel around the world; but, through sufficient language skills can take
advantage of globalization and virtual integration of the world to absorb knowledge from every
part of the world without impediments. The essential role of learning English is critical to
students’ personal development as the mastery of English is “considered not just an excellent
tool to bridge gaps but above all an instrument that enables them to considerably improve their
career prospects with several studies showing a very close connection between proficiency in
languages and employability” (Pace, 2021, p. 235).
Beyond the undisputed privileged status of English in today’s world, English should be
considered a tool in VET and not a mere subject. Learners must be guided and supported to
understand this perception while teachers and institutions must “entool” English as a vital
content of vocational training. “The English language skill has become a necessity for
establishing linkages with the rest of the world in international trade, economic development and
even in the use of technology” (Lazaro and Medalla 2004, p. 278). English communicative
competence guarantees a competitive advantage among learners, nationally and internationally.
English proficiency is a special kind of skill that is needed to upgrade other skills, particularly
for learners, who are also future workers and teachers, to participate in a flexible and
multitasking work environment.
Another important advantage of English is its dominance of technology and internet
space. English is adjudged the language of the internet accounting for 36% online language
population with Chinese coming a distant second at 14% (Lazaro and Medalla, 2004). The
implication of this is that the knowledge of English will strengthen and expand the net of
knowledge, information, and skills learners can access from the internet. In addition to what may
be acquired, the ability to also contribute effectively to global conversations in economic
discourse is greatly enhanced. “With English being the primary language of research and
development and science and technology, having English language skills is of critical importance
in terms of acquiring and deepening IT knowledge” (Lazaro and Medalla, 2004, p. 283). This
becomes particularly inevitable in a transiting economy where a labour-intensive manufacturing
is being phased out by a technology-intensive model which compels more sophisticated
knowledge.
 Therefore, the enthronement of ignorance chiefly through apathy by learners cannot be
allowed to fester on for too long. There have to be deliberate efforts to change the problem of
attitude which has become a major constraint in achieving VET’s trainees’ potential. Learners
must be supported to have a positive disposition towards learning English as well as appreciate
the value of the privilege good communicative competence will attract to their ambition.
Current Approach:
The frantic dynamism that technological advancement has brought to the world compels
continuous evaluation of educational systems including teaching methods and curriculum
contents. The evaluation, according to Pace (2021) is not only “regarding innovative and
digitally based learning/teaching methods, but also with an even stronger focus on lifelong
learning competencies and transversal skills [including] ability to acquire new skills and
competencies [and] to further develop existing skills” (p. 234). With the expansion of the scope
of VET, the need for new skills and competencies has placed distributed burden on trainees,
trainers, and institutions. It, therefore, becomes imperative for students to acquire these new
skills and competencies in order to be relevant and become agents of change in the drive to
evolve a knowledge economy driven cognitively at the expense of erstwhile labour intensity.
Pace (2021) opined that “one very effective way that can help VET students to acquire
such skills is through international mobility, as this provides the opportunity of enhancing
cooperation and of sharing good and effective practices” (p. 234). In other words, VET must
necessarily be de-localised to attain optimal potential. The idea of international mobility does not
compel students to travel around the world; rather, it compels students to function beyond the
confines of their locale or national borders in a way that will nourish and “increase their human,
social and cultural capital”. Pace (2021) explained students’ international mobility as their ability
to “gain international experience, get to know different cultures, improve their language skills,
and develop a more cosmopolitan identity, which in turn all contribute to their personal
development” (p. 234).
What is apparent in VET today is that learners have lost desire to acquire English skills to
a degree they can use it to communicate effectively. The extant interventions in form of policies
that made English a compulsory subject at O’level and also a course in the General Studies for
students in tertiary institutions have proven, at best, inadequate. What these two policies have
achieved is the teaching of “rudiments of linguistic” in an attempt “to correct deficiencies in the
acquisition of English” (Oyegoke, 2010). Oyegoke (2010), over a decade ago, noted with
emphasis that:
…all the formal drilling in grammar and other linguistic information encouraged by
OUTWORN (emphasis is mine) English syllabuses at various levels may be unable to
deliver the kind of benefit [desired]. It only feeds the rote and mechanical potential of the
learners of English and produces someone who knows more about English than is able to
use English correctly. (p. 10).
Oyegoke’s position clearly suggested that alongside the attitude of the learners, education
planners need to reevaluate the content being taught to ascertain competence is prioritised over
mere linguistic knowledge. Students should know how to use English rather than merely
cramming information about English. An average student will define a verb, a noun, an
adjective, an adverb but very few are able to write a simple essay coherently. This system of
teaching English at tertiary institutions could have contributed greatly to the disinterestedness
learners are showing today as it appears uninspiring to learn virtually the same set of rules and
rudimentary linguistic details from early classes up to tertiary levels. This is a point that requires
the attention of policy makers and educationists.
Conclusion
The attitude of the learners can be considered from the general economic gloom for better
understanding of the nexus between national economy and learners’ apathy. It will be equivocal
to blame the gloomy economy for learners’ apathy as some of them would like to advance as an
argument. High unemployment is, sometimes, blamed for learners’ low motivation to excel in
school because the thought of graduating without a job can be overwhelming. This claim is
however equivocal. The position here however is that the gloom should rather be a motivation
for learners to excel so as to stand a better chance among their peers. The tendency to emphasize
future uncertainty as a reason to fail to learn while in school simply worsens the situation, for the
individual learners and the economy.
In addition to learners’ attitude that putatively stems from economic gloom, their
motivation as well as their orientation are negatively wrought against learning English. Many
learners are in vocational education and training fields with a clear goal to acquire concrete skills
that will either make them ready for gainful employment after school or that which will make
them self-employed. They consider these skills as their main focus and as such considers
language skills as abstract and unconnected to their primary goal. Therefore, they are least
motivated to improve their core English language skills which are key to their overall success.
They, wrongly and unfortunately, consider English less important and unconnected to their
primary skill acquisition. They have continued to nurture negative memories of English studies
from their secondary school education, particularly when writing their terminal and/or
transitional examinations like SSCE and JAMB, and have failed to appreciate the relevance of
good communicative competence to their lives and future careers. Thus, low motivation and
hostile orientation towards English have grown unwavering disinterestedness in students of VET
thereby negatively impacting their competitiveness on the labour market after graduation.
Suggestions
There is a wide gap between what is needed and what is being offered to students and this
has obviously affected their competence which has now gone worse with sheer ineptitude and
apathy to learn English. We will make two suggestions that can change learners’ attitudes and
halt the problem of communicative incompetence among VET students. The first suggestion is a
shift from studying English as a general course to studying English for Specific Purpose (ESP).
ESP will ensure content is tailored to needs against what is obtainable in GSE/GNS where
content is rudimentary and general, as the name connotes. This does not have to be enforced at
the macro level that includes all students in institutions of higher learning even though that is
most preferred; rather, communicative competence needs can be evaluated and content
[re]designed at a micro level within the school of VET so as to enhance VET’s learners’ overall
readiness to thrive in a globalized world.
Secondly, and more importantly, is that literature must be incorporated as a major content
of English studies because nothing teaches language better than literature. Learning English with
much focus on rudimentary linguistics has proven ineffective in achieving the primary objective
of communicative competence. The current trend overtly emphasizes formal analysis of language
with inadequate content on actual usage of English which can be found only in literature. There
is no better way to teach a language other than through literature. It is not to suggest that VET
students should only read novels and William Shakespeare’s plays or John Milton’s epic poems;
but, curriculum experts must understand that the idea of teaching English cannot be
accomplished without involving practice with English and the best practice is literature.
The benefits of literature are many. One of it is pleasure or entertainment. When people
read literature, good literature, of course, makes the language itself attractive because of creative
usage that projects the aesthetics of the art. Also, many readers will learn new words and
expressions that will not be found anywhere but in literature. This will enhance readers’
awareness of language in real situations instead of abstract examples used to explain linguistic
rules. In addition, the correct form of usage will be lodged in the subconscious of readers of
literature written in good English while they grow their vocabulary effortlessly. The problem of
apathy towards English learning in a world that is driven by English is a consequence of a failing
national educational system cum policy that requires an immediate response. To halt this
negative trend, deliberate action must be taken, attitudinal change must be compelled and
literature must be incorporated in English studies.

REFERENCES

Akande, A. T. & Okanlawon, B. O. (2011). Standard English in Nigerian graduates’ speech.

Gege: Ogun Studies in English: 8:196—214

Burganova, N. T. & Valeev, A. A. (2015). Development of technical college students’

communicative competence. Review of European Studies, 7(5), 79—90

Diep, P. C. & Hartmann, M. (2016). Green skills in vocational teacher education—a model

pedagogical competence for a world of sustainable development. TVET@Asia, 6, 1—19.

http://www.tvet-online.asia/issue6/diep_hartmann_tvet6.pdf

Jalilovna, J. N. (2020). Communicative competence and its implication for teaching and

learning. International Journal of Engineering and Information Systems, 4(12) 88—91

Lazarro, D. C. & Medalla, E. M. (2004). English as the language of trade, finance and

technology in APEC: An East Asia perspective. Philippine Journal of Development 58(2)

277--300

Macmillan Dictionary. https://www.macmillandictionary.com/ Date retrieved: 10/Nov./2022

Merriam-Webster. https://www.merriam-webster.com/ Date retrieved: 10/Nov./2022

Nsungo, D. P. (2020). The intelligibility of non-native English: A re-occurring index in second

language (L2) research. Journal of the English Scholars Association of Nigeria. 22(2)
176—188.

Oyegoke, L. (2010). Deepening crisis of English studies in Nigeria. Oye: Ogun Journal of Arts,

XVI 1--11

Oyegoke, L. (2011). Problematizing knowledge. Oye: Ogun Journal of Arts, XVII 1—12

Pace, M. (2021). Language learning and vocational education and training. Conference paper

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356459874/

Solodkova, I. M., Grigorieva, E. V., Ismagilova, L. R., & Polyakova, O. V. (2017). What drives

students of vocational training program? An investigation on the significance of foreign

language acquisition. Journal of History, Culture and Art research, 6(6), 96—103. Doi:
http://dx.doi.org/10.7596/taksad.v6i6.132