The don also said social studies should be made compulsory for schools.
Adeyemi stated this at the 366th inaugural lecture of the Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile Ife, Osun State. A copy of the lecture was made available to our correspondent in Akure, the Ondo State capital.
He described social studies as a problem solver discipline which helps to inculcate desirable social habits, attitude and values needed for the survival of any society or nation.
He said, “The knowledge structures and traditions of the amalgamated multi-discipline of social studies help to develop holistic individuals with multifaceted knowledge, skills and positive attitude needed to foster the personal growth of such individuals; and the growth and development of wherever they find themselves.
“Social studies borrows ideas from other traditional subjects such as economics, history, geography, religious studies, political science, anthropology, philosophy, law and medicine among others.
“These chunks of ideas are synthesised to produce a whole. The ascendance of social studies is an answer to the complexities of the emerging industrialised world that seemed to require integrating the social science and humanities for the purpose of citizenship education. Social studies offers pertinent ideas, information, generalisations and theories that are applied to human survival issues.
“A major aspiration of every nation is the desire for rapid development which naturally depends on the quality of leadership, fellowship, honesty, self discipline, resource endowment, use of science and technology, rational utilization of her human and natural resources and above all unity and stability of the nation”
In his recommendation, Adeyemi said the government at various levels should equip institutions with the necessary tools and infrastructure such as computers, computer laboratories, and “technical assistance that will help to enhance their ICT literacy, since frequent use of computer is an antidote to computer anxiety.”
He stated, “Professional training should be made compulsory for all the teachers in service so as to keep them abreast of the innovation taking place in their field of endeavour
“The teachers of social studies should be more committed to their professional growth and development, since the subject is a day to day activity that places emphasis on all round development of man based on the three domains of learning (cognitive, affective and psychomotor).
“Workshops and seminars should be organised for teachers where they will be exposed to various teaching styles. This is necessary in order to assist them in knowing the teaching style that will lead to meaningful achievement of pupils and students in social studies.
“The curriculum planners and implementers should place more emphasis on the contents that foster the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals.
“Parents should be educated on their roles as the first teacher to their children and all levels of educational institutions should be able to organise parent-teacher meetings to enable the parents to meet with teachers and discuss problems affecting their children learning outcomes.
“Lecturers should use a variety of teaching methods in disseminating facts and ideas to students. It is hoped that the implementation of this recommendation would lead to the ultimate goal of improved teaching methods for achievements in Social Studies.
“Conducive environment should be provided with adequate facilities for CAI as a mode of instruction to be effectively utilised in schools.”
There is need for Computer Assisted Instruction (CAI) to be gradually introduced into the teaching and learning process in Nigeria to supplement the existing method of instructions”
