Vocational Education in the Third World: revisiting the debate

Abstract

This article revisits the unresolved international debate, taking place since the 1960s, on the issue of vocational education. Is the introduction of pre‐vocational programmes at the pre‐university levels of the education systems of the developing nations the answer to the growing problem of unemployment among the educated in these countries? It argues that current inflationary economic conditions and the acute dearth of public sector jobs appear to be causing school graduates to be more willing to receive vocational training in order to earn a more secure living. It is therefore suggested that the nature and practice of vocational education be redefined to suit the current needs of both students and society.