A suggested syllabus for teaching tailoring in Post Secondary Teacher Training Colleges in Ghana.

Although the importance of sewing has been recognised as a vocation integrated into the Life Skills Syllabus of the Post Secondary Teacher Education, the topics outlined are not adequate to motivate male students to choose sewing as a course of study. The topics, which catered for training girls as mothers and home economists include Family Clothing Decision, creative crafts like crocheting and knitting, identification and care of textile in the home. The Vocational Skill syllabus for the Junior Secondary School, Senior Secondary School and Post Secondary makes adequate provision for Textiles as a subject of study; its objectives among others are: 1. to recognize Textiles as a form of Art and a vocation with several career opportunities; 2. to understand the uses and economic value of Textile products; 3. to appreciate, criticize and apply forms of textile products to their social needs; 4. to interpreter, discuses the history, uses and importance of textiles as a cultural discipline. These objectives thus place a high premium on sewing (tailoring and dressmaking) in education at these levels, if these objectives can be fully achieved. Unfortunately, sewing, which should give meaning to Textiles, cannot be found in the Post Secondary Vocational skill syllabus at all. This makes the syllabus incomplete as far as the Textile objectives are concerned. Again Art and Home Economics as presented in the syllabus are treated as fragmented, unimportant subjects only available as electives. Another problem is that since the teacher cannot, by the design of his education, master the wide range of topics presented in the syllabus, he finds himself in a position where he cannot teach ail the areas included and so sacrifices the students’ interests and aspirations. This research is prompted by the circumstances noted above to assess the Life Skills and Vocational Skills syllabi for Post Secondary Teacher Training Colleges. This level of education is chosen for the fact that it is teachers from these institutions who teach in the Junior Secondary Schools. The research also addresses itself to the content of the existing sewing syllabus and then proposes a tailoring syllabus, in an attempt to make the entire syllabus more realistic in achieving its objectives. The research adopted the descriptive and analytical method to collect, compile and analyse information for possible solutions to the problem. Chapter one introduces the subject under discussion outlining the problem and its setting. It states the purpose of the study and its objectives. It discusses the hypothesis and assumptions that the project seeks to address. It looks at the scope, limitations and prospects of tailoring and its importance to the student, teacher and the nation as a whole. The chapter also provides the definitions of technical terms used. Chapter two reviews literature available on the topic, concepts like culture, clothing and education. An appraisal and the general procedure adopted to carry out the research were discussed in chapter three. The population studied for the research comprised teachers in Post Secondary Training Colleges, Senior Secondary and Junior Secondary School; students of the three category institutions; students of the Department of Art Education, U.S.T., and professional fashion designers in Kumasi and lecturers with good knowledge in fashion design. Data collected were results of personal interviews conducted. The appraisal in the chapter three examines the existing sewing syllabus, pointing out the shortfalls and the repercussions on the students. Chapter four deals with the design of the suggested tailoring syllabus for the Post Secondary Teacher Training College. It stipulates the content of the subject matter for each year, important teaching points and the general student activity for each topic. Finally, Chapter Five summarizes the thesis and recommends useful suggestions, which will benefit the target group and the nation as a whole.

Source: KNUST