YOUTH EMPOWERMENT THROUGH ETHICAL AND VALUES REORIENTATION FOR SUSTAINABLE NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN OGBONNAYA ONU POLYTECHNIC, ABA, ABIA STATE.

Abstract

 The study investigated the Youth Empowerment through Ethical and Values Reorientation for Sustainable National Development in Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Aba, Abia State. This study adopted the descriptive survey research design.  The study's target population was all academic and nonacademic staff members of Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Aba. The stratified sampling technique was used to select 110 members from the academic staff and 35 from the nonacademic staff. This gave a total of 145 respondents used in the study. The instrument for data collection is a 28-item structured questionnaire titled: “Youth Empowerment through Ethical and Values Reorientation for Sustainable National Development in Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Aba Abia State Questionnaire (YEEVRSNDOPAQ)” and structured on a 4-point scale of Very High Extent (VHE), High Extent (HE), Low Extent (LE) and Very Low Extent (VLE) developed by the researcher. The questionnaire was divided into two sections. Section A contained the respondents’ personal information, while Section B aimed at eliciting information on Youth Empowerment through Ethical and Values Reorientation for Sustainable National Development, and the mean decision was 2.50. The instrument was validated by two experts, one from Education Measurement and Evaluation, while the other from the Department of Education Management and Planning. The reliability coefficient of the instrument was determined using the Cronbach alpha statistical tool with ‘r’ = 0.83. The research questions were analysed using mean and standard deviation. The findings revealed that the respondents indicated the extent of the effects of the degradation of ethics and values in the school environment as being high, with a cluster mean of 3.1. Findings revealed that the respondents agreed to a high extent with the strategies suggested by stakeholders for ethical and value reorientation in Ogbonnaya Onu Polytechnic, Aba, Abia State, with a cluster mean value of 3.1. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the government imbibe the culture of promoting and rewarding hard work in all facets of our social life, promotion of a national value system that guides the behaviour of both our leaders and citizens through value reorientation programmes and the mentality of individuals, communities, and entire societies should be reoriented towards societal ethics and values through the instrumentality of National Orientation Agency.