Education stakeholders have rejected calls to discontinue university programmes labelled as “non-market-relevant,” urging authorities to instead focus on updating and strengthening existing curricula in Nigerian tertiary institutions.
They expressed this position in separate interviews in Abuja, stressing that courses in the humanities and social sciences remain essential to national growth and should not be scrapped in favour of a narrow focus on labour market demands.
According to them, universities are not only meant to produce job-ready graduates but also to advance research, foster critical thinking, promote civic awareness and support cultural development.
A civil servant and parent, Francis Adun, said all academic disciplines contribute in different ways to societal progress. He noted that while science and technology are important for development, fields such as economics, philosophy, political science and theatre arts also play significant roles in shaping society.
Adun argued that rather than eliminating courses, government should revise curricula to include more practical learning and technology-based components. He also said students should be trained with entrepreneurial and employable skills that can help them become self-reliant after graduation.
He added that in several developed countries, humanities and social sciences are structured to remain relevant across multiple sectors, and recommended broader elective systems to allow students explore other areas beyond their core disciplines.
Another respondent, Nicholas Awenke, called for a careful review of educational systems in countries such as Germany and China before adopting similar reforms locally. He cautioned against isolating Nigeria from global best practices in curriculum development.
He stressed that even technologically advanced nations continue to value disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, questioning how society could function effectively without areas such as language studies and economics.
Awenke further emphasized the need for adequate investment in infrastructure, teacher training and science education before implementing major curriculum changes, warning that reforms without proper preparation could fail.
An education analyst, Nathaniel Adamu, said while improving graduate employability is important, academic programmes should not be judged solely on immediate job market outcomes.
He explained that universities serve broader purposes, including knowledge creation, research and national development, and noted that many global leaders and innovators were trained in social sciences and humanities.
Adamu recommended curriculum reform rather than elimination of courses, suggesting the integration of digital skills, entrepreneurship training, artificial intelligence awareness and practical learning into existing programmes to improve relevance.
Similarly, a professor of Benue State University, Richard Gbileka, said although periodic curriculum reviews are necessary, no academic discipline should be dismissed as irrelevant.
He maintained that universities perform multiple roles beyond producing workers, including preserving culture, promoting civic education and advancing research.
Gbileka warned that sidelining humanities and social sciences could weaken a nation’s intellectual and democratic foundations, even if it produces technically skilled graduates.
The stakeholders collectively maintained that reform, not removal, remains the most sustainable path for improving higher education in the country.