Higher Education Curriculum and the Capability and Functioning of Young People in Nigeria

Abstract

The demand for higher education among young people has resulted in the huge number of candidates seeking enrollment into higher institutions of learning in Nigeria. The population has consistently increased without a corresponding expansion in educational infrastructure and adjustment in curriculum. Drawing from Amartya Sen’s theory of capabilities and functioning, this paper argues that the population of young people with tertiary education represents a cohort whose capabilities and functioning are at variance with local development needs. The paper further expands the argument by asserting that tertiary educational curriculum, in its current state, is shallow and is a major contributor to the poor state of enrollment for tertiary education and the poor state of youth unemployment in the country. It recommends a re-structuring of the tertiary education system and adjustment to curriculum to meet local industrial demand.