The Minister for Education, Dr. Tunji Alausa, has hinted that the Federal Government may scrap some university courses which he described as ‘irrelevant.’ Speaking in Abuja recently, the minister specifically referred to social science courses and cautioned that students who offer these courses face the bleak prospect of populating the unemployment market because they cannot secure employments.
Inasmuch as we appreciate the Minister’s concern about unemployment, we must say that his remarks are misplaced because available statistics show that unemployment cuts across all disciplines in the country including courses like Law, Medicine, Computer Science, Banking and Finance, and Engineering.
It is, indeed, unfortunate that the Minister would make such disparaging comments regarding the social science courses which are studied by many students across the country. By that remark, the Minister has oversimplified a far more complex employment crisis rooted in structural economic weaknesses. His argument that the government’s plan to scrap social science courses forms part of a broader effort to align the country’s education system with current global standards, labour market demands and emerging areas of innovation is weak and unsustainable.
Available records show that graduates of social science courses have contributed to the growth of the economy, policy formulation, and innovation of ideas which have helped to drive national development. Globally, labour market data paint a different picture from the minister’s position. The World Economic Forum (WEF) ranks analytical thinking, communication, creativity, and problem-solving among the most in-demand skills—competencies strongly associated with social science training. Job market platforms in Nigeria also show growing demand for roles in consulting, development, finance, policy, media and digital services, sectors where social science graduates play central roles alongside technical experts.
We call on vice-chancellors, rectors, provosts and all stakeholders in Nigeria’s tertiary education system to resist any attempt to scrap any university course because all of them are relevant. Over the years, Nigerian universities have had cause to rationalise courses for a broader, more inclusive curriculum that would foster a more encompassing approach to fit into national and global requirements. The rationalization approach has taken place across different courses, from sciences, law, administration and management, humanities, engineering and ICT to other disciplines. In the current era when the world is expanding every day and the frontiers of knowledge are also expanding, no course should be deemed to be irrelevant. In fact, there are arguments that more courses should be incorporated into university curriculum to accommodate the expanding vistas of knowledge.
Instead of delisting courses, government should update courses which are outdated in line with new global realities. Also, existing universities do not have the capacity to admit many students to courses that are considered ‘relevant’ by the minister. For example, many students who fail to secure admission to universities to study Law may choose, instead, to study courses like Political Science, Sociology, Psychology and Public Relations. Most of these graduates have contributed to national development and played important roles on the global stage.
Available data show that most STEM graduates end up populating social sciences spaces due to unemployment. This shows that graduates of social science courses are not enough. In the era of cross-disciplinary specialization, all courses offered in universities are relevant. Today, many graduates of Micro Biology, Zoology, Philosophy, Sociology, Animal Science, Fishery, Psychology, Botany, are doing exceptionally well in other sectors away from the courses they studied, especially in the banking sector. In the same vein, many graduates of medicine who should ordinarily be medical doctors have become writers, teachers, or executives in ICT and other sectors. This is the current global reality.
Therefore, it is not good that the government is planning to scrap some courses in the universities instead of planning to increasing university funding and provision of equipments and books. The problem with university education in the country is not about irrelevant courses, it is not aligning the courses to industrial needs. The United Kingdom (UK) and United States (US), where we modelled our university system, are still teaching the so-called irrelevant courses in their universities.
Government should halt the plan to scrap the unnamed courses. Apart from being ill-conceived, the decision lacks rigour. It is equally unnecessary at this point in time. Some people study some courses not necessarily to get employment. They do so for passion and self-fulfilment. For instance, a businessman interested in politics may decide to study Political Science to understand the nuances, theories and intricacies of politics. A traditional ruler may decide to return to school to study Sociology. A police detective may want to return to school to study Psychology. This shows that not all academic endeavours are geared towards employment purposes. Many of them could be for self-improvement purposes. A course that is perceived as ‘irrelevant’ today may become relevant tomorrow.
It is therefore wrong for Dr. Alausa to suggest that the Federal Government should scrap some courses in universities. Instead of scrapping some courses, universities should rationalise these courses to give them a broader outlook. In this era of interdisciplinary studies, Nigeria must not be left behind. The idea to scrap some university courses is untidy and should be discarded.
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