Appraising Educational Reforms

Strategic Input on Managing Socio-Economic Roadblocks to Sustainable Development in the 21st Century in Nigeria

Abstract

Educational reform in Nigeria has increasingly emphasized employability, entrepreneurship, vocational competence, civic values, and security-related learning as responses to persistent socio-economic challenges. This descriptive survey examined education stakeholders' perceptions of how Entrepreneurship and Vocational Education (EVE), Peace Education, National Values, and Security Studies contribute to poverty reduction, employment creation, and security. The study included 1,080 respondents, including teachers, Ministry of Education personnel, and curriculum planners/developers across Nigeria. Data were collected using a researcher-developed four-point Likert questionnaire validated by experts in Measurement and Evaluation; test-retest reliability was 0.68. We analyzed the data using frequencies, percentages, and mean scores. Respondents strongly endorsed positively worded statements linking EVE with income-generating skills, self-employment, practical competence, and reduced unemployment. Responses to Peace Education, National Values, and Security Studies were more complex at the aggregate level, although positive items received strong endorsement and negatively worded items were largely rejected. The findings indicate strong stakeholder support for skills-oriented reforms and highlight the need for careful implementation, adequate learning resources, teacher preparation, and rigorous evaluation of civic and security-oriented curriculum reforms. The study interprets the results as stakeholder perceptions rather than causal effects of the reforms.