THE IMPACT OF SOCIAL SCIENCE EDUCATION IN ADDRESSING THE PROBLEMS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Despite the projections of the United Nations Sustainable Development goals (2015), Nigeria still lags behind when assessed from different developmental parameters. It is not just appalling but very shameful that today the majority of Nigerian citizens are still impoverished and lacking the basic needs of life. Today in the wake of the terrible inflation the country is currently undergoing, access to food, housing, good education, accessible roads, electricity and security among others are issues the average Nigerian citizens have to contend with. When measured in strict human, technological and economic parameters, Nigeria seems to be retarding rather than improving. The increasing number of school drop-outs and the declining interest in education by Nigerian children and youths provoke another level of concern. The situation is so bad that one wonders if the country will meet 50% of the criteria before the target time-frame 2030 if the trend continues unchecked. In this piece, the authors explore the role of social science education in enhancing the process of sustainable development in Nigeria. This position is furnished by the belief in education as being a most important driving force of development. The purpose of this paper is to explore what ways Social Studies and Social Science Education can enhance the course of development, its various areas of application and what implications the logic of inquiry has for the stakeholders in the development agenda of the country. To achieve this aim, therefore, the work adopts the methods of textual and descriptive analyses to unravel the entailment as well as the praxis orientations of Social studies and Social Science Education. It is equally prescriptive as it addresses the roles of the social actors and agencies required to make the course of development achievable via robust Social Science Education in the country. The results of the study indicate clear connections between robust science education programme and sustainable development in organized social setting.