Assessing the sustainability literacy of the Nigerian engineering community

Abstract

Being the lifeblood of socioeconomic progress, engineering is implicated in the unprecedented challenge of sustainability. The global engineering community devised sustainable engineering as a conceptual departure from conventional engineering practices. However, the extent to which the sustainability worldview has permeated the Nigerian engineering community remains unanswered. This paper is an attempt to answer the question of how sustainability literate are the members of the Nigerian engineering community. The paper undertakes an assessment of the sustainability literacy of the community with the aid of a stakeholder survey and a devised sustainability literacy test. Three criteria that are used to gauge the stakeholders' sustainability literacy are awareness of the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, score on the sustainability literacy test, and self-assessment of sustainability knowledge. Survey participants were recruited mainly from two federallyrun Nigerian higher education institutions, and engineering professional associations. The assessment reveals an unsatisfactory performance of the Nigerian engineering stakeholders on all three sustainability literacy criteria. The results show that the majority of the students (81%), educators (67%), and practitioners (64%) were unaware of the UNDESD. The paper therefore highlights the need to improve the sustainability literacy of the Nigerian engineering community, possibly through a sustainability education intervention.

Sustainable Development and Sustainability in Engineering Education in Nigeria

“…The result of the study indicates that, the nation"s science and technology policies needs to broaden its education curriculum to incorporate ideas relating to renewable energy and sustainable livelihood. To further emphasize the recent survey to assess the sustainability literacy in the Nigerian engineering community by [7] which revealed an unsatisfactory performance of the Nigerian Engineering stakeholders on all three sustainability literacy criteria and the result indicating that, the majority of the students (81%), educators (67%), and practitioners (64%) were unaware of the UNDESD. The paper therefore highlights the need to improve the knowledge about sustainability among Nigerian engineering community, possibly through a sustainability education intervention.…”

“…Research carried out by [3] on Engineering Education and Sustainability in Nigeria using the analysis of BMAS document (Benchmark Minimum Academic Stanadard is a document that sets out standards of running "university" engineering programmes in Nigeria) shows that, sustainability merely forms 2% of the entire document and sustainability topics have not received much attention in Nigeria. Also in 2019, [7] conducted yet another research on, Assessment of Sustainability literacy among Engineering Community. This revealed unsatisfactory literacy performance of the Nigerian Engineering stakeholders on all three sustainability literacy criteria.…”

“…Engineering community all over the world have invented sustainable engineering as a concept that will help them leave the conventional Engineering practice. However, [7] are concerned that, the question regarding the extent to which the sustainability worldview has been embraced by the Nigerian Engineering community remains unanswered. This review is Table I.…”

Environmental Awareness and Plastic Recycling Behaviour of Nigerian Undergraduates

“…Irrespective of global or local environmental literacy, being educated on environmental issues should be inclusive of all age groups either by formal or informal education (14). In Nigeria secondary schools, young people are introduced to environmental problems like climate change, water, waste, and land pollutions (15). Furthermore, HEIs are tasked with providing guidance and Knowledge on programs and activities related to sustainability.…”

“…In Nigeria, the notion of sustainable education is addressed in the form of environmental education. This can be recognized through Nigeria's policy documents such as Nigeria's Agenda 2021 and the National Education Policy, which refers to environmental education (15). The joint admissions and matriculation board of Nigeria (JAMB) have a brochure listing out courses in Nigeria's HEIs, and this list allows the deduction that there is currently no HEI offering a Sustainability degree (15).…”