SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING AND MATHEMATICS (STEM) EDUCATION AS A SOLUTION TO NIGERIA'S UNDERDEVELOPMENT

A crucial requirement to sustainable future development, national growth and productivity of any nation is education. In order to achieve the aims and objectives of education in Nigeria, teachers need to pay special attention to the interpretation and implementation of the curriculum. The paper showed that despite huge number of human population and mineral resources Nigeria has, the country is still considered as developing country where almost two-third of the population are living below poverty line. The functions of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) Education for sustainable future development in Nigeria were examined. The paper identified factors that hinder development in Nigeria as: insufficient food supply, unemployment rate among youths, wide spread of poverty, illiteracy and poor health care. The paper asserted that STEM Education, especially Mathematics, can provide individuals with adequate skills, knowledge, creativity, critical thinking ability and problem-solving techniques needed to enable one’s self-esteemed and sufficient. The paper concluded that effective teaching of STEM Education would help the youth to become self-reliant and job providers and not job seekers.  The discussion shows that STEM Education still experiences challenges that pose further economic threat to the national development and recommended that government’s allocation to education must reach the UNESCO recommendation of 26%. Lastly, overdependence on crude oil as the capital source of income must stop and diversify to other sectors such as agriculture, tourism and mining for country’s economic development.

 

Keywords:     Mathematics, National Development, STEM Education, and Sustainable Future Development.