TECH-ENABLED/SMART HOME ECONOMICS IN THE 21ST CENTURY: AN INNOVATION- DRIVEN AGENDA FOR EMPOWERMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN NIGERIA

Tech-Enabled or ‘Smart’ Home Economics involves integrating digital innovations to enhance the management of the household. Smart Home Technologies (SHT) is one of such innovations and this presents new opportunities for education, empowerment, and sustainable development. Twenty first century education is majorly about impacting into the students the new skills they need to grow the confidence to practice the learned skills and excel in this emerging world. With the wealth of information available in this new age, 21st century skills should focus more on interpreting these information to make sense, sharing and using it in smart ways, This paper examines these smart home technologies, the importance and implications of integrating it into the Home Economics curriculum in Nigeria. It evaluated how Smart Home Economics education can equip students and households with essential skills that will help them to be better home managers, employees and entrepreneurs. It also identified the key components of an effective smart curriculum as student centered, have world  marketable skills, be practical based and  encourage skill acquisition. It  also showed how  Sustainable development goals 1 (no poverty), 4 (quality education), 7 (clean and affordable energy) and 8 (Decent work and economic growth) strongly aligned with smart Home Economics Education. Challenges to implementation such as economic barriers, infrastructure and socio-cultural perceptions are highlighted. Therefore, incorporating ‘smart’ Home Economics into the curriculum at all levels of teachers’ training programmes and demonstration laboratories as ways of upscaling the already existing Home Economics curriculum in Nigerian educational system is recommended for survival of the subject and sustainable development.