The federal government yesterday stirred the hornet’s nest with a declaration to phase out from the university system courses it deemed irrelevant to the country’s economic future, an indication that several social science programmes could be on the chopping block.

The Minister of Education, Tunji Alausa, who made the declaration while speaking at the ‘’Renewed Hope Conversation’’ with students of the University of Abuja, warned that the era of studying courses with limited, real-world value was ending, saying government was intensifying efforts to align unversity education with market demands and global trends.

However, stakeholders in the university system, including the Congress of University Academics, CONUA, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, and National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, berated the government, saying its plans would cause more harm than good for the system.

But speaking on the issue, the minister said: “We are phasing out some of these courses that are deceiving you, bringing you to school to learn things that we know won’t be needed,” the minister said, in what observers see as a direct reference to certain social science disciplines increasingly viewed as disconnected from Nigeria’s evolving job market.

“We are training you in market-relevant courses. And a lot of you, with due respect to you people doing social sciences, there are not going to be jobs for you in the future. And because of this, we are changing the kind of courses we do to be industry-relevant, market-relevant, so that by the time you are leaving, you should have a job ready for you. That is the way of the future.’’

He also warned students against accessing loans by the Nigerian Education Loan Fund, NELFUND, to study Social Science courses.

The minister said further: “With due respect to students here because I have to be brutally honest with you. Don’t take a NELFUND loan that you know will not make it. We are phasing out some of these courses.

"I am talking with vice-chancellors, rectors and provosts over this. We will phase out some of these courses that we’re deceiving you with.’’

Alausa stressed that government’s priority was to equip students with practical, employable skills, noting that degrees without clear economic relevance risked leaving graduates underprepared and unemployed.

"We are training you not to be job seekers. We are training you to be micro-entrepreneurs, mid-entrepreneurs, and large entrepreneurs. We will infuse what we call entrepreneurial incubation and entrepreneurial innovation business and incubation certification in your course.

“So if you are doing a five-year course today, from day one, when you start, you will take those classes from year one to year five. So by the time you finish, you’re equipped to go and live in the world. We don’t want you all to finish and start looking for a job,’’ he added.

Alausa urged students to make deliberate choices about their academic paths, emphasising that education must translate into tangible opportunities.

He disclosed that ongoing curriculum reform includes embedding Artificial Intelligence, AI, data science, and digital skills across all levels of education, from primary school to tertiary institutions, as part of a broader strategy to reposition Nigeria for global competitiveness.

He also highlighted the introduction of the Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Business Incubation Certification, EPIC, which is set to become compulsory in all tertiary institutions by 2027, ensuring that every graduate left school with entrepreneurial training, alongside academic qualifications.

While he did not list specific courses to be scrapped, Alausa’s remarks have sparked concern among stakeholders, particularly within the social sciences and humanities, over the potential narrowing of academic diversity in favour of strictly technical and vocational disciplines.

Defending the reforms, the minister pointed to global trends where skills in areas such as data infrastructure and digital technologies command significantly higher value, arguing that Nigeria could not afford to lag behind in preparing its workforce for the future economy.

He further revealed that government had already disbursed nearly N30 billion to students under various support schemes and was providing up to N15 million in equity-free funding for innovative business ideas, as part of efforts to steer young Nigerians toward self-reliance.

Alausa maintained that the reforms were not intended to undermine education but to strengthen it, insisting that the ultimate goal was to create a system where graduates were equipped to thrive, innovate, and contribute meaningfully to national development.

Let courses evolve – CONUA

Reacting to the development last night, the National President of the Congress of University Academics, CONUA, Dr. Niyi Sunmonu, warned that outright scrapping could do more harm than good.

He acknowledged that while the government might have valid concerns, the absence of clear details about the specific courses under consideration made it difficult to fully assess the proposal.

Nevertheless, he stressed that reform and not elimination, should guide any policy direction.

“To my mind, what should be on the table is the evolution of courses to match current realities, not total scrapping.

“Education must adapt to changing times, but that adaptation should come through updating and modernising curricula, rather than discarding entire disciplines,” Sunmonu said.

He emphasised the rapid technological shifts shaping today’s world, noting that academic programmes must reflect emerging trends such as automation, Artificial Intelligence, and the Internet of Things.

“Twenty years ago, automation was not a dominant feature in our systems. Today, it is central. The question is: how do we evolve our courses to reflect these realities? Our institutions should be integrating these innovations into existing programmes,”he said.

Sunmonu, however, refrained from identifying specific courses that might be outdated, describing such an exercise as speculative without comprehensive knowledge of current curricula across universities.

“I cannot categorically mention courses that are no longer relevant. Even within my own university, I may not have a full grasp of every programme’s curriculum. Any attempt to name such courses without proper data would be speculative,’’ he said.

The CONUA president urged policymakers to engage stakeholders in the education sector before implementing sweeping reforms, emphasising the need for informed, inclusive and forward-looking decisions.

Courses can’t be determined on face value – NASU

Also reacting, the Non-Academic Staff Union of Educational and Associated Institutions, NASU, berated the government’s plans, questioning what determined the relevance or otherwise of a course in the university.

President of NASU, Dr. Makolo Hassan, contended that the relevance or irrelevance of a course could not be determined at face value, but rather by its curriculum and content.

He said: “The government should clearly list the courses it considers no longer relevant and explain why they are deemed irrelevant.

“Is the government suggesting that only Law, Engineering, Medicine, and other professional courses are relevant to contemporary Nigeria? Is it also implying that History is no longer relevant? Many people who studied Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba, and Religious Studies are doing very well in the society today.

“As someone in the education sector, I can say it is not about the course titles alone, but the content of those courses. The relevance or irrelevance of a course cannot be determined at face value, but rather by its curriculum and content.”

There’s need to tread softly – NAPTAN

In his reaction, National President of the National Parent Teacher Association of Nigeria, NAPTAN, Alhaji Haruna Danjuma, said there was need to make haste slowly.

“Well, we have not got the details of the courses being referred to by the minister. We hope to do that in a few days through the Abuja branch of our association. However, my take is that we need to tread softly. We must not be in a haste. Also, the issue should be subjected to serious scrutiny by experts.

“As parents, we don’t want to spend huge sums of money in training our children and they are told that they are surplus to requirements. But we must get the details first before we can really fully react,” he stated.

No response yet – ASUU

while efforts to get the national and some zonal leaders of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, were futile as they didn’t pick calls, the Chairman of the union at the University of Lagos, UNILAG, Prof. Idou Keinde, who picked his call, said there was no response yet.

“I don’t have a position on the matter now because I have not got the details of the courses to be affected. Also, it is not everybody that teaches in the university that is a curriculum development expert,” he noted. (Vanguard)

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