Perceptions and Attitudes of Nigerian undergraduates to sustainable development in some selected universities

Abstract

United Nations advocates the use of education as a tool to drive sustainable development. This study aims to examine the impact the introduction of  Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) has had on undergraduates in Nigeria. A survey involving 536 undergraduates from four selected Nigerian  universities was conducted, to examine their perceptions and attitudes toward sustainable development concepts. The result revealed that the inclusion  of sustainable development into the curricula of the selected universities brought about positive perceptions of the sustainable development concepts,  as seen in the responses of a large proportion (> 74%) of the respondents. Respondents’ attitudes to the sustainable development concepts were largely  positive (> 69%), thus showing that desired behaviour that promotes sustainability would be adopted. This study recommends the creation of  sustainability centres in Nigerian universities to encourage undergraduates to undertake research that promotes sustainability. Also, the National  Universities Commission should ensure that all Nigerian universities include ESD in their curricula.