Prioritizing Strategies for the Development and Sustainability of Higher Education in Developing Countries: A FullEX MCDM Approach

This study examines strategies for advancing and sustaining Nigeria’s higher education system, which plays a vital role in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. Despite its importance, higher education in Nigeria faces numerous challenges. Through a combination of literature review and expert insights, nine strategies were identified to address these challenges. The FullEX method is employed to prioritize these strategies, with experts’ experience and educational backgrounds used to weigh the significance of each strategy in the decision-making process. To validate the robustness of the method, comparative and sensitivity analyses were conducted. The findings underscore increased funding, recruiting additional lecturers, enhancing infrastructure, and ensuring a stable academic calendar as the most effective strategies to support the development and sustainability of Nigeria’s higher education sector.