Integration of Education for Sustainable Development in Nigerian Universities: Empirical Evidence from Universities in South-East Zone, Nigeria

Globally, Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) have continued to grapple with the sustainability challenge facing mankind. Through a number of initiatives and programs, HEIs have shown commitment to the actualization of the UN Agenda 2030 and the sustainable development goals. However, discernible differences exist in the level of success among HEIs across countries and continents. Based on cross sectional survey and content analysis of universities’ websites materials, this study focused on: the identification of the sustainability maturity stage of higher education institutions in South-East zone, Nigeria; whether type of university affects staff perception of ESD barriers; the instrumentality of ESD declaration/charter to ESD adoption; and the link between membership of university association and university involvement in SDGs. The hypotheses were tested with Pearson correlation and independent t-test statistical tools. The study revealed that the universities are predominantly at level one of Sari et al’s sustainability model; there is no significant difference in the perception of ESD barriers between federal and State universities’ staff; being a signatory or not to an ESD declaration/charter has significant influence on ESD performance; and membership of a university association is significantly and positively related to commitment to sustainable development goals. The study concludes that the ESD institutional framework of the universities is weak and, therefore, recommends a policy shift towards targeted support and incentives to strengthen the institutional frameworks toward achieving greater commitment to the SDGs. In addition, regulatory agencies like the NUC should develop and incorporate sustainability performance criteria into accreditation and university ranking protocols.