The Role of Arts and Social Science Education on the Growth and Development of the Nigerian Economy

This paper studied the role of arts and social science education on the growth and development of the Nigerian economy. The relevance of arts and social science education in reforming the Nigerian state was overemphasized. The paper explained terms such as arts, social science, education, economic growth and economic development. The contributions of arts and social sciences to national transformation and economic development were reviewed. The paper revealed that art education empowers individuals with creative skills that widen the base of participation in the society, create jobs, self reliance, identity, communicates by creating, recording and transferring ideas, builds and perpetuates social, religious, political and economic stability. It posited that arts and social science are very important aspects of our education and should not be treated otherwise but should be given premium like other subjects in the curriculum of schools. The need for improving on the system of arts and social science education in Nigeria's tertiary institutions was stressed. It was concluded that policy-making processes in the nation's education sector should be tilted towards making arts and social sciences engines for the growth and development of the Nigerian economy and relevant research findings/recommendations in arts and social sciences should be implemented.