An Original Investigation of the Concept of Paideia and Its Theoretical Implications for Contemporary Nigerian Higher Education Reform

Paideia, the ancient Greek concept of comprehensive education for human excellence (arete) and full citizenship, constitutes one of antiquity's most influential educational philosophies and has been revived repeatedly as a framework for educational reform. Its potential theoretical contribution to contemporary Nigerian higher education reform, which faces challenges of quality, relevance, and civic formation, has not been systematically investigated. This study develops an original investigation of the concept of paideia and its theoretical implications for contemporary Nigerian higher education reform. A philosophical-theoretical methodology was adopted, drawing on the primary theory of paideia in Plato's Republic, Aristotle's Politics, and Isocrates' educational writings, alongside current scholarship on paideia from 2018 to 2023, and engagement with Nigerian higher education reform policy literature and empirical data on graduate outcomes. Forty structured interviews with Nigerian university rectors, education policymakers, classical scholars, and student leaders across six geopolitical zones grounded the theoretical investigation in Nigerian institutional realities. The study develops an original Contextualised Paideia Framework for Nigerian Higher Education (CPF-NHE) that adapts core paideia principles for the Nigerian context. The framework proposes that Nigerian higher education reform address five core deficits identified through paideia analysis: civic knowledge and commitment, ethical character formation, aesthetic and cultural literacy, critical reasoning, and practical wisdom for political participation. Each deficit is addressed through specific curriculum and pedagogical reform proposals. The CPF-NHE constitutes an original theoretical contribution to African higher education philosophy.

Keywords: paideia, higher education reform, Nigerian universities, educational philosophy, original framework