IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 1 THE TEACHING AND LEARNING OF LITERATURE IN NIGERIA FOR ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS: PROSPECTS AND CHALLENGES Ogunnaike, M. J. Ph.D Department of English Studies Tai Solarin University of Education Ijagun, Ijebu-Ode, Nigeria jimmyogunnaike@yahoo.com;ogunnaikemj@tasued.edu.ng DOI:10.13140/RG.2.2.21005.15840 Abstract After the failure of many countries, including Nigeria, to meet the target of achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) rolled out in the year 2000 by the United Nations (UN), the UN General Assembly met in 2015 to adopt the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (ASD). The Annual Human Development Reports usually published by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have always shown a wide gap in achievements between the developed and underdeveloped (developing) countries of the world, especially in the areas of literacy, poverty, child and maternal health care and life expectancy. In view of item 4 of the 17 – point agenda, which requires that all nations should “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities” (UNDP, 2015), the place of education in achieving such sustainable development goals in Nigeria cannot be overemphasized as education has always been considered as the bedrock of development of any nation. This paper is of the opinion that for achieving sustainable goals in Nigeria‟s education sector, Literature-in- English, which is one of the subjects taught at the secondary school level, cannot be left out especially when its roles are considered. Among the roles that Literature can play in achieving the goals include, sensitization of the citizenry and awareness of their societal roles, entertainment, education and enlightenment, expression of cultural values, addressing social and material inequalities, propagation of efforts to end hunger, achieving food security and sustainable agriculture, assisting in ensuring healthy life and promotion of the well-being of citizens. The paper therefore posits that Literature-in- English should be made compulsory for all students in schools. It advocates that all education stakeholders should endeavour to encourage Literature teachers through incentives that will allow them handle the subject with all dexterity required for achieving the sustainable development goals in the education sector. Keywords: Literature, Sustainable Development Goals, Prospects, Challenges, Roles of Literature mailto:jimmyogunnaike@yahoo.com;ogunnaikemj@tasued.edu.ng https://www.researchgate.net/deref/http%3A%2F%2Fdx.doi.org%2F10.13140%2FRG.2.2.21005.15840?_sg%5B0%5D=6_YLCSnH_8R3YJCpN_t640CQgLDTeZP5ceXkMgumuW1RG5ZMC6uw0E8WEkFeQNA3bPNcJTUkBiHC18OvMX1pwQ19VQ.IhXj5yL2YZDrNN8E21Kxp5grH-bynU2j_-Pwh42ADTWOIn_O42bV4N2y-cxfrJjtNzBHm4yriiKOU-xr8eZMvQ IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 2 Introduction Literature-in-English used to be a core subject for all students in the school curriculum in the past. However, the Nigerian educational policy later changed this position, thus making the subject optional for students wishing to study science courses at the tertiary level and making it a compulsory subject for students who wish to study English Language and Literary studies in the University. It is not only made compulsory but emphasis is laid on its being passed at a credit grade in their secondary school certificate examinations. Such is presently the status of Literature-in-English in Nigeria. It is pertinent to also discuss briefly the complementary role of Literature to English Language. English is Nigeria‟s official language being used for economic, political, religious, cultural, social as well as educational purposes. Proficiency in Literature therefore, is widely believed to be an avenue for performing effectively in English. This point can further be buttressed when considering the aims and objectives of teaching Literature at the secondary level of education in Nigeria. The National Curriculum for Senior Secondary Schools sub-section of the National Policy on Education (NPE – NCSSS, 1985 revised) produced by the Federal Ministry of Education states the aims and objectives of Literature teaching to include the following: (i) give students a rich and well rounded humanistic education through broadening the cultural horizon of students; (ii) reinforce the English language skill already acquired by the students by exposing them to language in action in Literature texts and works; (iii) expose students to the beauty and potentials of languages; (iv) prepare the students to pass Literature in the Senior Secondary School Examinations and the Joint Matriculation Examination and also to prepare them for work; and (v) utilize each literary activity as scaffolding for language growth. There is no doubt that the above aims and objectives of teaching Literature-in- English in the Nigerian secondary schools are lofty and are in consonance with the aims and objectives of the global Sustainable Development Goals. IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 3 Concepts of ‘Development’ and ‘Sustainable Development’ In a broad sense, development is a product of planned activity aimed at bringing about a positive change which is meant to achieve a goal. It can be regarded as an action deliberately designed to bring about a positive change. The above stated view is corroborated by Adepoju and Aderinoye (2001), who are of the opinion that development is a process of change with two basic elements of planning and action. From their view, development involves planning a programme and ensuring that the plan is hatched and implemented to bring about the desired result, which is, a positive impact on people. Todaro (2003) is of the opinion that development is a multi-faceted concept which implies the improvement in a qualitative manner in the living conditions of people on one hand and a process of economic and social transformation within countries, on the other hand. This view is in consonance with Bamidele‟s (1999) assertion that, development is in connection with the individual, which subsequently determines the development of the nation involved. And, as also stated by Abba and Anazodo (2006), development can be seen as a product of a sustained elevation of an entire society and its social system towards a more glorified and better life for its citizenry. In other words, development, as perceived by Paulley (2011), can mean a process which tends to alter an existing social structure, popular attitudes and national institutions with a view to accelerating economic growth, reduction of inequalities within societies as well as reduction of absolute poverty among the populace. The sum-total of the above views, as well as others, brings us to the fact that „development‟ is an encompassing phenomenon that involves the production and utilization of natural resources and human talent to improve the well-being of the people through the provision of reliable and affordable energy, decent housing, transportation and communication services, opportunities for employment and provision of basic amenities, a society devoid of poverty. It may therefore be very difficult for a country to claim that it has attained a developed status when it cannot meet its citizenry‟s basic needs, such as: clothing, shelter, education, health care, social and infrastructural facilities, and all necessary things that will make life comfortable. No nation can also claim any development where there is a social polarization – a situation of the few well-to- do citizens oppressing the down-trodden, where corruption thrives in high IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 4 places and injustice prevails, where there is no iota of transparency in government‟s business and where insecurity is the order of the day. According to Khale and Gurel-Atay (2014),„sustainability‟ is the process of living within the limits of available physical, natural and social resources in ways that allow the living systems in which humans are embedded, to thrive in perpetuity. Nnokam & Sule (2017) draw our attention to the concept of „Sustainable Development‟ by saying that it was at the United Nations Conference on Human Development attended by various heads of government at Stockholm, Sweden, in 1972, a mention of it was made. The conference, among other things, discussed extensively the rights of families to have access to decent health and productive environment, democratic governance, uninterrupted energy supply and affordable education. As cited by Aaron and Ibaba (2004) the term „Sustainable Development‟ is an idea conceived by the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (1983) to meet the development needs of the present generation without necessarily jeopardizing or compromising the needs of the future generations. Noting therefore that the needs of any generation are multi- dimensional, the United Nations (UN) believe that all countries should be able to provide these needs within the ambit of their economic resources. In line with the UN‟s position of meeting the needs of people, countries of the world, including Nigeria started to put up efforts to alleviate the sufferings of their citizenries. A major breakthrough towards this global effort is the UN‟s adoption of an 8 – point development agenda tagged “Millennium Development Goals‟ (MDGs) in the year 2000, which include the provision of Universal Basic Education. Since Literature is a school subject, its teaching and learning will therefore be germane to development in the education sector. As it was sure that many countries of the world, including Nigeria, could not meet up with the year 2015 deadline for achieving the goals, the United Nations Organization (UNO) had to meet in September 2015 to adopt the year 2030 Agenda known as “Sustainable Development Goals” (SDGs) either to replace the former MDGs or continue with the achievement of the goals. According to Osman, Ladhani, Findlater and McKay (2017), the SDGs are only meant to guide the world countries and to be used as parameter to measure the various countries‟ achievement of the SDGs by the year 2030. The United Nations IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 5 Development Programme (UNDP, 2015) in its booklet, (SDGs Booklet), states the 17 goals of the SDGs which include to: 1. end poverty in all its forms everywhere; 2. end hunger, achieve food security and promote sustainable agriculture; 3. ensure healthy lives and promote well-being of all ages; 4. ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning 5. achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls; and others. Considering the fourth goal of the SDGs which states that countries should “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning” opportunities for all, it is no gainsaying that education is of great significance to a nation‟s development. In an effort to achieve this fourth goal which pertains to education, it should be noted that “…quality education” is anchored on the quality of the teacher and the teaching strategies employed in the class by him. This, by extension, has a very vital impact on the learner, either positively or negatively. Both the teacher and the learner are major stakeholders in the education industry of any nation, including Nigeria. From the foregoing therefore, the Literature teacher or learner is one of the contributors to the developmental processes, as Literature itself epitomizes life. Literature-in-English and the Objectives of teaching it The word Literature is derived from the Latin word “littera”, which means “a letter of the alphabet”. In a wide sense, literature is taken to mean every expression in letters that is written down (Okolo, 2003). However, to scholars of Literature, the term does not apply to every form of written expression, it is limited to certain categories of written expressions which have artistic merit or aesthetic appeal. It can also further be explained that literature is a work of art created with words, either in oral or written form and whose value lies in its impressive nature and ability to arouse admiration. In describing the concept, Banu & Dogan (2013) state that it may be a misconception to define „literature‟ in a way that may seem ambiguous to non-literary minds, rather, the term should be viewed from two perspectives, and so, the following could be a summation of the various definitions: Literature should include choosing any text worthy to be taught to students by teachers of Literature, when these texts are not being taught to students in other departments of a school or university; and that, Literature is a canon, which consists of those works in language by which a IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 6 community defines itself through the course of its history. This includes works primarily artistic and those whose aesthetic qualities are only secondary. Literary writers (Aristotle, 1956; Unoh, 1981; Collie & Slatter, 1987; Lazar, 1993; Ayo, 2003; Kure, 2011; Onuekwusi, 2013; Ogunnaike, 2016; and a host of others) have defined and discussed literature from different perspectives. These writers all agree that Literature is one of the subjects that has been contributing and will continue to contribute to the growth and development of any nation if given proper and adequate attention. It will, at this juncture be necessary to narrow down the definitions and scope of the term Literature to two broad senses. First, it can be used to refer to any written material on a subject; and second, as one of the school subjects studied by students in any school. It is this second sense that applies in this paper. As a school subject, the National Curriculum for Senior Secondary Schools produced by the Federal Ministry of Education in 1985 (p. iii) unequivocally states the aims and objectives of teaching Literature-in-English, among others, as to: … give students a rich and well-rounded humanistic education, which can be achieved by exposing them to works that are varied in perspective and universal in application; reinforce the English Language skill already acquired by exposing the students to Language in action in literary texts and works; encourage attempts at creative writing; and inculcate in the students the entertainment and instructive values of Literature. The document further emphasizes the need to prepare students to pass Literature in the Senior Secondary School Examination (SSCE) and the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME). For students who intend to pursue their course in English studies at the university, a credit grade in Literature-in- English is required at the SSCE, apart from also having a credit grade in English Language at that level of their education. Literature-in-English as a subject in the secondary school has three components that constitute the subject. They are Prose, Drama, and Poetry. However, the National Curriculum also mandates the teaching of Literary Appreciation in addition to teaching the three major generic divisions or components. The aims IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 7 and objectives of teaching these components are spelt out in the document as follow: Prose Prose is a genre of Literature, usually written in narrative as a reflection of human experience. It can be an imaginative experience (fiction) or real experience (non-fiction) of the writer. The objectives of teaching Prose are to: (i) identify those elements in creative prose which will enhance a reader‟s response to specific texts, such as subject matter, characterisation, theme, setting, plot and language; (ii) recall incidents in fiction that are probable in life and whose interpretation can be of value since fiction is imaginative writing; and, (iii) be exposed to various ideas and values embodied in fictions. Drama Drama is life‟s experience usually enacted (i.e. acted on stage). It makes use of an art form known as ‘impersonation’ to depict personalities known as characters in the play. The objectives of teaching Drama in schools according to the Curriculum are to: (i) relate drama to life by demonstrating that the central action is from human experience; (ii) examine the inter-relationship and the difference between action in real life and action in drama; and, (iii) analyse action as a means of demonstrating and understanding elements of drama, such as dramatic techniques, structures, characterization, setting, etc. Poetry Poetry is an expression of experiences in a rhythmic form that is natural to human beings. The language is usually symbolic and aesthetic in nature. The objectives of teaching this component as stated in the curriculum are to: (i) expose different kinds of poems as a means of demonstrating the richness and variety of poetic expressions and ability; (ii) identify and evaluate the various linguistic and thematic components of poetry; and, (iii) encourage poetic creative expression through attempt at writing poems. IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 8 Literary Appreciation As already stated, Literary Appreciation is not a genre of Literature-in-English but the National Curriculum makes its teaching mandatory, as it spells out the following as objectives for teaching it. It should be taught in order to: (i) develop the students‟ critical sensitivity to Literature by introducing them to the techniques of decoding literary works; (ii) develop skills in Literature that will lead to independent assessment of Prose, Drama and Poetry. The document encourages teachers to teach and allow students to discover the significance of literary texts and works, identify figures of speech and other literary devices and terms and their effectiveness in a text; and identify the effect of mood and tone of the writer. Its study and knowledge will enable students understand and perform well in courses, such as, literary study, practical criticism, etc., at the university level. Having highlighted the concept of Literature/Literature-in-English, its components and the aims and objectives of teaching it, it is pertinent at this juncture to discuss the prospects of Literature-in-English, if well handled in achieving the SDGs in the education sector. Prospects of Literature-in-English Teaching in the Achievement of the SDGs  Incorporating Aspects of the SDGs into the Literature Curriculum English Language/Literature donor agencies and relevant government agencies should ensure incorporating aspects of the SDGs into the Literature curriculum so that by continuous teaching and learning of the respective SDGs in the classroom, more awareness and knowledge would be created and gained. As suggested by Owede and Duyilemi (2009), a very strong political will and commitment to education by government and international donor agencies is equally needed at this point to ensure that viable internal reforms to raise the efficiency of the education sector in terms of service delivery is urgently entrenched especially within the context of the drive towards achieving the SDGs. IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 9  Achieving the SDGs using Literature as Instrument for Sensitization and Awareness One of the major roles of Literature is its ability to mirror the society. It is a subject used for correcting the ills of the society, educating the masses and entertaining the entire citizenry especially when the dramatic component of it is enacted. Therefore, Literature can play a vital role in this era where emphasis is placed on inclusiveness in the provision of education. This means that there is enormous responsibility lying on the shoulders of Literature educators and researchers to ensure that well-articulated awareness and sensitization programmes, targeting both the Nigerian government at all levels and the citizens are organized, where emphasis would be placed on the need to meet substantial number of the SDGs (if not all) within the time frame of 2030 and against the backdrop that Nigeria was unable to meet the previous 8 MDGs whose deadline expired in 2015.  Achieving the SDGs through Literature’s Role as solution provider It should be emphasized at this juncture that if Nigeria had failed to meet the previous 8 MDGs within a space of fifteen years on account of inappropriate implementation strategies, efforts should now be put in place to meet the target of the SDGs before 2030. One of such steps is to implement programmes in the education sector as adequately as required. Literature as a subject should be made compulsory to all students both in the sciences and humanities, as it is a subject that deals directly with human growth and development, having it at the back of our minds that no nation can grow without proper education of its citizenry. As a problem-solving subject, Literature teachers should be encouraged to put in their best so that both the teaching and learning process will yield the desired result. The constant high rate of failure in Literature will reduce and by extension, failure in English Language, which is a compulsory subject for all students to pass in order to forge ahead education-wise, will also reduce. This will go a long way in meeting the education sector‟s SDGs.  Literature’s Role through Entertainment and Societal Reforms Among the roles of Literature-in-English towards achieving the sustainable development goals are: entertainment, teaching/education, societal reform, employment provision, propagation of history and culture, expansion of knowledge, mobilization towards eradication of poverty, among others. The entertainment functions of literature is hidden in its ability to give pleasure, IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 10 amusement and happiness through its various organs such as prose drama, theatre, stand-up comedy, poetry, etc. Many written plays, novels and poems have served as means of entertainment to their various readers and audience. They have also been used as societal reformer, thus exposing societal ills and vices and condemning them. Teaching morals and educating people, especially children on ways of life, are some of the roles Literature is playing in achieving the goals of development. Most Children Literature texts are meant to shapen children‟s lives in order to make them become responsible adults. More serious literary works written by well-educated Nigerian writers such as Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ben Okri and other younger writers also entertain. Helon Habila‟s Measuring Times though a historical novel, creates pleasures in a world dominated by men. In the text, Habila deals with deception, aftermaths of warfare, youthful exuberance, greed, love, hatred and insecurity. Though pleasurable, the text also teaches moral lesson about the need to be hopeful in all situations. For example Mamo and Lamamo who are the twin brothers about whom the story is written are almost written off as failures in the society but at the end of the story, the duo assist to effect the desired change that led to the desired liberation of their society. This was achieved through determination and life of selflessness.  Literature’s Roles through Education and Enlightenment Another very important contribution that literature can make to achieve the goals is enlightenment and education on various human activities such as health care, family life, law, culture, politics, population, election, etc. For example, Chinua Achebe‟s Things Fall Apart propagates culture education and traces the historical background of Colonialism and Christianity in Nigeria. The novel traces the pre-colonial and post-colonial experiences of the Igbo people from 19th century. It is about the unpolluted and original Igbo society before the coming of the Europeans and the consequences of the British arrival. Most importantly, the novel centres on the life of Okonkwo, a famous Umuofia man who is everything to his people before the coming of the Europeans: a wrestling champion, a senior chief, a successful farmer, a respected husband of two wives and a defender of the ancestors and clan until things fall apart. Chinua Achebe‟s A Man of the People traces the problem of corruption in Nigeria to the origin of the country. In order to solve the problem as it affects Nigeria, we have to go to the background of the problems. The same corruption that brought the First Republic to its IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 11 untimely end has given the nation sleepless nights even after sixty years of its existence.  Propagation of Culture through Literature Through literature, the values inherent in the nation‟s culture can be expressed, eulogized or praised. An instance of this is in Elechi Amadi‟s The Concubine. The text teaches different traditional beliefs and cultures of the people. The novel has its setting in the village of Omokachi, a rural African community where modern ideas are absent. Beliefs in spiritual husband, betrothal and marriage are the focus of the text. Femi Osofisan‟s Women of Owu, Ahmed Yerimah‟s Abobaku, Soyinka‟s Death and the King‟s Horseman are other examples where Literature is used to propagate culture.  Literature as a tool for addressing societal problems Social and material inequalities that manifest in Nigerian societies can also be addressed through literature. It can also address the problems created by poverty in all its forms in the society. Festus Iyayi‟s Violence is a good example of this. The novel frowns at capitalism as an economic philosophy that is employed to promote unnecessary competition or rivalry in Nigeria. Another very important theme of the text is poverty versus virtue. A poor person cannot strongly protect his/her dignity and morality. In the novel, Adisa, though not loose in integrity, her desire for money to meet her needs makes her morally weak. This explains the state of many female members of the society who commit adultery in order to survive including catering for the well beings of their husbands and children.  Using Literature to Promote Agriculture and End Hunger Literature can help to propagate the efforts of nations to end hunger, achieve food security and promote sustainable agriculture. Apart from this, it can help to protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forest, combat desertification, halt and reverse land degradation/biodiversity loss in different ways. In an attempt to achieve the above mentioned objectives, many poems in Niyi Osundare‟s anthology titled Eye of the Earth are relevant. In one of the poems, “Ours to Plough and not to Plunder” Niyi Osundare emphasizes the need to take care of the mother earth and not destroy it. In the poem, Osundare calls for orderliness, rectitude and restraint in the way human beings handle nature and its resources. In the first stanza of the poem, the poet projects the earth as the source for agricultural IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 12 establishment in all its forms where man needs to plough and plant. He sees the “Hoe” as the “Barber” for the earth. In the second stanza, the poet emphasizes the need to fetch more farm implements such as Mattocks and Machetes. The need for calabashes, trays, and rocking baskets for harvesting is also emphasized. The third stanza talks about the need to explore earthly resources such as the “bread some hands of the Wheat field and legumes cloth” that is put on the “naked bosom of shivering moulds”. The poem has a universal theme of the need to respect and preserve the earth. Also, the poem is a metaphor of the need for political leaders to guard and guide our national entity to prevent the resources from being vandalized so that it can be exploited for the good of all.  Literature as a Tool for Promoting Healthy Life and Well-Being of Citizens Apart from the above, literature can assist to ensure healthy life and promote the well-being of all ages through giving values to things that are made in Nigeria such as music, musical instruments, arts, crafts, food items and locally manufactured products. For example, the beauty that is inherent in Nigerian traditional music, culture and power of music as a universal language is expressed in J P Clark‟s poem titled “Agbor-Dancer”. The poem is symbolic and it speaks the language of all those who believe in Nigerian traditional solution to our national problems. A dance from Agbor, (present day town in Delta State of Nigeria) expresses victory to the eloquent and trenchant voice of African music and the musical instruments which are African in origin. The poet wants all modern African people to respect the culture of their people and request that people should prepare to “answer the communal call” at all times.  Achieving Inclusive and Equitable Education of Children and Youth through Literature The need to ensure inclusive and equitable education and promote life-long learning could also be achieved through literary propagation. In Chukwu Emeka Ike‟s Our Children are Coming the need to give adequate attention to our children is emphasized. In the novel, Ike expresses his dissatisfaction with the injustices and inadequate attention meted to youths by the adults in the society. According to him, the inadequate attention has led to the generational gap between the old and the young. Ike complains about the gap that exists between parents and children, principal and students, university authority and their undergraduates, IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 13 government officials and the youths generally. Ike sees failure to develop the youths as the portrait of crisis of youth‟s development.  Achieving Gender Equality and Empowerment through Literature Achievement in gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls is another role of Literature. This is captured in the agitation of our female writers who have become voices to reckon with through their various creative works in which they express their dissatisfaction with the dominance of male members on the female. They also seek a just, egalitarian and equal society where female members will be treated as equal rather than being subordinate to their male counterparts. Examples of these are demonstrated in Buchi Emecheta‟s Second Class Citizens and Earnest-Samuel Gloria‟s Iheoma my Dear among several others. Challenges of teaching Literature and the Effect on the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goals  Teachers’ Awareness of SDGs Literature is the mirror of life and this is why it is important that Literature teachers should not only be diligent in the discharge of their duties, but ensure a proper implementation of government policies and programmes that would foster/enhance growth and development of their nation. However, a situation where teachers are not aware of government programmes, such as the SDGs, they may find it difficult to align with or work towards achieving the respective goals in the SDGs. As reported in a cross-sectional study carried out by Omisore, Babarinde, Bakare, and Asekun-Olarinmoye (2017) drawing their respondents from academic and non-academic staff and undergraduates from universities in South-West Nigeria, results show that 43% of the respondents are aware of the SDGs, 4.2% have knowledge of the SDGs while 52.8% have no knowledge of any SDGs. The report concludes that respondents with high awareness/knowledge level are those with higher educational qualifications or those who get to know through individual research about the SDGs. This situation does not augur well for attainment of the SDGs – a programme unknown to those who would implement and benefit from it. IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 14 Teachers’ Attitude towards their Job The term „attitude‟ as perceived in this paper is the belief system or feeling one holds towards a social or environmental issue of concern which can be positive, negative or ambivalent. Most teachers often develop negative attitude towards teaching because of the ways both the government and people perceive it as a non-lucrative profession. Most people believe that teaching is a job meant for less fortunate and „unconnected‟ people who have little or no hope for a brighter future. This perception has always had a negative effect on the attitude of teachers towards their job. The Literature teacher is not an exception in this case as he too sees himself as not being accorded the right recognition like his colleagues in other professions. This, has one way or the other, posed a problem to the achievement or sustainability of the development goal envisaged in Literature as a core subject in Nigeria‟s education system.  Learners’ Attitude towards achieving their goal in Education The notion that the Nigerian public is not a „reading public‟ is often exhibited by Nigerian secondary school students, especially in the public schools. Researches have shown that most students in the public schools lack basic/recommended textbooks especially in English Language and Literature-in-English. In particular, they complain about „too many books‟ being recommended on Literature by the examining bodies. The lack of books, coupled with shoddy preparation for examinations, is a major factor that has always been responsible for the mass failure in English and Literature-in-English year in, year out. Yisa (2015) laments this attitude as he notes that the attitude of Nigerians to reading generally is not encouraging while students exhibit their displeasure for reading. The reading habit problem is also partly responsible for bad leadership and bad followership. If most Nigerian leaders have read and digested some literary works, especially classical literature texts, their political lives would have been positively molded to properly handle leadership challenges, among which are temptation to mismanage and embezzle public funds. The sum-total of this discourse is that it is one thing to have literary works created around developmental themes but it is another thing entirely to have them read by people such works are meant for. Therefore, one of the factors responsible for the crawling state of Nigeria‟s development and its inability to reach the sustainable development goal in education is poor, inadequate reading habit of her citizens IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 15 regardless of the abundant reading textual materials available at the citizens‟ disposal.  Teachers’ Involvement in Government Policy Formulation and Implementation The low turnout rate in the involvement of teachers in the preparation of the curricular is a factor that has contributed to the inadequacies of Literature-in- English. Findings in major researches show that a low percentage of the subject‟s teachers are involved in the planning and implementation of the curricular. More often than not, the Ministry of Education officials and personnel from the examining bodies, are responsible for planning the curricular. This major action of involving just a low percentage of teachers at the planning stage has been responsible for the lapses in Literature-in-English curricular design. It should be noted that teachers‟ experiences when implementing curricular programmes usually depict whether some of the objectives are achievable or not or whether the contents are probably contextually relevant or are at variance with the learners‟ background. This partial or non-involvement of teachers in the planning of the curricular, has also been responsible for the disregard to cultural and socio-economic background of the learners and the inappropriate methodologies adopted in the class. This and other factors have contributed to the mass failure of students in both English Language and Literature-in-English at WAEC and NECO examinations in Nigeria secondary schools As earlier noted, Literature-in-English is a core subject in the humanities, it is therefore important that any instructional strategy employed by the teacher in the class should be able to yield the desired result of enabling students to massively pass the subject.  Government Attitude For accomplishment or implementation of any policy, government should be aware that workers or civil servants in the various sectors e.g. Ministries and parastatals officials are the actors while in the education sector, teachers are the major stakeholders. One of the impediments of successful implementation of policies is government‟s negative attitude. Most of the time, government finds it difficult to encourage teachers through incentives to do their work as it should be done. Delay in the payment of teachers‟ salaries, incessant and arbitrary transfer, IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 16 favouritism for a few „connected‟ people, etc; are some of the factors that have always militated against attainment of the sustainable goal in education.  Negative influence of Politics Another impediment for Literature to contribute its quota to national development is the unconducive environment in which Nigerian Literature writers write. There is no doubt that politics over-rides all spheres of life directly or indirectly in Nigeria. The consequences of bad government range from epileptic public power supply, high cost of living, insecurity, and low standard of living, among others. Insecurity-wise, the early writers in the 1960s were more hit, and as epitomically put by Ikheloa (2016), most of them wrote under difficult conditions. In addition to the above, writers like Ken Saro Wiwa and Dele Giwa to mention a few, fell by the military gun bullets and bombshell for daring to condemn the excesses of the then military oligarchy in Nigeria. However, in this era of democratic governance, even though writers are free to write to condemn, such writings are often „suppressed‟ by politicians who try to buy them over. Writers thus find it difficult not to be influenced and therefore resist writing the truth. However, where it is difficult to say or write the truth, the society may not grow or develop or reach its development goal, as being experienced in Nigeria today.  Teacher’s Quality and its Effects Another problem which Literature encounters in Nigeria today revolves around the quality of teachers teaching it as a subject. In the classrooms, there seems to be little or no innovation on the part of the teachers. It is pathetic to note that most teachers of Literature still adopt any method at their disposal (Ogunnaike, 2016) to teach the subject. For example, the non-provision by government of ICT- based tools to complement the teaching of Literature is a problem. Coupled with this, the shoddy preparation of the teacher to the class, non-provision of in- service training workshops and seminars for improvement of teachers, all culminate into poor performance and poor results in the subject. IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 17 Recommendations In view of the above discourse, the following are recommended: i. The Literature-in-English Curriculum and programme should be re- appraised, re-invented and re-tooled to align itself with the current global realities that accompany the SDGs. Such re-tooling will no doubt create the needed awareness and knowledge of SDGs in the pre-service teachers undergoing professional preparation programmes. ii. Granted that learning from the mistake of the past is one of the best ways to correct a re-occurrence of an error, it will be a plus if there is a synergy and co-operation between the teacher education training institutions and the government‟s office coordinating the implementation of the SDGs at the Federal, State and Local government levels. iii. Government should encourage Literature teachers by giving them special incentives that will motivate them to achieve their goal. iv. Teachers of Literature should change their lukewarm attitude towards the teaching of the subject. Teaching should be done with the enthusiasm it deserves. Teachers should act as model or mentor to students so that they will see in the teachers an effortless command of literary texts. Teachers should propagate and encourage emotional and aesthetic responses in students, so as to make them become more sophisticated readers, capable of reading and understanding any literary text with little or no assistance from their teachers. v. Academic learned associations such as the Nigeria English Scholars Association (NESA), Nigeria Literary Writers Association (NLWA) , Poetry Club, School Drama Association, Curriculum Organization of Nigeria and a host of other literary associations, should be more proactive and note that organizing or calling for conferences should go beyond mere paper presentation or theorization to achieving result-oriented conferences where effective and workable frameworks for implementation can be set to achieve the development goals for the benefit of their associations and the entire Nigerian society. vi. Literature teachers in secondary schools should be trained on the use of methods that will promote higher achievements in Literature as a subject. vii. Incorporating Information and Communication Technology (ICT) – based tools into the Literature Curriculum and training teachers on how to use them to complement their teaching strategies, will enhance and improve both the teaching and learning of Literature in schools. IGWEBUIKE: An African Journal of Arts and Humanities. Vol. 6. No. 3. ISSN: 2488- 9210 (Print) 2504-9038 (Online) 2020. Department of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Tansian University 18 viii. Literature experts such as poets, play-wrights and novelists should try to produce literary texts that are within the level of the learners by making use of simple language and structures that the learners can easily comprehend. Conclusion The SDGs, spanning the years 2015 – 2030, should not be seen as an unrealizable feat. 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