Repositioning Postgraduate Music Education for Global Competitiveness and Cultural Relevance: Evidence from South-South Nigeria

Abstract

Repositioning postgraduate music education in Nigeria is critical amid globalisation, technological change, and renewed calls for cultural reclamation. This study investigates how postgraduate music programmes in South-South Nigerian universities, Delta State University, Abraka, Ignatius Ajuru University of Education, and University of Uyo, can be enhanced for global competitiveness and cultural relevance between 2013 and 2023. Using the Context, Input, Process, and Product (CIPP) evaluation model, the study employed a mixed-methods approach, combining structured questionnaires for postgraduate students, interviews with academic staff, and analysis of institutional documents. The population of fifty-six (56) postgraduate (Doctoral and Master's) students was randomly selected from among the specified tertiary institutions in Nigeria's South-South region. Findings reveal steady enrolment growth and structurally comprehensive curricula but highlight persistent disparities in implementation quality. Programmes are predominantly Western-oriented, with inadequate integration of African indigenous knowledge and performance practices. Challenges include outdated infrastructure, limited digital and studio resources, weak assessment frameworks, insufficient research funding, and gaps in contemporary pedagogical and technological expertise. These constraints limit graduates’ readiness for the global creative economy and reduce cultural responsiveness. Despite these challenges, stakeholders remain strongly committed to reform. The study recommends culturally responsive curriculum redesign, strategic investment in infrastructure and music technology, faculty development, enhanced research mentoring, and inter-university collaboration. Such interventions can reposition postgraduate music education in South-South Nigeria to produce globally competitive scholars grounded in indigenous musical heritage and national development priorities.