Social Capital in the Context of Fitness for Purpose: Do Engineering Students in Africa Possesses the Right Capital?

Social capital is important as it becomes an imperative as key indices for development and growth of students who opt for engineering education. Engineering educators have important role to play in motivating engineering students with untapped potentials to possess the right capital by creating productive teaching platforms. This paper explored the relationship of social capital on engineering education in addition to students possessing the right capital in their respective course of study. This paper argued that engineering educators should develop students’ social capital within the context of social networks and norms by promoting knowledge-based social capital and its productivity among engineering students. This paper was guided by Social Capital Theory, which lay emphases on the views that student learning should be centred on education invested on human capital and social capital. Specifically, we explore engineering students having the right capital in their study and social capital is a quality criterion that enhances students in possessing the right capital towards EE in Africa. Thus, to address the social capital gaps in engineering education, it suggested that engineering educational curriculum as well as staff development and capacity building should be designed in developing engineering student to possess the right capital in their field of study. A number of educational-oriented recommendations for social capital in engineering education investment were made.