Issues and Challenges of Entrepreneurship Education in Nigeria

IJSAR Journal of Advancement in Education and Computing (IJSAR-JAEC) ISSN: 2408-7661 Volume 2, Issue 2 (June 2015), 65-69 http://www.mdcjournals.org/i...
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IJSAR Journal of Advancement in Education and Computing (IJSAR-JAEC) ISSN: 2408-7661 Volume 2, Issue 2 (June 2015), 65-69 http://www.mdcjournals.org/ijsar-jaec...html

Research Article

Issues and Challenges of Entrepreneurship Education in Nigeria Otegbulu I. Maryrose (Ph.D)1 Nnabuike, K Emmanuel (Ph.D)2 Ani, Ngozi Rita (Ph.D)3 1, 2, 3

Department of Educational Foundations, Enugu State University of Science and Technology, Enugu-Nigeria

ABSTRACT: Entrepreneurship is fundamental to socio-economic growth and national development. It encompasses the ability of people to find and create new businesses or revitalize existing ones. In recent times, there has been an appreciable attention to the provision of entrepreneurship education in Nigeria’s tertiary education institutions. This is in response to the realization of the strategic role of entrepreneurship in socio-economic and national development as evidenced in its capacity for job creation, self-reliance and poverty alleviation. This paper, however, examines the concept and dynamics of entrepreneurship education, the status of entrepreneurship education in Nigeria, role of entrepreneurship education in national development challenged of entrepreneurship education in Nigeria, and also recommends strategies for repositioning entrepreneurship education in Nigeria for positive outcomes.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship, National Development, Strategies, Socio-Economic, Tertiary Education. I. INTRODUCTION It has been widely acknowledged that education is a dependable instrument for achieving socio-economic growth and national development. This is largely due to the fact that it is through well planned and implemented educational systems that the developed countries of the world have achieve their remarkable level of social, economic, scientific and technological advancement. It is in recognition of this fact that [1] and [2] conceptualized education as the key of solid development of the individual for the acquisition of competencies necessary for maximum self development national development. Education consists of different facts among which are entrepreneurship educations.

II. CONCEPT AND DYNAMIC OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION For a Lucid understanding of the concept and dynamics of entrepreneurship education, it is germane to know the meaning of entrepreneurship first. There is not generally accepted definition of entrepreneurship as people have defined it in various ways. [3] defined entrepreneurship as the zeal and capacity to investigate investment opportunities and to establish and run them effectively and efficiently. Similarly, [4] viewed entrepreneurship as the rational process of identifying business opportunities and taking appropriate steps to establish them. Based on these definitions, one can assume that entrepreneurship is the capacity and disposition an individual or group of individuals to establish a business or venture bearing in mind that the business or venture may either succeed or fail. Entrepreneurship education on the other hand, refers to training opportunities which are specifically designed to develop in an individual or group of individuals the skills which they can use to establish and run businesses or ventures effectively [5]. In the same vein, [6] conceptualized entrepreneurship education as training which is several towards the development of entrepreneurial attitudes, skills and certain personal qualities requisite for the 65 | P a g e IJSAR Journal of Advancement in Education and Computing (IJSAR-JAEC) ISSN: 2408-7661 http://www.mdcjournals.org/ijsar-jaec...html

IJSAR Journal of Advancement in Education and Computing (IJSAR-JAEC) ISSN: 2408-7661 Volume 2, Issue 2 (June 2015), 65-69 http://www.mdcjournals.org/ijsar-jaec...html

creation of new business and the minimizations of the failure risk of an entrepreneur. The foregoing views show that an entrepreneur is one who as certain business opportunities and takes appropriate steps to exploit them so as to create wealth. Entrepreneurship education which is offered to individuals so as to enable them become successful entrepreneurs has been categorized into various types.  Entrepreneurial Awareness Education: As the name indicates, this form of entrepreneurial education aims at creating a phenomenal awareness of entrepreneurial knowledge for people and on the basis of which they can have a general knowledge of entrepreneurship.  Education for start-up: This form of entrepreneurship education is practice-oriented and it is aimed at preparing an individual or group of individuals to start up their own business and become full-fledged entrepreneurs. Here, the course content deals essentially with how to start up the business of one’s choice, sources of finance for the business, creation of an enabling environment to start up. The business and other legal and ethical issues relating to the business.  Education for Entrepreneurial Dynamism: This form of entrepreneurship education act as a quality assurance measure which will enable the entrepreneur to manage the business successfully after it has been established. Thus, this form of education does not only involve the inculcation of knowledge and skills for starting up a business or ventures but it also involves the development are acquisition of managerial acumen and behaviors which can guarantee the smooth running of the business are its survival.  Continuing Education: Continuing education is education provided for entrepreneurs so as to continuously keep them abreast with the ongoing trends in their areas of endeavor. According to [7], continuing education in all intents and purposes seeks to improve and update peoples’ knowledge and skills on current issues and make them adaptable to hanging situations. Consequently, continuing education provided for entrepreneurs will enable them to stand the test of time with regard to the management of their enterprises for greater profitability.

2.1 Status of Entrepreneurship Education in Nigeria

The fundamental goal of entrepreneurship education is to equip the participants with the knowledge, skills, are competencies for embarking on entrepreneurial endeavors in a variety of economic settings. In support of this viewpoint [8] observed that entrepreneurship education is designed to teach on the skill and knowledge he or she needs for establishing and running new business venture. However, it is not worthy that entrepreneurship education has in recent times received appreciable attention from the Federal Government of Nigeria. This statement is from the realization that education is a potent tool for the acquisition of entrepreneurial skills in Nigeria. According to [9] the Yaraduah administration which included wealth creation as the number three item of its seven-point Agenda directed Universities in Nigeria through the National Universities Commission (NUC), to commence entrepreneurship education as a vehicle for equipping Nigeria undergraduates with entrepreneurial knowledge and skills requisite for job creation and self reliance upon graduation. For the purpose of achieving this objective, the Federal Government of Nigeria set up a presidential committee which mandate was to see to the successful implementation of entrepreneurship education in Nigeria. To this end, the membership of the committee was derived from the NUC, National Board for Technical Education (NBTE), education Trust Fund (ETF), International Labour Organization (ILO), UNESCO and the Hamitle Consult, a consulting firm on entrepreneurship education in the country, while the NUC was the co-coordinating body [9]. Course in entrepreneurship studies have also been made compulsory for all students in other tertiary education institutions in Nigeria. More so, as substantial number of Nigerian citizenry have participated in seminars, workshops and conferences built on entrepreneurial skill acquisition [10] also observed that virtually all young graduates have been tutored or received some form of tutoring on entrepreneurship through the National Youth Service Corps Orientation Programme. All these point to the fact that entrepreneurship education has been seen as a dependable strategy for job creation, poverty alleviation, self reliance and employment generation.

66 | P a g e IJSAR Journal of Advancement in Education and Computing (IJSAR-JAEC) ISSN: 2408-7661 http://www.mdcjournals.org/ijsar-jaec...html

IJSAR Journal of Advancement in Education and Computing (IJSAR-JAEC) ISSN: 2408-7661 Volume 2, Issue 2 (June 2015), 65-69 http://www.mdcjournals.org/ijsar-jaec...html

2.2 Role of Entrepreneurship Education in National development Entrepreneurship education plays ritual roles in national development. In the view of [11], entrepreneurial education is a planned instruction and training that equips an individual with relevant knowledge and skills in a particular occupation or vocation which will enable that individuals to become an organizer and manager of a commercial undertaking or enterprise thereby contributing significantly to national development. It is through the process of entrepreneurship education that good and creative entrepreneurs are developed to create a strong economy for the nation. Consequently, [12] viewed entrepreneurship as the main mechanism that creates wealth for the nation and promotes employment generation. Entrepreneurship education provides training which empowers people to establish formidable businesses and ventures that ensure economic growth and national development. [13] observed that entrepreneurship education provides the key to rapidly address the issues of chronic unemployment and lack of jobs currently plaguing graduates of Nigerian Universities. It is through the process of entrepreneurship education that people are equipped with the knowledge and skill of seeking out investment opportunities in the society as well as have the capability to create and manage their own enterprise which contributes national economic growth and prosperity. Thus, it is entrepreneurship education that provides opportunity for the production of knowledge based entrepreneurs that are seriously needed to move the nation’s economy forward.

2.3 Challenges of Entrepreneurship Education in Nigeria

The introduction of entrepreneurship education in Nigeria’s tertiary education institutions has been appreciated as a step in the right direction. Nevertheless it is being devilled with certain challenges that include the following: Insufficient Funds: Nigeria’s tertiary institutions lack sufficient funds to carry out their entrepreneurship education programmes. The Federal Government of Nigeria should commence entrepreneurship education programmes were not matched by increased funding of the institutions. Consequently, the funds available to these institutions are insufficient to carry out their entrepreneurship education programmes effectively and efficiently. Lack of proper Planning: Proper planning is fundamental to the successful implementation of any educational programme. This is true of the fact that planning is the systematic and intelligent preparation for realizing the identified goals any educational programme. Indeed, it is planning that provides guidance and direction for the effective implementation of educational programme regrettably, there were no well thought out plans and strategies for implementing entrepreneurship education programmes in Nigeria’s tertiary education institutions. This means that the objective of this educational programmes will hardly be achieved since there is no road-step leading to it and one cannot achieve any worthwhile objective in a state of possesses. Insufficient Qualified Manpower: Tertiary education institutions in Nigeria do not have enough qualified lecturers to successfully implement the entrepreneurship education curriculum. The lecturers that impart entrepreneurship knowledge and skills to students were drawn from pre-existing departments and faculty and they were not specially groomed for entrepreneurship education. This inimical situation posses serious challenges to the successful implementation of the new entrepreneurship education curriculum as [14] observed that the success of any innovative programme in the curriculum of any educational institution hinges on the ability of the teachers to implement the innovation. Inadequacy of Infrastructural Facilities and Equipment: The infrastructural facilities and equipment in Nigeria’s educational instructions are grossly inadequate while the available ones are in poor and deplorable state thereby making the delivery of entrepreneurship education difficult. These infrastructural facilities and equipment include, among others, the fixed and mobile structures and materials in the school such as the classroom building, offices, laboratories and laboratory equipment, the school furniture, the chalkboards, tools and machines, the chalk, audio and visual aids which are used to enhance teaching and learning processes. The adequacy of infrastructural facilities and equipment ensure effective and efficient delivery of the entrepreneurship education curriculum and are positively related to the achievement of its goals. Indeed, learning takes place better and faster in a school environment with adequate provision of buildings, classrooms, accommodations, furniture and 67 | P a g e IJSAR Journal of Advancement in Education and Computing (IJSAR-JAEC) ISSN: 2408-7661 http://www.mdcjournals.org/ijsar-jaec...html

IJSAR Journal of Advancement in Education and Computing (IJSAR-JAEC) ISSN: 2408-7661 Volume 2, Issue 2 (June 2015), 65-69 http://www.mdcjournals.org/ijsar-jaec...html

equipments than in a school environment where these are lacking. Also, teachers teach better in a school that is well equipped with infrastructural facilities and equipment than in a school where these are lacking. Faulty Foundation: Entrepreneurship education in Nigeria has been characterized by faulty foundation. This educational programme did not progress through the different levels of Nigeria’s educational system which include primary, secondary and tertiary education levels. This means that the programme lacks proper foundation since it is only offered at the tertiary education level where as education is supposed to be a continuous process which progresses through different stages. The far reaching implication of this is that entrepreneurship education cannot be provided to the majority of Nigerians who do not have access to tertiary education.

III. CONCLUSION The introduction of entrepreneurship education programme in Nigeria’s tertiary education institutions is a step in the right direction in view of the fact that poverty and unemployment have reached alarming proportions in Nigeria. Entrepreneurship education equips people with the knowledge and skills with which they can establish and run their businesses or ventures effectively and efficiently thereby creating employment and reducing poverty. However, entrepreneurship education in Nigeria is faced with some challenges. This paper has examined these challenges and also remanded strategies that will help to reposition entrepreneurship education in Nigeria for positive results.

IV. RECOMMENDATIONS Having analyzed the challenges of entrepreneurship education in Nigeria, the following recommendations are hereby made:  The Nigeria government should increase its funding of tertiary education institutions so as to enable these institutions to have adequate funds at their disposal for the effective and efficient implementation of their entrepreneurship education programmes.  Entrepreneurship education programmes should be properly planned so as to have clear guidance and direction to their successful implementation and the ultimate realization of the programme’s goals.  The lecturers who are responsible for implementing the entrepreneurship education curriculum should be well trained and professional equipped with entrepreneurial knowledge and skills which they can successfully impart to students.  There should be adequate provision and maintenance of the infrastructural facilities and equipment required for the effective and official implementation of entrepreneurship education programme.  The entrepreneurship education programme should be provided at all level of Nigeria’s educational system so as to give majority of Nigerians access to this job creation, self-reliance and poverty alleviation imitative.

REFERENCES [1] Federal Republic of Nigeria. National Policy on Education. Lagos: NERDC. 2004. [2] Okolo, A.N. Perception of parents, teachers and youths on the role of education in globalization and Entrepreneurship in a culturally divers society. International Journal of Educational research Official Journal of Faculty of Education University of Nigeria Nsukka 10 (2) 2010. 9 – 17. [3] Onyenekenwa, C.E. Entrepreneurship in food and chemical industries, Enugu: Institute for development studies, University of Nigeria Enugu Campus. 2007 [4] Wikipedia: The free encyclopedia Entrepreneurship. Available on-line at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/entrepreneurship. Retrieved on 24th August, 2014. [5] Anderson, S. Entrepreneurship education for economic development. Council for Entrepreneurship Education Accreditation (CEEA).2013 Available at www.ceea.org/internaitonal/educaiton.html. retrieved on 25th August,2014. 68 | P a g e IJSAR Journal of Advancement in Education and Computing (IJSAR-JAEC) ISSN: 2408-7661 http://www.mdcjournals.org/ijsar-jaec...html

IJSAR Journal of Advancement in Education and Computing (IJSAR-JAEC) ISSN: 2408-7661 Volume 2, Issue 2 (June 2015), 65-69 http://www.mdcjournals.org/ijsar-jaec...html

[6] Nwosu, E.N., Oforka, T.D., and Omeje, J.C. Gender perception of the utilization of entrepreneurial education for youth empowerment. International Journal of Educational research Official Journal of faculty of Education, University of Nigeria Nsukka. 10 (2), 2010 46 – 58. [7] Nzeneri, I.S. . Handbook in adult education principle and practices. Onitsha: Goodway printing press Ltd. 1996 [8] Arvanites, D.A Glasgo, J.M., and stumps, S.A. . Entrepreneurship education: An imperative for sustainable development. 2009 Available at www.jeleraps.schoarlinkresearch.org Retrieved on 24th August, 2014. [9] Nwekeaku, C. Entrepreneurship education and challenges to Nigerian Universities. Journal of Education and practice. 4(3) 2013 .51-56). [10] Ihugba, O.A., Odii, A., and Njoku, A.C. Challenges and prospects of Entrepreneurship in Nigeria. Academic Journal of entrepreneurship studies. 2(5), 2013. 15 – 26. [11] Mole, A.J.C. and Dim, C. L. Reposition entrepreneurship and retirement education: The strategic place of information services. International Journal of Educational Research – Official Journal of faculty of Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. 10 (2), 2010. 87 – 95. [12] Harper, D.A Foundations of entrepreneurship and economic development. London: Routledge publishing company 2003 [13] Umeifekwem, J.E. Entrepreneurship development in physical education: R-engineering professional preparation And practice of Nigerian physical educators for entrepreneurial productivity. International Journal of Educational research Official Journal of Faculty of Education, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. 10 (2), 2010. 77 – 86. [14] Ikediugwu, N. Improving instruction in Anambra State Primary Schools: Teachers’ perception. Nigeria Journal of Educational Management. 7, 2008, 88 – 95.

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