ABSTRACT
The study examines entrepreneurial
education as a tool for reducing unemployment in Nigeria. Specific
objectives are; To find out if entrepreneurial education has been a useful tool
for reducing unemployment in Nigeria, To ascertain if there is compulsory
entrepreneurial education for all students in Nigerian higher institutions and
To find out if the available entrepreneurship education in institution can
stimulate entrepreneurship skills in future graduates.
In the methodology, data used for the
study was gathered through primary sources
(questionnaire). Sampling technique was used to select 200 students from the
entire population of 300 and 400 students of Uniben. The data to be obtained
out there in the field shall be presented in a tabular form and analyzed
through the use of a mean and standard deviation. However, the statistical took
employed to test the earlier stated hypotheses study is chi-squared. Findings
from the study revealed that, Lack
of educational centers for learning and improving issues within
entrepreneurship - like knowledge and information about different markets -
seems to be a significant reason for the lower motivation of UNIBEN students. Nigeria’s
educational system will continue to fail, as long as long as more focus is put
on how many schools are built, than the
effectiveness of the schools being built. The outcome of this study will bring
to the fore the crucial need for entrepreneurial education in Nigeria, putting
more consideration on the educational system, strategies and its eventual
social developmental effect in the society.
CHAPTER
ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND
TO THE STUDY
Entrepreneurial education is the incorporation
into the student syllabus steps involved in starting a new business based on a
recognized business opportunity as well as operating and maintaining that
business. The belief of some people is that entrepreneurship education does not
need to be taught and therefore, an entrepreneur is born to be so. It should
however be noted that for one to be a successful entrepreneur, he/she needs to
learn the skills (Griffin and Hammis, 2001). Entrepreneurial education is
designed to teach the skills and knowledge that is needed to be known before
embarking on a new business venture. This would enhance necessary
identification and avoidance of many pitfalls awaiting the less well trained
and vigilant contemporaries. The training in entrepreneurial education may
initially be perceived as a cost in terms of time and money but it would
eventually be appreciated.
Ogundele (2007) viewed the idea of
entrepreneurship as a multidimensional phenomenon. It was found that the
processes of emergence, behaviour and performance of indigenous entrepreneurs
were separately and in combinations affected not by a single but multiple
factors, in ranging degrees. These factors included economic, socio-cultural,
ecological, managerial, educational developmental, experiential, technological,
structural, ethical and innovative issues. He concluded that any policy
designed to change entrepreneurship scenario in Nigeria will require multiple
and simultaneous approaches in the development of necessary changes in the behaviour
of indigenous entrepreneurs. Akeredolu-Ale (1975) examined the origin and
performance of indigenous entrepreneurs. He identified 2 broad categories of
factors that affected entrepreneurs. These were the environmental factors and
the personal level factors. His conclusion was that the problems that were
confronting the indigenous entrepreneurs in Nigeria could only be partly
explained by the economic factors.
Nigeria is not left out as part of the changing
world economy, which yearns for a more articulate policy on the small and
medium enterprises (SMEs). Most world economies are characterized by a large
number of Micro/cottage, Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs) mainly in
the informal sector. In many economies, they account for a large segment of
productive population. Nigeria falls within this later category of economies.
The SMEs in Nigeria account for over 95% of non-oil productive activities
outside agriculture, which positions them as potentially strong agents of
economic growth and sustainable development (Ubom, 2006). The federal
government of Nigeria in her effort to ensure that her citizens are
self-employed, established the National Directorate of Employment in 1986. It
is the belief of government that this agency will reduce unemployment, which is
a bane of our society. The agency’s operations include re-activation of public
works, promotion of direct labour, self-employment, organization of artisans
into cooperative and encouragement of culture of maintenance and repairs
(Onifade, 2001).
Entrepreneurial education is regarded as a natural
fit for Business education department of higher institution in Nigeria as most
of the departments integrates the functional areas of business, accounting,
finance, marketing, management, the legal and economic potentialities in which
a new venture operates in a bid to reduce unemployment. It is therefore,
important for these categories of students educated in this fields to think
like an entrepreneur since they are expected to start their own businesses
after graduation or work closely with entrepreneurs (Griffin and Hammis, 2003).
Entrepreneurial education also has a general education
department as well as a professional entrepreneurship development and education
component in Nigerian higher institutions, which is meant for all categories of
students in the institution. Thus, all higher institutions in Nigeria
integrates entrepreneurship education for all students irrespective of initial
course admission and expect them to start their own businesses after graduation
either on vocational or professional level to alleviate poverty and join in the
scheme of improving their social-economy environment in particularly and beyond
for self economic emancipation. They are also fit to work closely with
Entrepreneurs with Small and Medium Enterprises (SME). This will go a long way
to reduce unemployment in Nigeria. However, this study will examine
entrepreneurial education as a tool for employment reduction in Nigeria using
the undergraduates of University of Benin as a case study. The university has
an accredited business education department and entrepreneurship development
programme is incorporated into the syllabus of all the students irrespective of
department in a bid to reduce unemployment among the future graduates.
1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
Entrepreneurship
skills acquired through entrepreneurial education has been recognized as an important
aspect of organization and economies (Dickson et al, 2008). It contributes in
an immeasurable ways toward creating new job, wealth creation, poverty
reduction, and income generation for both government and individuals.
Schumpeter in 1934 argued that entrepreneurial education is very significant to
the growth and development of economies. Having understood the vital role of
entrepreneurship in economic development, it become apparent that careful
attention is needed to invest and promote entrepreneurship. Meanwhile,
education is seen as one of the precondition for entrepreneurship development
particularly in a place where the spirit and culture is very minimal. It is
said to be an important determinant of selection into entrepreneurship,
formation of new venture and entrepreneurial success (Dickson, Solomon and
Weaver, 2008). However, it equally assumes here that there is a positive
relationship between education and individual’s choice to become an
entrepreneur as well as the result and outcome of his or her entrepreneurial
activity. The move toward poverty reduction should not be considered and
treated in isolation, different approach and strategies need to be employed.
For any country to foster genuine economic growth and development, its education
system must be considered as basis and essential ingredient. Education is
undisputedly considered as the bedrock of any meaningful development (FGN, 2004
in Akpomi 2009), be it economic, social or political.
Adejimola and
Olufunmilayo (2009) reported that about 80% of the graduates find it difficult
to get employment every year. And at the same time much has not been done in
trying to bring collaboration between the entrepreneurs and the institutions. However,
entrepreneurial education can bridge the gap by equipping the undergraduate in
becoming a successful entrepreneur thereby reducing unemployment. This study
will however find out how the entrepreneurial education provided in the higher
institution syllabus has prepared the students for future employment
challenges.