INNOVATIONS IN SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND MATHEMATICS EDUCATION IN NIGERIA, Ebele C. Okigbo, Nneka R. Nnorom, Ernest O. Onwukwe [best reads .TXT] 📗

According to Essien (2006) entrepreneurship is the totality of self-ascertaining attributes that enable a person to identify latent business opportunities, together with capacity to recognize needed resources with which to profitably take advantage of such opportunities in the face of calculated risks and uncertainty.  This paper agrees with European communities in Obidiegwu (2016), who recognizes that entrepreneurship refers to using the power of imaginative mindset to process, create and originate a substance of value by blending risk taking, creativity and innovation with sound management principles. Entrepreneurship does not only imply starting a business or effective application of managerial skills.  It further involves acquisition of social skills which include good relationship, self control, cooperation, team spirit, respect and discipline among individuals particularly OOSC and youths.  This implies that for a nation such as Nigeria to attain entrepreneurship prowess, there should be sustainable cultivation, promotion and orientation of the mindset of people particularly youths and OOSC in all areas of life and in all learning environments to avoid devastating social, economic and security challenges as experienced in Nigeria at the present time. This vividly portrays the fact that investing on infrastructure without building the mind that will use such facilities effectively will amount to efforts in futility.  Entrepreneurship enables an individual to explore opportunities for investment and to establish and run an enterprise successfully.

 

What is Entrepreneurship Education?

Entrepreneurship education is conceptualized on the idea that education ventures are enterprising in nature and there is need for an individual to embark on such ventures for meaningful social change and survival. Entrepreneurship education involves all experiences which enable an individual to acquire competences for entrepreneurship in any learning environment.  It does not just imply teaching a person to run a business; rather, it seeks to provide individuals with knowledge, skills, sense of deductive reasoning, motivation for entrepreneurial success in a variety of settings (Obidiegwu 2016).  It is about encouraging creative and innovative thinking and promoting a strong sense of self-worth, accountability, hard work and contentment, confidence, drive and courage required for promoting self-reliance.  Duru (2006) defined entrepreneurship education as the education that initiates the process of capacity for assuming risk for a business venture.

 

According to Nwangwu (2006) entrepreneurship education is the training that emphasizes the acquisition and development of appropriate knowledge and skills which enable an individual to maximize the resources around him within the limits of his capability.  It helps an individual to acquire and update vocational skills and enables OOSC and youths to develop social skills and live rewarding lives.  It encourages youths and OOSC to engage in vocational enterprises such as work of arts and craftsmanship.  There is need to promote enterprising activities in different learning environments to cater for the differences in talents and to provide equal opportunities and right to education.

 

What is Vocational skill?

Vocational skills are competences acquired through vocational training which can enable OOSC and youths in Nigeria to successfully complete a task related to a vocation.  It provides an individual with competences required by such a person to secure employment or become self-sufficient (Bello, 2015).  It provides occupation related skills or vocational job-specific skills for self reliance and for agricultural, industrial, commercial and economic development.  These competencies are better acquired according to capabilities, talents and choices of individuals for better performance.  Such vocational skills are derived from craft and trade areas such as radio, TV and electronic servicing, typing, welding, tailoring, furniture-making, hairdressing, barbing welding and fabrication electrical installation and maintenance, data processing, upholstery, catering, tourism and hospitality among others.  The skills in these trade and craft areas if acquired by OOSC and youths in Nigeria will enable them live a successful, rewarding and fulfilled lives and in addition boost the economy by reducing hunger, poverty, poor health, illiteracy and unemployment.

 

 

Out-of-School Children and Youths and Reasons for drop-out from School

Out-of-School Children and Youths are persons who for one reason or the other did not continue schooling either at the basic or secondary level.  In the view of Patrick (2006), out-of-school children are persons aged 6-24 years who are not attending school.  According to UNESCO (2019) Nigeria caner close to 20% of the global burden of OOSC and it has 13.2 million children out of school.  Bobboyi in Premium Times (2018) has shown that the population of OOSC in Nigeria increased from 10.5million in 2015 to 13.2million in 2018. Nigeria is ranked as having the highest number of OOSC in the world. Nigeria accounts for 45% of OOSC in West Africa.

It was noted by Obidiegwu (2016) that part of the reason some children drop out-of-school is that such children are not motivated to learn academic subjects; furthermore, the features of the school system make it inadaptable for such children. Such children cannot cope with the steel memory required for success in school, however, they may be creative and have sense of imagination in different areas of life including vocational and skill areas which are necessary for entrepreneurship. They have other talents which can be harnessed, hence, their talents are not in harmony to learning in-school and such children cannot do well in school but they are not failures.  They may drop-out-of school early in life and if they do not have alternative opportunities which align with their talents out-of-school, they become social misfits, miscreants and fight against the society.  This brings about unwholesome attitudes in families and societies and affects the general socio-economic, political performance and security of the entire nation as seems to be the case in Nigeria in the present time.

 

Furthermore, another reason children drop out of school is that some parents who would ordinarily enroll their children in school find it difficult to do so because of circumstances that are often beyond their control such as finance, teachers’ poor relationship to children, socio-cultural factors, early marriage among others.  Some of these barriers predispose some children to attend school irregularly, perform poorly and eventually drop out of school.  Apart from finance and health problems, other bottlenecks which may cause a child or youth to dropout from school include values placed on education by parents and their children, school governance and funding of education.  Unfortunately, presently in Nigeria, OOSC have great numerical strength.  Neglect of this great number of persons will spell doom to the economy because youths are future leaders.  It is therefore necessary that opportunities for entrepreneurship education be provided for them in different learning environments particularly out-of-school for a buoyant sustainable economy.  

 

Need for Entrepreneurship Education for Out-of-School Children and Youths in the Rural and Urban Areas

In Nigeria, we have communities which can be either described as rural or urban.  Many OOSC and youths reside in these areas.  Some of them are homeless. If they are not taken care-of by providing adequate learning environments out-of-school with state of the arts facilities and equipment, it will have great adverse socio-economic and security effects on the peaceful and overall development and future of the nation.  Entrepreneurship education if introduced early enables a child to develop entrepreneurship mindset, equips OOSC and youths with competencies and provides them with empowerment for survival.  Entrepreneurship education if combined with character education will enable youths and OOSC to avoid mad chase for money, live morally upright and contented lives, be resilient, ingenious and versatile to navigate an ever evolving labour market and be able to stay competitive in knowledge – driven world (Obidiegwu 2016).  If planned and implemented effectively, it will enable the nation to regain some eroded values of integrity, mutual respect, dignity of labour and handwork (NPE 2008).  It is only through imbibing entrepreneurship spirit in youths and OOSC for self-reliance that the country can avert poverty, hunger, unemployment, insecurity, indiscipline and many social problems which are presently rearing their ugly heads in the entire nation.  Presently, some social problems such as theft, kidnapping armed robbery, assassination and human trafficking can be attributed to the one-off rather than sustainable approach which the government uses for the solution of unemployment and poverty.

 

Entrepreneurship education will help OOSC and youths in different locations to exercise creative freedom, high self esteem, acquire social skills and an overall greater sense of control over their lives. It seeks to prepare OOSC and youths to be responsible, enterprising individuals who become entrepreneurs by embarking in real life learning experiences where they can take risks, manage resources efficiently for effectiveness and maintain good character and relationship.

 

Entrepreneurship Education enhances workplace productivity and career options of the OOSC and youths in rural and urban areas, thus, reducing the rate of rural-urban migration.  In addition, it offers continuing update of skills for OOSC and youths which enable them to be self-employed and self reliant.  It provides them with stable jobs and less time for roaming the streets.  This will enable them to live a fulfilled life, enjoy improved standard of living and development of the entire nation.

 

Providing and fostering entrepreneurship education for the OOSC and youths in Nigeria will help to achieve  the National objectives of entrepreneurship education as identified by Idgho and Eshotse (2011) as follows:  Reduction of high rate of poverty, creation of employment opportunities, serve as a catalyst for economic growth, and development, increase invention and innovation, offer functional education for youths which will enable them to be self-employed and self-reliant and reduce rural-urban migration.  Recently, entrepreneurship education is seen by policy makers and curriculum planners as a requirement for growth and development in the country, however, it is faced with many challenges as discussed in the following section.

 

Some Challenges of Entrepreneurship Education

The implementation of entrepreneurship education in communities for vocational skills training of OOSC and youths in Nigeria faces various challenges which are related to policy and planning, infrastructure, learning content, and language, capacity building and finance (Anugwom, 2007).  Anugwom noted that entrepreneurship education in communities for vocational skills training of OOSC and youths in Nigeria requires clearly stated objectives, mobilization of resources and political commitment of the stakeholders.  In addition, another major problem is enhancing and fostering entrepreneurship education in-school and neglecting its promotion through out-of-school education (non-formal system), in order to promote inclusiveness, equal opportunities and right to education.

 

Other challenges at the level of policy and planning are identification of stakeholders and harmonization of efforts across different interest groups, rampant, political and bureaucratic corruption together with the absence of social consensus on important policy issues.  Furthermore, absence of appropriate infrastructure, workshops, craft and trade centers which will house equipment/materials, epileptic power supply and unfriendly legal framework, irregularities and taxation inimical to small business (Patrick 2006).  With respect to capacity building, educators are not provided with adequate professional training for them to acquire the entrepreneurial competences which will fuel the skill gap between the implementers of entrepreneurship education and the OOSC and youths in Nigeria.  One cannot give what he does not have.  It is only when educators are equipped with right competences that they can help learners acquire such competences.  The challenge to constantly revisit curriculum, make it practical oriented by reflecting knowledge and skills that will position OOSC and youths to actively pursue careers of their interests and choices according to their individual and societal needs and the challenge to implement and evaluate entrepreneurship education using a sound practical framework.  Education must seek to solve the problems of the people.  In addition, there is a dire need to develop sustainable entrepreneurial training centers, craft and trade centers and institutes out of school.

 

Suggested Strategies for Implementation of Entrepreneurship Education in Communities in Nigeria

Some strategies could be adopted to enhance and foster entrepreneurship education in communities.  A non-formal education strategy which could be used for promotion of entrepreneurship education in rural and urban communities is found in the establishment of community learning centers (CLCs).

 

A CLC is a non-formal education institute which is set up and managed by local people in collaboration with the government to provide various learning opportunities for community participation, development and improvement of people’s quality of life.  According to Obidiegwu (2013) CLC is an institute of the people by the people and for the people which promotes entrepreneurial education, for self