EntreCONSTRAINTS FACING THE TEACHING OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIESpreneur...

8/13/2019 EntreCONSTRAINTS FACING THE TEACHING OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIESpreneu

1/46

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

The need for entrepreneurship education started emerging in the mid

1980s. This is because before this period, unemployment and poverty were

not a national concern as it is currently. However, political instability and

inconsistencies in the social-economic policies of successive government led

to the emergence of high level of unemployment in igeria. !n the mid 80s,

the igeria economic collapsed while youth and graduate unemployment hit

the roof. There was large scale lay off of wor"ers and early retirements as a

result of structural ad#ustment policies and bad economic trends in the

country. !n the face of this, entrepreneurship which would have salvaged the

situation was not encouraged. !t has been observed that tertiary education has

not properly include philosophy of self reliance such as creating a new

cultural and productive environment that will promote pride in primitive

wor" and self discipline, encouraging people to ta"e part actively and freely

in discussions and decisions affecting their general welfare, promoting new

sets of attitudes and culture for the attainment of future challenges.

wangwu $%00&' opined that the failure of universities to inculcate the

above philosophy in students has led to wastages in terms of both human and

1


2/46

natural resources. This is because the youth and graduate from universities

are not e(uipped with the s"ills with which to e)ploit the natural resources

that abound in igeria. *ll these factors have rendered the pursuit of self-

reliance among our graduates difficult to retain. +ther problems identified by

*yodele include irrelevant education that is boo"ish, theoretic and white-

collar #ob oriented.

*lso igerias macro-economic environment is unhealthy and unstable

for a vivid entrepreneurship development, the fear of failure by the people to

ta"e ris" on entrepreneurial activities, absence of infrastructural facilities,

inade(uate wor"ing capital, lac" of ade(uate training, while an unstable and

conducive political environment drives away investors that are planning to

embar" on entrepreneurial activities. !n addition, government programmes

are not designed to promote entrepreneurship. The high rate of many business

enterprises as winding up prematurely conse(uent upon the employable

youths and adults idle away. !t is against this bac"drop that this paper set to

loo" into the constraints facing the teaching of entrepreneurship education in

igeria universities.

This entrepreneurship education cuts across all disciplines in the

university. The igerian government in her effort to ensure #ob opportunities

for students after graduating from the universities established a compulsory

entrepreneurship education course. /ith this "nowledge, students can set up

2


3/46

small business enterprises rather than remain #obless for a long period after

graduation. This however, does not mean that entrepreneurship is

synonymous to small business enterprise. However the relationship between

the two is such that one cannot study one without mentioning the other.

*ccording to latt $1988', entrepreneurship education was concerned with

innovation and new ventures rather than as management of business once it

was in operation. latt also found that &0 of schools offered elective

courses in entrepreneurship while 20 had entrepreneurship as a ma#or

re(uirement.

*n entrepreneur is a ris" ta"er. He coordinates other factors of

production, land, labour and capital for the production of goods and services.

The whole idea for writing this pro#ect on constraints facing the teaching of

entrepreneurship education in igeria universities is the increasing interest in

the development of education programs to encourage and enhance

entrepreneurship and put an end to these constraints and ensure that

entrepreneurial education is properly taught and practiced in igeria

universities.

1.2 Stateent o! the Pro"#e

3espite the compulsory entrepreneurship education in igerian

universities, many graduates still remain unemployed for a long time after

graduation. The entrepreneurship education delivered to undergraduates in

3


4/46

their 200 level in some igeria universities seems not to be meeting the aims

and the ob#ectives for the compulsory course, the content and management of

the course seem to be porous. There seems to be high failure rate and many

students struggle for the minimum pass mar". The purpose of establishing the

entrepreneurship course seems to be defeated, the content and s"ills in the

course is not put into practice after graduation, hence there is high rate of

unemployment. There is need to find out how the course is managed and

delivered, the constraints facing the teaching of the course in order to put

away these constraints and meet the goals and ob#ectives of the course.

1.$ Re%earch &ue%t'on

/hat are constraints facing the teaching of entrepreneurship education in

igerian 4niversities5

1.( Pur)o%e o! the Study

The purpose of this study is to determine constraints militating against

the teaching of entrepreneurship education in igerian 4niversities. This

study therefore, will highlight and identify these constraints and suggest

solutions to these constraints.

1.* S'gn'!'cance o! the Study

4


5/46

The e)perience of developed economies in relation to the roles played

by entrepreneurs buttresses the fact that the importance of entrepreneurship

cannot be overemphasi6ed especially among developing countries.

This study will benefit students, lecturers, organi6ations, government

and the public at large in various ways. !t will benefit the government by

creating awareness on the effort being made by various igerian universities

on the implementation and achievement of government policy on

7ntrepreneurship 7ducation which the government has great interest. The

lecturers will ad#ust to a better management and delivery of the course. This

will bring about effective and efficient teaching and learning of

7ntrepreneurship 7ducation. The students will develop interest in

7ntrepreneurship 7ducation. They will be more serious with the course and

can apply themselves in establishing small business enterprise in absence of

employment opportunities after graduating from the universities. The

employers will be happy to have wor"ers who are well s"illed and would

help to increase the productivity of various companies. The public can benefit

from being employed.

5


6/46

1.+ Sco)e and De#''tat'on o! the Study

This study would discuss the meaning of 7ntrepreneurship and

7ntrepreneurship 7ducation it would focus on the constraints facing the

teaching of 7ntrepreneurship 7ducation in igeria universities and the

solutions to the above constraints. The study therefore is delimited to

entrepreneurship education lecturers in 3elta state 4niversity *bra"a,

ovena 4niversity +gume, 4niversity of enin and *mbrose *li 4niversity

7"poma.

1., De!'n't'on o! Ter%

-ho '% an Entre)reneur

7ntrepreneur have been defined as people who have the ability to see

and evaluate business opportunities, gather the necessary resources to ta"e

advantage of them and initiate appropriate action to ensure success. He or she

is an innovating individual who has developed an ongoing business activity

where none e)isted before. * typical entrepreneur is a ris" ta"er, a man who

braves uncertainty, stri"es out on his own and through native wit, devotion to

duty and singleness and industrial activity where none e)isted before. He is a

person that searches for change, responds to change and e)ploits change by

converting change into business opportunity.

6


7/46

CHAPTER T-O

/ITERATURE RE0IE-

2.1 Introduct'on

7


8/46

This chapter discusses the various aspects of entrepreneurial education

while assessing the ideas of other authors relative to the sub#ect matter at

hand. This will be done following this se(uence.

The History and +rigin +f 7ntrepreneurship

7ntrepreneurship 7ducation as * :oncept

*ssessment of 7ntrepreneurship 7ducation in igeria

+b#ectives of 7ntrepreneurship 7ducation

;e(uirements ob :reation !n igeria

7ntrepreneurship 7ducation and ational ?ecurity

:hallenges of igerian 4niversities +n 7ntrepreneurship 7ducation

*ppraisal of @iterature ;eview

2.2 The H'%tory and Or'g'n o! Entre)reneur%h')

+ne could argue that entrepreneurs have been around since the

beginning of time. Aaranville $199%' implied that the historical perspective

8


9/46

of entrepreneurship has included the hunterBgather age, the agricultural age,

the mercantile age, the industrial age, and the service age. :unningham and

@ischeron $1991' indicated that the current word entrepreneurship comes

from the


10/46

if the owners resources are applied in ways that are more productive and

yielding than those resources would be elsewhere.

2.$ Entre)reneur%h') Educat'on a% a Conce)t

7ntrepreneurship education is an educational programme that provides

the students with the "nowledge, s"ills and motivation needed to start up a

small scale business. !n other words, it promotes innovation or rather

introduces new products or services and mar"et strategies to the students to

become outstanding entrepreneurs. enton and 7rvin $%000' define

entrepreneurship education as an educational discipline that prepares people,

especially youth to be responsible, enterprising individuals who become

entrepreneurs or entrepreneurial thin"ers that contribute to economic

development and sustainable communities. !n other words, entrepreneurship

education is a programme that provides discipline to an individual to assume

the responsibility and the ris" for a business operation with the e)pectation of

ma"ing a profit. !f this succeeds the entrepreneur reaps profits and if it fails,

he ta"es the loss.

Hisrich $%00%' in urya $%00E' defines entrepreneurship as the process

of creating something different with value by devoting the necessary time and

efforts, assuring the accompanying financial, psychological and social ris"s,

and receiving the resulting rewards of monetary and personal satisfaction.

10


11/46

*nother definition of entrepreneurship that is worthy of note is Aiami

4niversity of +hio $%002' (uoted in urya $%00E' which states that

7ntrepreneurship is a process of identifying, developing and

brings a vision to life. The vision may be an innovative idea,

an opportunity or simply a better way to do something. The

end result of this process is the creation of a new venture,

formed under conditions of ris" and considerable uncertainty.

*lso according to uryi $%00E', entrepreneurship is a process through

which individuals and groups pursue opportunity, leverage resources and

initiative change to create value. Therefore, considering all the wor"s cited,

entrepreneurship education generally provides creative s"ills and "nowledge

needed to start and grow a business. !n other words, it prepares individuals to

create and successfully operate a business enterprise.


12/46

of an individual to see" out investment opportunities in an environment and

be able to establish and run an enterprise successfully based on identified

opportunities. Hisrich and Feters $%00%', simply captured the term as the

dynamic process of creating incremental wealth. They went further to e)plain

that entrepreneurship is the personali6ed version of actuali6ing ones desire,

ambition, and e)pression.

2.( A%%e%%ent o! Entre)reneur%h') Educat'on 'n N'ger'a

The igerian educational system, which is a colonial heritage, does not

have much consideration for entrepreneurship education. The colonial

education was designed to assist colonial masters administer igeria better

by brea"ing the communication gap between the colonialists and the

coloni6ed igerians. 7mphasis was placed on producing clerical and

administrative officers, teachers, clergy and other liberal arts graduates who

would facilitate the westerni6ation process. *t independence, the post

independence governments did not do much to restructure our education

curricular, right from the primary, secondary through the tertiary stage.

@iberal arts, through rote learning, dominated our educational system.

*lthough our educational institutions have been e)panding with geometric

proportion, curriculum restructuring has been with arithmetic progression.

*"inyemi $198&' notes that our educational institutions, few as they were,

12


13/46

remained factories for producing white collar #obbers with no special

profession nor was entrepreneurial s"ills envisaged in the educational system.

?tahli $199%' shares the above view when he argues that in many ways

the education currently offered to business students does not suit itself well to

the active and e)perimental learning styles and needs of adult learners and

future entrepreneurs. *pparently worried by the soaring unemployment rate,

declining per capita income, youths restiveness in various parts of the

country, the


14/46

$77' programmes in the conte)t of vocational training rather than developing

the spirit of entrepreneurship, which is the stimulation of entrepreneurship

activities and performance in various disciplines. This creates challenge for

entrepreneurship education definition. The countrys universities were not

prepared for entrepreneurship education when they were compelled to

commence it. !t is not clear whether any special fund has been made available

to the universities for the prosecution of entrepreneurship education. The

same conventional facilities for conventional education are being used in the

universities. The same personnel for conventional courses are being used for

the teaching of entrepreneurial studies in our universities.

2.* O"ect'e% o! N'ger'an Entre)reneur%h') Educat'on

The igeria government, at the national and state levels has articulated

the ational 7conomic 7mpowerment and 3evelopment ?trategy $773?'

and ?tate 7conomic 7mpowerment and 3evelopment ?trategy $?773?'

pac"ages as part of a long term programmes to address gross unemployment

and under employment, especially at post-graduation level. This programme,

at maturity, is e)pected to power igeria economic growth through the

development of ?mall and Aedium ?cale 7nterprises $?A7s' $!dgho and

7shiotse, %011'.

7ntrepreneurship education is oriented towards different ways of

reali6ing opportunities. This is what ma"es entrepreneurship education

distinctive in its focus on reali6ation of opportunity, whereas management

14


15/46

education is focused on the best way to operate e)isting hierarchies.

7ntrepreneurship education see"s to provide students with the "nowledge,

s"ills and motivation to encourage entrepreneurial success in a variety of

settings. 7ntrepreneurship education according to Faul $%00' is structured to

achieve the following ob#ectives.

1. To offer functional education for the youth that will enable them to be

self-employed and self reliant.

%. Frovide the youth graduates with ade(uate training that will enable

them to be creative and innovative in identifying novel business

opportunities

2. To serve as a catalyst for economic growth and development.

C. +ffer tertiary institution graduates with ade(uate training in ris"

management, to ma"e certain bearing feasible.

. To reduce high rule of poverty.

E. :reate employment generation.

&. ;eduction in rural I urban migration.

8. Frovide the young graduates with enough training and support that

will enable them to establish a career in small and medium si6ed

businesses.

9. To inculcate the spirit of perseverance in the youths and adults which

will enable them to persist in any business venture they embar" on.

15


16/46

10.:reate smooth transition from traditional to a modern industrial

economy.

2.+ Re3u'reent% !or an Entre)reneur

ot everyone agrees as to entrepreneurial characteristics. =endron $%00C'

indicated that in the wor"place in some measure, everybody is an

entrepreneur. lofsten $%000' stated that others believe it is possible to

stimulate entrepreneurial behavior in many ways and that this leads to

something positive. /hile the above observations may be true, there appear

to be three factors that appear to influence the decision to become an

entrepreneur. 3yer $199C' indicated that these factors have either an

individual, social or economic basis. !ndividual factors include the ability to

ta"e ris"s and a tolerance for ambiguity. ?ocial factors often come from

families where father or mother was self-employed.


17/46

audience. 3yer $199C' indicated that many times, those who engage in

entrepreneurial activities do not define themselves as entrepreneurs. 3yer

$199C' further asserted that ones orientation to an entrepreneurial role

occurs in two stages. The first stage concerns the acceptance by an individual

of what might be called the general entrepreneurial role. !f they create and

own organi6ation, they have accepted an entrepreneurial role. The second

stage in the development of an entrepreneurial role is what might be called

the creation of a specific entrepreneurial role. /inslow, ?oloman and

Tarabishy $199&' indicated that entrepreneurs are usually see"ing rapid

growth, immediate and high profits and a possible (uic" sellout with a large

capital gain.

2., Entre)reneur%h') Educat'on a% a Curr'cu#u Conce)t

rown $%000' as"ed the (uestion *re entrepreneurs born or are they

taught5 7ducational institutions seem to have the answer to this age old

(uestionD entrepreneurs can be taught. /inslow, et al., $199&' also supported

the notion of successful business formation via educational programs and

industrial development programs. Hynes $199E' believed that the most

fundamental issue relating to enterprise education is addressing the (uestion

of whether entrepreneurship can be taught.


18/46

entrepreneurship can be traced as far bac" as 1928 to ?higeru apan. They also stated that the 4.?. ?mall

usiness *dministration reported that prior to 192, only the 4niversity of

!llinois offered a course in small business or entrepreneurship development in

the 4nited ?tates $as cited by /inslow, et al., 199&'.

7vidence suggests that the demand for specific, well-developed

entrepreneurial training is (uite strong $?eymour, %001'. ?eymour $%001'

further stated that while entrepreneurship training has e)isted only on the

fringes of academe, a growing number of community colleges, universities

and business schools in the 4nited ?tates now provide it in several forms.

lofsten $%000' indicated that the entrepreneurship and new business

development program $7F' in ?weden contains the following cornerstonesD

business plans wor"shops mentoring supervision networ"ing, incubator

facilities and seed financing. ?eymour $%001' reported that in 19&0 1E

business schools had entrepreneurship programs. !n %000, the number

reached over 1,00 universities or colleges offering entrepreneurship courses.

?he further reported that although a small number of universities offer formal

programs in entrepreneurship, most ma#or universities offer at least one

entrepreneurship class. ;obinson and Haynes $1991' found further evidence

of this growth in the e)pansion of endowed positions in entrepreneurship. *s

a starting point in the curriculum formulation process, Aaranville $199%'

suggested the integration of three broadly based curriculum ob#ectives. Those

18


19/46

ob#ectives includeD the e)ploration of the economic nature and role of

entrepreneurship the discovery and e)amination of the principles of

innovation and trac"ing the role of entrepreneurship and the principles of

innovation as they occur in economic history.

2.4 Curr'cu#u Content !or Entre)reneur%h') Educat'on

?ociety has been very clear in its desire to include post-secondary

entrepreneurship education in curriculum. ?ingh and Aagee $%00%,' indicated

that demand is driving education. The demand is coming from proposed

entrepreneurs and larger corporations in need of cross functional thin"ers

with entrepreneurial s"ills. =aravan and +:inneide $199C' asserted that

entrepreneurship education and training programs are aimed directly at

stimulating entrepreneurship. Their definition of entrepreneurship is

independent small business ownership or the development of opportunity-

see"ing managers within companies. ?eymour $%001' summari6ed that the

large motivator for students to get involved in entrepreneurship is their desire

to ma"e money, something that college students, being one of the largest

consumer groups in the nation, are notoriously either lac"ing or pursuing.

7ntrepreneurship classes may also be a result of demand. 3udley and

3udley $199' affirmed that todays students are much more career oriented

than earlier generations. Hynes $199E' surmised that entrepreneurial

education incorporates both informal and formal methods. The informal

aspects of entrepreneurship education combine and integrate with the formal

19


20/46

aspects of education. The informal aspects focus on s"ills building, attribute

development and behavioral changes. olvereid $199&' further indicated that

graduates who have ta"en a ma#or in entrepreneurship have stronger

entrepreneurial intentions and act more entrepreneurially than other

graduates. 7ntrepreneurship, at least to some e)tent, is a function of factors

which can be altered through education. =aravan and +:inneide $199C'

cited seven common ob#ectives of entrepreneurship education and training

programs. Those ob#ective are toD ac(uire "nowledge germane to

entrepreneurship ac(uire s"ills in the use of techni(ues, in the analysis of

business situations, and in the synthesis of action plans identify and

stimulate entrepreneurial drive, talent and s"ills undo the ris"-adverse bias of

many analytical techni(ues develop empathy and support for all uni(ue

aspects of entrepreneurship devise attitudes toward change and encourage

new start-ups and other entrepreneurial ventures. Hynes $199E' declared that

enterprise education is the process or series of activities which aims to enable

an individual to assimilate and develop "nowledge, s"ills, values and

understanding that are not simply related to a narrow field of activity, but

allow a broad range of problems to be defined, analy6ed and solved. =endron

$%00C' was bolder in his philosophy. He asserted that the driving (uestions

are no longer whether entrepreneurship can or should be taught, but rather

how to continuously improve its content and delivery to meet the needs of

our current students. 7ntrepreneurship curriculum is also used as foundation

20


21/46

for students who go to wor" for corporate *merica. 3udley J 3udley $199'

broadly stated that those who can operate in the twenty-first centurys

business environment will have more information, more tas"s, and more

responsibility. Aaranville $199%' proclaimed that those students who will be

employed by large businesses will also (uic"ly reali6e the realities of

competition and innovation. ;obinson and Haynes $1991' asserted that

although the e)istence of formal organi6ations and academic programs are an

indication of the depth or (uality of entrepreneurship education within the

university, several other related indicators are also relevant. Those indicators

include institutional resources and relationships.

2.5 Curr'cu#u I)#'cat'on% o! Entre)reneur%h') Educat'on

/hile there demonstrates a strong demand for post-secondary

entrepreneurship curricula, particularly at the university level, supply does

not seem to follow. ?ingh and Aagee argued that the growing shortage in the

number of (ualified faculty to fill the entrepreneurship curriculum will

become a very serious problem. 7ntrepreneurship curriculum has not

received the same status as some of the more mature curriculum, such as

corporate finance as mar"et research. *s a result, entrepreneurship has not

been a primary focus for teaching and related research at the university level.

lofsten $%000' believed that entrepreneurship should be viewed at three

levels within a university structure. Ta"ing a macro point of view he posed

that the creation and maintenance of an enterprising culture on the whole at

21


22/46

the university should be on the forefront. He then indicated that separate

courses in entrepreneurship needed to e)ist. There students could learn more

about entrepreneurship as a sub#ect itself. lofsten $%000' further believed

that on a final level, specific training programs for individuals who want to

start their own enterprise should be integrated into the curriculum. urat"o

$%002' correctly supported the idea as entrepreneurship is one of a culture I

not #ust the creation of business. ?eymour $%001.' postulated that while

every collegiate entrepreneur finds himself or herself in a uni(ue position

with his or her venture, it would seem that the average student would do best

to ta"e advantage of the resources that e)ist on college campuses, in order to

gain real-world e)perience and lay the groundwor" for future endeavors, until

they have completed their education and earned a mar"etable degree.

Teaching styles and demographics play a role in successful learning of

entrepreneurship curriculum. Hatten and ;uhland $199' reviewed a

cooperative arrangement between colleges, universities, small business, and

the 4.?. ?mall usiness *dministration. Two conclusions of student attitude

toward entrepreneurship were derived. ?tudents who possessed an internal

locus of control developed a more positive attitude toward entrepreneurship

after they participated in a described cooperative program than students who

did not possess an internal locus of control. They also discovered that student

age was a factor in changing attitude toward entrepreneurship. The

cooperative arrangement under review had a more powerful influence on

22


23/46

students in the %0-%% year age brac"et in producing a positive change in their

attitude toward entrepreneurship. /hile there is consensus that the university

environment is one which can mold young minds, in the case of

entrepreneurship education, this can serve as a dual-edged sword. ?eymour

correctly argued that having hectic schedules and limited time tempts many

students to (uit college to pursue their businesses. This is particularly true if

those ventures seem poised to ta"e off. 7ntrepreneurship curriculum does not

e)ist in a silo within business schools. 4niversities provide outreach, and in

the case of land grant colleges, e)tension, to outlying areas. +utreach and

e)tension e)tend economic development assistance to the community.

Traditional economic development strategies for a region include business

attraction, business retention and e)pansion, and business creation. usiness

creation is most closely aligned to entrepreneurship. 3unn and ?hort $%001',

through a survey of entrepreneurs and small business managers in northeast

@ouisiana, indicated that the study of entrepreneurship would not only be

beneficial to students but as a sound economic development strategy.

Huffman and Kui(ley $%00%' further suggested that the university is

important in attracting human capital to the local area and in stimulating

entrepreneurial talent. !n addition to entrepreneurship classes, they indicate

other support to stimulate this growth. This support includes university

supported business incubators, business plan competitions and networ"ing

events.

23


24/46

2.16 Ro#e o! Entre)reneur%h') Educat'on 'n Econo'c 7ro8th and

Dee#o)ent.

7ntrepreneurship education, in combination with other business

education programmes in igerian universities will contribute to the nations

economic growth and development in the following waysD-

1. !t will help to discover talented, competitive, creative and very

s"illful individuals that are the nations innovative assets.

%. !t will prepare individuals to be responsible and entrepreneurially

conscious to contribute significantly to economic growth and

development.

2. !t will build a connecting lin" that creates productive and very

thoughtful citi6ens that can contribute to local, regional and national

competitiveness.

C. *ccording to *shmore $1991', entrepreneurship education inspires

and motivates students to achieve while in school and use their

"nowledge in a real world setting. ?he contributes further that

entrepreneurship provides activities that build relationships, provide

relevance for learning and encourage rigour in the efforts to develop

academic s"ills to be competitive.

. !t will encourage the business education graduates to establish small

scale businesses and sustain them. These small businesses form the

24


25/46

cornerstone of future economic growth, #ob creation and wealth

generation.

2.11 Ro#e o! Entre)reneur%h') Educat'on 'n 9o" Creat'on 'n N'ger'a

The igerian government seems to have wo"en up to the reality that

the country needs to brea" away from the vicious cycle of poverty,

infrastructure neglect, corruption and other problems. *ccording to olawole

and +molayo $%00E', many individuals have difficulties in translating their

business ideas to realities and creating new business ventures because of lac"

of necessary information and s"ills to achieve their targets. To him, the

university curriculum was in the past oriented towards ma"ing graduates

suitable only for white-collar #obs. This underscores why millions of our

youths and a lot of 4niversity graduates roam about the streets of the ma#or

cities and towns in search of white-collar #obs. !t is necessary and possible to

position igerian universities to stimulate economic growth through a

deliberate agenda of production of entrepreneurial graduates.

!n many countries, including 4?, high schools offer entrepreneurship

education for life-long trade, and many of them offer courses that enable

students to meet their general academic re(uirement while learning a trade.

However, because of these recent challenges in world economy, many

schools have shifted emphasis to training in computers, information

technology, and related fields. Fublic schools wor" closely with willing

industries to establish curriculum and programmes to meet their s"ill demand.

25


26/46

/here is igeria in this history of entrepreneurship education5 /hile career

education has continued to thrive in many societies, it is unfortunately an area

that is neglected in igeria $7meruwa, %00C'. The neglect of

entrepreneurship education is robbing the nation of the contribution their

graduates would ma"e to the development of the economy. !t is therefore

socially in#urious to neglect this important area or loo" down on its graduates.

The society needs competent auto mechanics, and truc" drivers, plumbers,

electricians, electronics and computers, database, web and networ"

technicians, boo"-"eepers and cler"s, medical technicians, and nursing

assistants, $and other personnel in this category' to function well. These are

some of the s"ills in short supply in igeria. The half-ba"ed roadside

mechanics in the society often cause more damage to vehicles when they are

contracted to service them and because of poor training some of the

commercial drivers on the road and nurse assistants in the hospitals have sent

many people to their early death. =iven these facts, it is a disservice to the

society to neglect entrepreneurship education. !n igeria, graduates of

vocational and technical institutions are highly s"illed entrepreneurs, but the

society does not seem to encourage the youths to have value for technical

education. 4nfortunately, those who influence education policy in the society

$legislators, educators, the media, etc' feel that graduates of technical and

vocational institutions are not e(ual to university graduates hence there is

need for effective strategies for entrepreneurship education in igeria.

26


27/46

2.12 Entre)reneur%h') Educat'on and Nat'ona# Secur'ty

The role of the entrepreneur and the private sector in matters of

national security is a critically important element often overloo"ed. /hether

it is offering support for intelligence gathering or counter-terrorism, private

business has become an important tool in shaping the security of the igerian

state. /ith the focus today on nuclear proliferation in !ran and orth orea,

idnapping in iger 3elta and o"o haram in the orth, not to mention a

variety of other countries and group of persons who have the capability $or

will have the capability' of developing the bomb, security and intelligence

has ta"en on an entirely new face.

The development of security and intelligence solutions is a necessity.

/hile the government does its #ob, private business is also doing its #ob by

shaping their business to face a new "ind of global threat, which translates

into a new "ind of national security threat. iological and chemical weapons

are of ma#or concern, and while it has been the private sector which has

developed much of this capability, it is also the private sector where security

and intelligence solutions can be developed and applied to preventing the use

of these elements in a terrorist attac". The mood of complacency is alive and

well. Feople do not want to thin" about terrorism and many have already

dismissed 911 as a distant tragedy. ut the threats against our country are

alive and thriving. +ur intelligence community and law enforcement wor"

around the cloc" to combat the daily threats against our nation. The private

27


28/46

sector has a vital role to play and many are wor"ing to ma"e our nation and

our planet safe, secure and are providing a better future for our children and

our grandchildren in the process. *s technological advances continue to

evolve, so too do those who would use them for acts of blatant terror.

usiness can and must become a cooperative force in the national security of

the country. !t can ma"e great and monumental contributions to security and

intelligence solutions for the %1st century. 3espite what some would have

you believe, the national security of our country is not the governmentLs

responsibility alone. !t re(uires the support of citi6ens, private business and

the government in an effort to ma"e our national security second to none.

2.1$ Cha##enge% o! N'ger'an Un'er%'t'e% on Entre)reneur%h')

Educat'on

The


29/46

does not have, the e)pected products of the new entrepreneurship education

may not perform any miracles if they are lectured by the same old lecturers.

?tumpf $1999' has noted that Gtraditional models of education fall short in

their ability to lin" the "nowledge and concepts covered in the classroom to

the s"ills and practice of entrepreneurship.

Ha%ty Pre)arat'on%; The government directive for immediate

commencement of the programme is appreciated as it underscores the

importance attaches to it, yet preparations before the commencement were

hasty. There should have been provisions for a pilot scheme in some selected

faculties of selected universities before full scale implementation country

wide. The introduction was similar to that of the 4niversal Frimary

7ducation, 4F7, by the +basan#o regime with the obvious conse(uent

problems.

Poor State o! In!ra%tructure; The poor state of infrastructure in igerian

universities is worrisome as the new entrepreneurship education will only

worsen the situation. +beleagu-6elibe and Aoru"u $%010' have noted that

the state of infrastructure in igerian university system is, to say the least,

embarrassing. *part from those specific to universities as *cademic ?taff

4nion of 4niversities, *??4, has argued in several negotiations with the


30/46


31/46

CHAPTER THREE

:ETHODO/O7=

This chapter was discussed under the following sub headings

3esign of the ?tudy

Fopulation of the ?tudy

?ample and ?ampling Techni(ues

!nstrument for 3ata :ollection

Malidity of the !nstrument

*dministration of !nstrument

Aethod of 3ata *nalysis

$.1 De%'gn o! the Study

The study adopted the descriptive survey research design. ?urvey

research is a method of collecting information by as"ing (uestions,

?ometimes interviews are done face-to-face with people at home, in school,

or at wor". +ther times (uestions are sent in the mail for people to answer

and mail bac". !ncreasingly, surveys are conducted by telephone. However,

the present study employed the face to face contact with the respondents.

31


32/46

$.2 Po)u#at'on o! the %tudy

The population of the study includes all lecturers who teach

entrepreneurship education in 3elta state 4niversity, 4niversity of enin,

*mbrose *li 4niversity 7"poma and ovena 4niversity +gume.

$.$ Sa)#e and Sa)#'ng Techn'3ue%

The study employed the purposive sampling techni(ue. Thus the sampling

procedure first identified these lecturers by visiting the various faculties of

7ducation and ?ocial sciences were these courses are taught and sampled the

opinion of the lecturers. !n a whole, the opinion of 8 lecturers was sought

and these involved lecturers who teach the course at various levels of the

4niversity education.

$.( In%truent !or Data Co##ect'on

To guide this research, an instrument labeled 7ntrepreneurial 7ducation

:onstrain Kuestionnaire>EEC&? was developed. The instrument consists of

two sections of * and . the first section consist of the demographic

variables while the other section consists of !tems that dealt with constraints

of teaching 7ntrepreneurial education in igerian universities.

32


33/46

$.* 0a#'d'ty o! the In%truent

!n the development of the research instrument, past research

(uestionnaires were analy6ed, and ideas were retrieved from them. To

ascertain the validity of the instrument, the instrument was given to the

research supervisor to ascertain content and face validity before the final

instrument was developed.

$.+ Ad'n'%trat'on o! In%truent

* total of 8 (uestionnaires were administered personally by the

researcher. The content of the (uestionnaires were e)plained to respondents,

while completed (uestionnaires were collected on the spot and their

responses compiled and analy6ed later.

$., :ethod o! Data Ana#y%'%

3escriptive statistics was used to analy6e the data. The research

(uestions were answered employing the simple mean method and

percentages given as

o. of ;esponses N 100

Total ;esponse 1

33


34/46


35/46

(.1 Pre%entat'on o! Re%u#t

Sect'on A; Deogra)h'c 0ar'a"#e%

Ta"#e 1; Rank d'%tr'"ut'on o! /ecturer%Rank


36/46

education is a problem

% Aany schools lac" inade(uate

entrepreneur manpower for the

effective teaching of the

entrepreneurial education

12$%%.C' 2C$8.C' 11$%0' 10$1&'

2 3ue to hasty preparation there is nobac"ground to the course

Gentrepreneur education

1C$%C' %E$C' 8$1C' 10$1&'

C @ow "nowledge bac"ground to

entrepreneurial education affects

students interest.

C0$E9' 18$21' 0$0' 0$0'

4navailability of lecture halls for the

large population of university students

is a serious challenge to teaching the

course.

21$2' %&$C&' 0$0' 0$0'

E @ac" of proper administration and

planning on the part of the university

is a constrain to entrepreneurial

education

%%$28' 1&$%9' 1C$%C' $9'

& !nade(uate provision of necessary

lecture materials to students is a

limitation in entrepreneurship

education

1C$%C' 2%$2' E$10' E$10'

8 @imited entrepreneurial s"ills on the

part of the lecturers is a problem to

entrepreneurial education

10$1&' %$2.C' %E$C' %0$2C.C'

9 @ac" of practicals on the part oflecturer due to unavailability of

infrastructuresBe(uipment.

10 4navailability of laboratory to

carryout practical is a serious

constrain to entrepreneurial education.

C$&E' 12$%C' 0$0' 0$0'

11


37/46

showed that all of the respondents believe lac" of infrastructures is a

limitation while item % indicates that 80 of the respondents allege the

unavailability of ade(uate manpower against the %0 that declined. !tem C

and however showed that 100 of the respondents owe the challenge to

limited lecture halls and bac"ground "nowledge of the course by students.

:onsidering items E and &, it was discovered that E& and 89 of the

respondents owe it to improper planning by administration and lac" of lecture

materials respectively against the %2 and 11 that declined respectively. !n

the same vein, all of the respondents owe the challenge to the epileptic supply

of electricity and lac" of laboratory for practical as indicated by items 10 and

11. !tems 1% and 12 however owes it to lac" of budgeting by management

and improper orientation of students as these items indicated a high

percentage of affirmation showing % and 90 respectively. !tems 1C and

1 however gave affirmation to the earlier observations made as it indicated a

high level of claims to lac" of resource persons and students si6e offering the

course.

D'%cu%%'on o!


38/46

!n answer to the research (uestion however, !tem 1 showed that all of

the respondents believe lac" of infrastructures is a limitation while item %

indicates that 80 of the respondents allege the unavailability of ade(uate

manpower against the %0 that declined. !tem C and however showed that

100 of the respondents owe the challenge to limited lecture halls and

bac"ground "nowledge of the course by students. These observations are in

agreement with the observations of +beleagu-6elibe and Aoru"u $%010'

who alleged poor state of infrastructure in igerian universities as worrisome

to the actuali6ation of the ob#ectives of the new entrepreneurship education

curriculum. They also noted that the state of infrastructure in igerian

university system is, to say the least, embarrassing and that apart from those

specific to universities as *cademic ?taff 4nion of 4niversities, *??4, have

argued in several negotiations with the


39/46

11. !tems 1% and 12 however owes it to lac" of budgeting by management

and improper orientation of students as these items indicated a high

percentage of affirmation showing % and 90 respectively. !tems 1C and

1 however gave affirmation to the earlier observations made as it indicated a

high level of claims to lac" of resource persons and students si6e offering the

course. The implication to these observations is that constrain to the

actuali6ation of the ob#ective of entrepreneurial education is both

administrative and student based. This claim is well supported by ?tumpf

$1999' who noted that Gtraditional models of education fall short in their

ability to lin" the "nowledge and concepts covered in the classroom to the

s"ills and practice of entrepreneurship. !n the same vein, the failure of

entrepreneurship education is also lin"ed to the introduction of the 4niversal

Frimary 7ducation, 4F7, by the +basan#o regime with its obvious

conse(uent problems since there have been no pilot trials in various faculties

of different universities.

39


40/46

CHAPTER


41/46

4niversities. ased on the observations made during the field study, the

following are summari6ed as the ma#or findings from the study.

1. 4navailability of infrastructure is a ma#or constrain to the teaching of

entrepreneurship education in igerian 4niversities.

%. !nconsistent electricity and unavailability of (uality laboratories for

practical have limited the teaching of entrepreneurship education.

2. @ac" of proper planning and ade(uate budget on the part of school

administrators have been a ma#or constrain to the teaching of

entrepreneurship education.

C. @ac" of interest by students has contributed greatly to effective

teaching of entrepreneurship education in igerian universities.

*.2 Conc#u%'on

*t the end of this study, the researcher wish to conclude that

constraints facing the effective teaching of entrepreneurship education in

igerian 4niversities is both administrative and student based and includes

the lac" of ade(uate infrastructure, manpower, student interest and electricity.

*.$ Recoendat'on%

ased on the conclusion made above, the researcher wishes to ma"e

the following recommendations.

1. There should be an improvement in the carrying capacities of the

lecture halls used for entrepreneurship education so that it will cater for

more students.

41


42/46

%. There should be a drive and recruitment of more specialists in

entrepreneurship education so that the wor"load on the lecturers will

be reduced.

2. ?tudents should change their attitude and approach to entrepreneurship

education so that the y can understand properly the course when it is

taught.

C. Frovisions should be made for the building of practical laboratories so

as to close down the gap that e)ists between theory and practical.

*.(Sugge%t'on !or


43/46

*lu"o, +.!. /ale-*we and =. *daramola $7ds'. !ntroduction to

entrepreneurship development in igeria. *do-7"iti, 4*3 Fress.

at httpD www. emeraldinsight.com.

*yodele, >.. $%00E'. +bstacles to 7ntrepreneurship development in igeria.

!n .A. $%00%'. The role of the university in attracting

high tech entrepreneurshipD a silicon valley tale. Annals of "egional

#cience, 2E$2', C02- C19.

Hynes, . $199E'. 7ntrepreneurship education and training I introducingentrepreneurship into non-business disciplines, Journal of $ndustrial

%raining, %0$8', 10-18.

enton ./ and 7rvin @. $%000' ;e-engineering the undergraduate

business core :urriculumD aligning business schools with

business for improved performance

lofsten, A. $%000'. Training entrepreneurship at universitiesD a swedish

case.Journalof European $ndustrial %raining, %C $E', 22&-2CC.

43
http://www.sbaer.usa.edu/research/1998/ICSB/k004.htmhttp://www.ajol.info/index.php/sabr/article/download/76342/66800http://www.sbaer.usa.edu/research/1998/ICSB/k004.htmhttp://www.ajol.info/index.php/sabr/article/download/76342/66800


44/46

urat"o, 3.


45/46

Teach, ;. J Ailes, A. $199&'. The academic career opportunities for

doctoral students interested in the mar"etingBentrepreneurship

interfaceD an e)ploratory study of 4.?. institutions. Mar2eting

Education "eview, &$2', %2-%8.

47?:+ $%000'D /orld 7ducation ;eport %000. FarisD 47?:+. 1&8

Fages.

/inslow, 7.., ?olomon, =.T., Tarabishy, *. $199&' 7mpirical investigation

into entrepreneurship education in the united statesD some results of the

199& national survey of entrepreneurial education.

APPENDIF I

Entre)reneur'a# Educat'on Con%tra'n &ue%t'onna're >EEC&?

Flease fill were appropriate and tic" were necessary, be rest assured

that your responses will be used for research purposes only.

?ection *D Deogra)h'c 0ar'a"#e%


46/46

?B :onstrains of Teaching 7ntrepreneurial 7ducation. ?* * 3 ?3

1 @ac" of ade(uate infrastructural facilities to teach

entrepreneurial education is a problem

% Aany schools lac" inade(uate entrepreneur manpower for

the effective teaching of the entrepreneurial education

2 3ue to hasty preparation there is no bac"ground to the

course Gentrepreneur education

C @ow "nowledge bac"ground to entrepreneurial education

affects students interest.

4navailability of lecture halls for the large population ofuniversity students is a serious challenge to teaching the

course.

E @ac" of proper administration and planning on the part of

the university is a constrain to entrepreneurial education

& !nade(uate provision of necessary lecture materials to the

student

8 @imited entrepreneurial s"ills on the part of the lecturers is

a problem to entrepreneurial education

9 @ac" of practicals on the part of lecturer due to

unavailability of infrastructuresBe(uipment.10 @ac" of conducive laboratories to carryout practicals is a

serious constrain to entrepreneurial education.

11

Date post:	03-Jun-2018
Category:	Documents
Upload:	ichipi-ifukor-patrick-chukuyenum
View:	227 times
Download:	0 times

EntreCONSTRAINTS FACING THE TEACHING OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION IN NIGERIAN UNIVERSITIESpreneur...

Documents