Nike Adeyemi, Executive Director, Fate Foundation, has urged the Federal Government of Nigeria to implement the teaching of entrepreneurship education in the nation’s primary schools to fast track economic growth.
Adeyemi made the appeal on Monday in Lagos during a panel discussion at the launch of a Minipreneur Book.
Minipreneur is a 40-page lessons and tasks book that would assist children within theages of five to 12 years to understand entrepreneurship and business.
The book was written by Mrs Olanrewaju Oniyitan, the Chief Executive Officer, W-Holistic Business Solution, a Business Development Service Provider (BDSP) for Bank of Industry (BoI).
Adeyemi said that the teaching of entrepreneurship education at the primary school level, as contained in the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Agency of Nigeria(SMEDAN) MSME Policy, has yet to be fully implemented.
“Most schools do not teach what should be the centerpiece of a contemporary education which is entrepreneurship that gives capacity to, not only to start companies, but also to think creatively and ambitiously.
“Entrepreneurship is not theory that is being taught in some schools. We need initiatives that will practicalise the role of an entrepreneur to the pupils.
“This will allow the children’s creative skill to come to play.
“To cope with the challenges of an ever changing world, primaryschool is the best place to start and we can break the curriculum to suit their age and understanding,” she said.
Also, Mrs Yemisi Adedayo, the Executive Director, Bunmi Adedayo Foundation, said that the Minipreneur Book would provide a platform for children to pursue their dreams and make meaningful impact to the society.
According to her, Minipreneur Book aligns with the Sustainable Development Goal Four of the United Nations, which seeks to ensure inclusiveand equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.
“We need to remove our societal bias that treats vocation as inferior and allow it to grow our Gross Domestic Products (GDP), especially with the challenge of high unemployment rate in the country,” she said.
In her remarks, Mrs Timi Onabolu, the Founder, Ghettit Edutainment, said that affluent background often hinder children from taking risks and making mistakes, which were necessary for cultivating ingenuity.
“If students study entrepreneurship early, they willbe forced to think outside the box, to fail and to persist. These experiences will inspire them tobecome creative and innovative,” Onabolu said.
The author of the book, Mrs Olanrewaju Oniyitan, said that every child could not be an entrepreneur when he grows up.
“Children can be inspired to be more resourceful and enterprising; a skill that is required for success in our new world.
“Entrepreneurship education benefits students from all socioeconomic background, because it teaches kids to thinkoutside the box and nurtures unconventional talents and skills,” she said.
Oniyitan said that entrepreneurship would create opportunity, ensures social justice, instills confidence and stimulates the economy.
