Policy and Implementation Mismatch: An Evaluation of Nigeria’s Compulsory Entrepreneurship Curriculum From Educational Management Perspective

In response to the increasing level of unemployment and the recent global trend of shifting individual economy prosperity from jobs to entrepreneurship and in the quest for fulfillment of the national goals of providing effective and self-reliant citizens, the revised National Policy on Education introduced 34 new entrepreneur/vocational subjects from which every student is mandated to pick one subject with the hope that she/he may practically apply as sustainable trade for self-reliance and possible personal economic prosperity. The educational administrators and managers at school level are further mandated to ensure a successful implementation of the curriculum. This study evaluates the curriculum 2007 using a census survey approach. Specifically, the most offered trade/entrepreneurship subjects were identified using a validated researcher made inventory and the questions of whether the subjects are relevant to the students’ aspirations, the level of practical application of the trade learnt, and the level of quality of teachers handing the vocational subjects were examined through the administration of the instrument to 4,900 senior secondary school graduates, 1,400 teachers, and 350 principals and directors in North-Western Nigeria. The study found four most prevalent subjects offered to be animal husbandry and fisheries, and it was also found that 71% of the teachers teaching the vocational subjects are not qualified to teach the subjects and the 71% of the students are not willing to practice the vocation learnt as trade. Among other things, complete revisiting of the curriculum 2007 was recommended where the subjects will be reduced from 34 to 10 through merger of many related subjects, and subjects like fisheries and animal husbandry should be merged with agriculture and the subject made compulsory.

Afolabi, A. (2015). The effect of entrepreneurship on economy growth and development in Nigeria. International Journal of Development and Economic Sustainability, 3(2), 49-65.

Akintoye, I. (2008). Reducing unemployment through the informal sector: A case study of Nigeria. European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Science, 1(1), 97-106.

Akiri, S. E., Onoja, E., & Kunanzang, P. S. (2016). Entrepreneurship and job creation in Nigeria. IIARD International Journal of Economics and Business Management, 2(3), 61-67.

Arokoyu, A. A., & Leonard, N. C. (2018). Entrepreneurial education implementation at secondary schools for self-reliance in era of economic recession in Nigeria. International Journal of Scientific Research and Innovative Technology, 5(9), 37-47.

Dabalen, A., Oni, B., & Adekola, O. (2000). Labour market prospects for university graduates in Nigeria. Washington, D.C.: World Bank.

Eneji, M., Mai-Laifa, D., & Weiping, S. (2013). Socio-economic impact of graduate unemployment in Nigeria and the vision 20: 2020. International Journal of Development and Sustainability, 2(1), 148-176.

Federal Republic of Nigeria (FRN). (2013). National policy on education—6th edition (2013). Retrieved from https://educateto lead.files.wordpress.com/2016/02/national-education-policy2013.pdf

Funmi, O. E. (2017). The relevance of entrepreneurship education to the development of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in Nigeria. International Journal of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Research, 5(5), 1-8.

Iheoma, N. E., & Ngozi, E. (2016). Role of entrepreneurship education in secondary school students’ economic development. International Journal of Education and Evaluation, 2(3), 36-42.

Longe, O. (2017). Graduate unemployment in Nigeria: Causes, consequences and remediable approaches. American International Journal of Contemporary Research, 7(4), 63-73.

National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). (2017). Labour force statistics, Vol. 1: Unemployment and underemployment report (Q1-Q3 2017). Abuja: National Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved from https://africacheck.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/q1-q3_ 2017_unemployment_report_VOLUME_1-1.pdf

National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). (2019). Nigerian gross domestic product report (Q3 2019). Retrieved from https://www.nigerianstat. gov.ng/pdfuploads/GDP_Report_Q3_2019.pdf