Integrating Entrepreneurship Education into Higher Education Curriculum for Self-Reliance and National Development in Nigeria

Abstract

Education is seen as an instrument for social/economic mobility. The development of a nation has close relationship with the quality of its education. Parents see it as investment in the recipient. The true situation in the contemporary period is that this objective is far from reality as college graduates are not only unemployed, they may at times rely on their aged parents for a living. It is based on this background that the paper attempts to examine the limitations of the current educational system in Nigeria and propose a reform not only in the structure but also in the psyche of the citizenry towards making education functional and the recipients self-reliant. Developed countries of the world, Israel for example used education to develop technology through introduction of Vocational and Technical Education (VTE) right from the secondary school. The University education in Nigeria which presently has a span of four years and above should be elongated by two years during which students are exposed to vocations out of which they go for practical experience in the one they prefer. This paper profess that vocational and entrepreneurial education be made compulsory and assessed like other courses. The students should be properly guided against solely searching for white collar jobs. It is therefore suggested that the government should encourage the graduates by provision of take off loans with minimal interest. The National Orientation Agency is expected to sensitise stakeholders to embrace vocational education towards self and National development.

Keywords: Education, Self-reliance, Vocational, National Development