Promoting entrepreneurship education in Nigerian universities gleanings from the successes of China's higher education

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to review entrepreneurship education in China and to present a succinct profile of contributions of entrepreneurship education in China colleges since its official introduction in the 1990's. The study used a comparative approach to explore four identified models used in promoting entrepreneurial education in China and to juxtapose these models with the Nigerian situation. The study adopted the systematic review design to ascertain the fundamental challenge* hindering the effective development of entrepreneurship education in Nigerian universities and to locate, select and analyze relevant literatures. The findings reveal that lackadaisical attitude of members of society toward technical and vocational education, gross underfunding of tertiary institutions and non-inclusion of entrepreneurship education program in school curricula are among critical factors that hinder the development of entrepreneurship education in Nigerian universities. Therefore, the study recommends that, in order to effectively promote entrepreneurship education; a dedicated fund for entrepreneurship education must be put in place and actively supported by both government and the private sector; a comprehensive curricula for entrepreneurship education must be developed for every university program and align with the existing teaching and learning initiative. Successful implementation of entrepreneurship education in Nigerian universities depends heavily on the right mix of education, investment, and infrastructure and these underscore the need to; 1) accurately define its components and all related activities, and 2) ensure adequate support and collaboration among the various stakeholders. These findings and recommendations would greatly facilitate successful implementation of effective entrepreneurship education in Nigerian universities.

Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Entrepreneurship education, Unemployment, Nigerian Universities