Towards a model for linking theory and practice in the teaching of entrepreneurship skills in schools

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Date
2011
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University of Zululand
Abstract
The world is changing fast due to the increasing innovation in technology. New products and services are emerging faster than ever before. The task of identifying opportunities for creating new processes, services and products leading to the creation of wealth and jobs, will increasingly fall on the shoulders of a new generation of entrepreneurs. Learners need to be more oriented towards the entrepreneurial practices and create room for hands-on projects. In order for South Africans to have hope in the education that is on offer for today’s youth, there must be a strong emphasis on having learners understand the entrepreneurial process. The future of South Africa lies in the youth education of today. They must understand what makes a society and organization entrepreneurial. Learners need to be creative and innovative. They must be given the opportunity to identify areas in which innovation has particular advantages or weaknesses. In addition, they must be able to determine with a reasonable degree of certainty whether or not that innovation is viable before investing money in it. Quality in the education context can be described as good achievement, worthy and add value to one’s living. This will involve learners, parents, teachers, employers and industry as the major stakeholders in the education scenario. Entrepreneurship should be applied both practically and theoretically in education which will in return empower learners to bring forth natural talents and capacitates them to become creative and critical. Learners are mentored to become self-driven, life–long seekers of knowledge and to respond to challenges with the enthusiasm of great entrepreneurship. Education has encountered many problems in the past because of political agendas; for that reason, the focus must now change to offering basic education to primary schools, since nowadays children in this country head most of the families. They therefore need to attain strategies of entrepreneurship at an earlier stage in order to sustain their families. This paper aims at scrutinizing the link between the practical and theoretical part of teaching entrepreneurship among learners. The Department of Education in South Africa has identified educational opportunities, preparing young people for the world in response to intermediate and higher-level skills requirements. The government is very optimistic about meeting its targets for 2004 - 2009 and 2010 – 2014, which are geared towards minimizing inadequate education and skills development. India and China have managed to transform themselves from economic prey to corporate raiders of international repute and world-class competitors (Agelasto & Adamson, 1998: 433). The introduction of a new Outcomes Based Curriculum and the Revised National Curriculum in South Africa, amongst other things, have aimed at attaining critical outcomes, which included problem-solving skills, teamwork, communication by means of mathematics, language and the application of science and technology. Thus, to a large degree, this curriculum has been a response to the demands of globalization; hence there has been the shift to new curriculum which is Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements (CAPS.) Generally, there is a need of a curriculum to become more vocationally orientated. Learners are expected to be more in touch with the world of work, as practiced in the Netherlands, Japan, China and India (Dore & Sako, 1989: ix). They are made aware of the brave new world they will be facing in the workplace (Lemmer,1999:37). Herrington (2008:1) indicated that, “the low business prevalence rates remain a major concern for South Africa”. The poor sustainability of start-ups in South Africa relative to other countries highlights the need for policy interventions aimed at supporting and mentoring entrepreneurs through the difficult process of the firm’s birth and skilled labourers.
Description
Presented in fulfilment of the requirements for a Master of Education Degree in the Department: Foundations of Education at the University Of Zululand, South Africa, 2011.
Keywords
Entrepreneurship skills teaching of
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