The role of education in promoting entrepreneurship culture among the youth: a case study of University of Zululand
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Date
2019
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Publisher
University of Zululand
Abstract
Entrepreneurship education is broadly considered an important factor in promoting an entrepreneurial culture among higher education students. Considering the importance of entrepreneurship to economic growth, job creation and poverty alleviation, there is a need to train entrepreneurs and to equip them with an entrepreneurial culture that promotes entrepreneurship. However, the South African education system is lacking when it comes to entrepreneurship education. The education system seems to promote the white-collar jobs rather than self-employment and the methodology that is used to teach entrepreneurship studies focuses more on the theory of entrepreneurship than on its practice. Against this background, this study sought to identify the role of education in promoting an entrepreneurship culture among the youth, focusing on the University of Zululand as a case study. The researcher used primary data for this study. The study adopted a mixed methods approach where data was collected using questionnaires and interview schedules from 374 University of Zululand students and 11 heads of departments from the university’s faculties. The results from the study show that there was no consistent promotion of entrepreneurship across the university’s faculties and departments. There was a need to improve the entrepreneurship curriculum, as it was found that it did not equip students with an entrepreneurship culture. Entrepreneurship studies were done in business-related departments and were not readily promoted in non-business departments. A policy implication arose from these findings is that there is a need for the development of entrepreneurship-based curriculum as a way of promoting entrepreneurship. The policymakers were also encouraged to develop incubation centres for grooming entrepreneurs at higher learning institutions
Description
A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the Degree of Masters of Commerce in the department of Business Management, Faculty of Commerce, Administration and Law, at the University of Zululand, 2019.
Keywords
Entrepreneurship education, entrepreneurial culture, higher education students