Where are our entrepreneurship classes?

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It has been more than a decade since the conversation to introduce entrepreneurship education in South African schools was mooted. Since then, the country has battled an ongoing economic crisis, fuelled by a growing rate of youth unemployment. 

While Statistics South Africa reports a national unemployment rate of 34.5% (one of the highest in the world), the unemployment rate for youth between the ages of 25 and 35 is at 42.1% and as high as 63.9% for youth under the age of 24.  Of the former, 37% are disengaged from the labour market entirely, meaning they are not in employment, education or training. This is a crisis that requires swift, collective and urgent action.  

In parallel to this spiralling employment trend, the world of work and labour force requirements have changed drastically over the past decade and continue to change exponentially. Furthermore, quality schooling is one of the country’s most pressing challenges and tragically remains out of reach for too many children. 

As it was in the apartheid era, too many schools still have pit toilets, overcrowded classrooms, lack of facilities and resources and overworked and underdeveloped educators, resulting in an inadequate schooling experience for the majority of young South Africans. These are all contributing factors to our current reality where the majority of our matriculants lack the skills that can boost their employability.

Solving the crisis

I believe that a possible solution can be found in the world of entrepreneurship. But this field cannot only be introduced after school. It is critical that young children are trained to be knowledgeable consumers who understand their role in the economy. This is the first step in enabling them to become problem-solvers in their own communities and build awareness and courage to start their own businesses in response to their immediate challenges. 

The basic principles of entrepreneurship, such as problem-solving, risk-taking, creativity, critical thinking, and financial literacy should be taught at school. This is not a new concept. The plea for the establishment of entrepreneurship to become a standalone subject within the formal school curriculum has come from various stakeholders within the education sector, private sector and civil society.

Status of entrepreneurship education in schools

Aspects of entrepreneurship were formally introduced into the South African curriculum for the first time in 1997 in the Revised National Curriculum Statement through subjects such as accounting, consumer studies, economics, and economic and management sciences. These subjects continue to be taught in the CAPS curriculum today, however, over the years they have become far more theoretical than practical, except possibly for consumer studies, which offers some practical skills. So much emphasis is placed on matric performance and university or technicon qualifications. 

The real questions we should be asking are: 

What type of skills do we want our learners to leave school with?  What skills will give matriculants a fighting chance at success in the current economic climate? How do these skills enable young people to begin addressing the economic challenges of their communities and the country?  

The first step towards the improvement of entrepreneurship education is not only to generate interest in and enthusiasm for this, more unconventional, career path, but to strengthen its content and delivery. Awareness is fundamental and, in principle, is generated through several further education and training phase subjects such as agricultural sciences, economics, tourism, economic management services, visual arts, business studies and accounting. However, there also needs to be a common understanding of the skills that will empower learners to explore entrepreneurship upon leaving school. 

These subjects do not teach entrepreneurship or nor do they include entrepreneurial skills as key outcomes. While they might contribute to awareness in this space, they have little influence on the uptake of entrepreneurship as a viable career opportunity.  Creating awareness does not teach entrepreneurship.

Where do we start?

I believe that we all have a role to play in starting a national conversation about how we best prepare our youth for the realities of the world of work. Key voices in this conversation should be entrepreneurs themselves. We must put pressure on the department of basic education to address this growing disconnect. Furthermore, this conversation needs to address the role of tertiary education and the education they offer. 

Above all, a deep responsibility lies with our educators and the undeniable influence they hold. I make the case that for the effective introduction of entrepreneurial education, teachers must, too, understand and be inspired by the world of entrepreneurship, concerning themselves with making a difference beyond the classroom and in their communities. For this process, educators also need the support of the system. 

Lerato Lufuno Monguni is a Jakes Gerwel Fellowship teacher in her first year of teaching under the JGF mentorship programme. She holds a BA degree in political science from the University of Johannesburg and a postgraduate diploma in education from the University of Cape Town. She is an entrepreneur with a footprint in the development of the township economy.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Mail & Guardian.