Leading nations like Finland, Israel, Singapore, and Switzerland have long implemented entrepreneurial education as a cornerstone of their education curriculums. Entrepreneurial education is offered as a school subject from Grade 1 in these countries. Whereas in South Africa it will take decades to fully implement entrepreneurial education as part of the formal school curriculum.  Entrepreneurial education benefits students from all socio-economic backgrounds because it teaches children to think outside the box and nurtures unconventional talents and skills. Furthermore, it creates opportunities, ensures social justice, instils confidence and stimulates the economy.

 

Entrepreneurial education is the catalyst to creating economic citizens.  Economic citizens have demonstrated that they are financially capable, they know their rights and responsibilities within the community, and they can build a sustainable livelihood for themselves. 

The fundamental fact is that the global market and the world of work has radically changed and our education system must prepare South African learners to compete in the global economy for them to succeed.  Quality education must focus on reversing the culture of mediocrity, victimhood and dependency, whilst also nurturing a culture of self-reliance, responsibility, creativity and opportunity. 

 

Education must serve society’s most urgent needs. The unemployment ticking bomb is South Africa’s most dangerous challenge. Whether the noises of “Economic Freedom in Our Lifetimes” rings hallow or not, the perception of economic exclusion amongst the youth is gaining increased momentum.  The discontent with economic exclusion and marginalisation is not only a result of our legacy, but also due to poor economic management and leadership. It is a reflection of educators, parents, business and government’s inability to present learners with viable solutions to the engulfing challenge of youth unemployment that risks entrenching intergeneration poverty.

 

Unfortunately, South Africans are a nation of consumers with a very low innovation and productivity rate.  Our attitude is one of reliance on foreign investors to create jobs.  Seldom is the question asked, what can be done differently and why do we not mobilise our own savings and create sufficient number of entrepreneurs to stimulate employment and opportunities?  Germany, South Korea and Japan have all suffered structural collapse, and have still managed to create strong economies.

 

Entrepreneurs are the ones who create jobs and opportunities, and yet our schooling system does not produce enough of them.  It is a fallacy that entrepreneurs are born, entrepreneurs are often a by-product of determination, hunger, hard work, survival, passion, desperation and a desire to affect change.  Entrepreneurship can be thought and schools should not forsake their role in becoming more relevant to the urgent needs of society.  

 

At Chartwell Leadership Primary School, entrepreneurial education is a key part of the schools ethos and curriculum.  Chartwell Leadership Primary School ascribes to all prescribes of government’s education curriculum, the only difference is that learners at our school have the benefit of entrepreneurial education.  Since entrepreneurship is not a formal school subject in South Africa’s schools, Chartwell Leadership Primary School makes provision for the subject by extending the education program by an additional hour daily. Our daily school program extends until 2h30, whereas most schools it ends at 1h45. Hence our learners spend more time learning and having fun.  Entrepreneurial education fosters discipline, work ethic and self-reliance amongst learners, all which are critical elements in building character and life skills.  These traits are essential in our plan of preparing our learners to become economic citizens, responsible adults-where they can be confident, competitive and well-balanced and future role models.   Empirical evidence has proven that a child that has undergone entrepreneurial education is more likely to be self-sufficient and responsible than a child that has not.  How can South Africa become a winning and a more productive nation, whilst not creating enough entrepreneurs? 

 

A typical Grade 2 learner at Chartwell Leadership Primary School generally knows more about entrepreneurship, business and savings then most Grade 6-7 learners of most conventional private and public schools.  All our learners have money boxes, bank accounts and get involved in entrepreneurial activities, which are positive by nature.  We firmly believe that educating learners on entrepreneurship and savings from an early age is not only long overdue but essential to meeting the demands of the South African economy.  

 

We cultivate a culture of self-believe and hence our learners are very confident.  Through our various programs and activities our learners are developing valuable skills.  We encourage our learners to save 50% of their pocket money or earnings.  Our learners act as entrepreneurial ambassadors, sell money boxes and thereby encourage other children to benefit from the discipline of savings and the resultant multiplier effect thereof.  All our parents can attest to the evident benefits that entrepreneurial education has instilled in their children.     

 

Entrepreneurial education naturally cultivates critical problem solving skills, communication and perseverance, which will serve our learners well in their future careers.  Most university graduates, adults, professionals and business leaders find that they have to undergo additional post graduate studies to complement their entrepreneurial knowledge often at great expense. Simply because their schools and universities have failed them.  Our learners will not be placed in this unfortunate position as they would have a solid educational foundation and will continue to have a significant advantage to learners from other schools where entrepreneurship does not even feature.      

 

The question you should ask yourself, is why is your child not undergoing entrepreneurial education?

 

 

Simon White

Principal