Project Materials

THE CHALLENGES OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN HOME AND RURAL ECONOMICS EDUCATION.

Chapter one

INTRODUCTION

Background of the Study

Nigeria, as a developing country, has encountered numerous challenges, including inadequate healthcare, poverty, illiteracy, unemployment, bad infrastructure, an overreliance on oil, crime, corruption, poor macroeconomic management, political instability, and so on.

These are clearly a challenge for the educational system. National Diploma (ND) programs, which are offered at the tertiary level of education in the country, are meant, among other things, to:

a. Develop highly motivated, conscientious, and efficient classroom teachers at all levels of the Nigerian educational system.

b. Provide graduates with the intellectual and professional grounding required for their position, as well as the ability to adapt to changing situations (F.R.N, 1998). Thus, the ND programme should assist students in acquiring the knowledge and skills required to perform well in a continuously changing world.

Home and Rural Economics education is one of the ND programs provided, and it is typically part of Vocational and Technical Education. Home and Rural Economies combine knowledge and abilities from various fields in the pure, applied, and behavioural sciences, arts, and agriculture to benefit the family and its environment.

Home and Rural Economic Education graduates are supposed to be equipped for a variety of career scenarios, including self-employment.

Interestingly, one answer to unemployment is to encourage self-employment (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNE-SCO, 1997).

Individuals must, however, possess entrepreneurial knowledge, attitude, and abilities in order to work for themselves. This necessitates entrepreneurial education.

Fortunately, Nigeria’s federal government has recognised the importance of entrepreneurship in driving technical advances and increasing productivity.

As a result, the National Universities Commission (NUC) and the National Diploma (ND) have suggested four (4) credit units of entrepreneurship studies for the School of Applied Science, which houses the Home and Rural Economics program.

This is a good development, with far-reaching consequences for both students and teachers of Home and Rural Economics.