The Enugu State House of Assembly has adopted a motion urging the state government to make Entrepreneurship Development Studies compulsory in all public and private secondary schools in the state.
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Speaking on Tuesday during the plenary in Enugu, the sponsor of the motion, Mr Ibenaku Onoh, representing Enugu North Constituency, said that the country was facing serious unemployment issues.
He noted that unemployment was projected to reach 33 per cent before the end of 2020 by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Productivity.
The legislator noted that entrepreneurship was the solution to unemployment to the world as many nations had begun to imbibe the culture of entrepreneurship in the lives of their citizens, particularly the youth.
Onoh recalled that the federal government through the ministry of Education in 2018 proposed making entrepreneurship studies compulsory in all universities in Nigeria.
He recalled that President Muhammadu Buhari had directed the National Universities Commission (NUC) to review the curriculum of universities in order to focus more on entrepreneurship and skills development for students.
He enumerated the benefits of the motion to include developing the mind-set of the students early enough to think as innovators and job creators.
He said the programme would enable the youth to imbibe the skills, knowledge and attitude central to developing entrepreneurial culture on students as well as boost the state’s internally generated revenue.
Also contributing, the member representing Ezeagu constituency, Mr Chima Obieze, decried the damaging effect of the current education curriculum, which prepared graduates for white collar job, saying it had done more harm than good.
Obieze said that making Entrepreneurship and Enterprise Development Studies compulsory in secondary schools would go a long way in teaching students how to solve problems, which would in turn put money in their pocket.
Mr Emma Ugwuerua, representing Nsukka West Constituency, while supporting the motion, urged the state government to be cautious in including the subject in the curriculum to avoid conflict with the National Education Council.
The speaker of the Assembly, Chief Edward Ubosi, commended Mr Onoh for sponsoring the motion aimed at empowering the secondary students in the state with relevant skills that would make them self-reliant in life.
Ubosi, thereafter, set up technical ad hoc committee to be headed by the chairman of House Committee on Education, Mr James Akadu, to ensure implementation of the house resolution.
According to the Speaker, the committee will interface with the commissioner for Education and Chairman of Enugu state Universal Basic Education Board in that regard.
The Assembly later adjourned until Tuesday March 17.
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