ENTERPRISE54 – The Supervising Minister of Education, Ezenwo Nyesom Wike has called on stakeholders, particularly State Governments to demonstrate more commitment to the implementation of the Entrepreneurship Education Project for senior secondary schools.

The Minister made the call at the 2nd Consultative Meeting of Stakeholders on the Implementation of the Entrepreneurship Education Project for Senior Secondary Schools held in his office on Monday June 30, 2014 in Abuja. Wike, represented by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry, MacJohn Nwaobiala (Dr) said that the call became imperative considering the importance of entrepreneurship education and training in tackling youth employment and the nation’s desire to be among the top twenty industrialised nations of the world by the year 2020.

The Minister bemoaned the lack of seriousness by States to key into the project, noting that it is almost one year since the first consultation meeting was held and only very few States have expressed interest to participate in the project. He added that the Entrepreneurship Education Curriculum Project (ECP) was conceived to support the States, after findings that almost all the States have challenges with the implementation of the trades and entrepreneurship components of the new Senior Secondary Education Curriculum.

“The project envisages collaboration and active involvement of the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO); the Federal Ministry of Education; States’ Ministries of Education; the FCT Education Secretariat and the Nigerian Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC) as well as education providers in the private sector,” he said.

The Minister intensified that the meeting was convened with the specific purpose of affording more State Governments the opportunity to participate in the project and completing the project documents for the take-off.

In his remarks at the occasion, the National Coordinator of the Entrepreneurship Education Programme of UNIDO, Bisi Olumodimu expressed delight for the meeting; saying UNIDO is fully prepared to support effective implementation of the project. She observed that entrepreneurial education at the secondary school level would enhance skill acquisition by the youths, which will positively impact on youth employment in the country.

She recalled that the National Council on Education (NCE) approved the mainstreaming of entrepreneurial education for Senior Secondary School with effective implementation of the Entrepreneurial Trades Curricula in schools nationwide in September 2011.