Teaching business in school is the route to achieving Kenya’s development goals

It was celebration galore for the candidates who performed well in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examination, whose results were released two weeks ago.

Out of the glare of media attention were those who had not done so well, those who were mourning poor exam returns and shattered dreams.

There is no doubt that excellent exam results are a great thing to celebrate. However, it is worrying that Kenya’s education system has failed to inculcate a culture of entrepreneurship, which is the life-blood of economic growth and the foundation of national sovereignty.

Kenya stands on the edge of an economic revolution. The discovery of oil and gas, the opening up of our national borders, and the heavy investment in infrastructure have made our country one of the most coveted investment destinations on the continent.

However, many job entrants prefer the beaten path, opting for employment in blue-chip companies rather than the hard and often non-linear path of starting and operating their own businesses.

Unemployment remains inordinately high in Kenya — at 40 per cent — with most of the jobless being the youth. Lack of an enterprise culture and entrepreneurship education across formal and informal education systems have been identified as being among the leading causes of slow economic growth and unemployment in developing economies.

AMOUNT OF WEALTH

Imagine the amount of wealth we could create if at least 10 per cent of jobseekers chose the path of entrepreneurship, not because they have no other option, but because that is what they really want to do. We would slash joblessness and place our country on a fast path to economic growth and middle-level economic status.

Away from programmed learning, which sometimes requires learners to memorise facts in order to excel, entrepreneurship forces children to stretch the limits of their faculties, develop a competitive spirit, innovate, and acquire confidence.

Teaching entrepreneurship can create a world of opportunities for children to explore and help them develop a sense of independence.

Our education system’s focus is on making the grade and moving to the next level. Parents worry that their children will fail to secure a place at university and hence not succeed in life. This is not necessarily a bad thing. Education opens doors to opportunities, but the focus should shift from programmed learning that limits students’ creativity to finding employment.

Due to technological advancement, jobs that previously required many people can now be performed by machines or through outsourcing. This presents an incredible opportunity for young people to take advantage of information and communication technology to create new businesses and redesign existing ones.

NOT COMPLICATED

Starting one’s own blog, eBay marketplace, or marketing one’s skills via various social media platforms is certainly not as complicated as starting a transport business.

Indeed, the market is hungry for a new breed of entrepreneurs. There is no shortage of financing, only ideas. Unless we create a generation of entrepreneurs, our resources will become raw materials for other people’s development as our educated young people struggle to find employment.

It is disheartening to see thousands of young people, some with college degrees, surrendering to despair when their dreams of landing a job become elusive.

The focus should be on retooling the education system to endow our children with skills in operating a business. This way, those who do not go for higher education can quickly become useful in the community. Those who do will find the skills valuable, whether as entrepreneurs or employees. In the end, everyone benefits.

This is not just about introducing entrepreneurship courses in school. It is about getting young people to face real risk, the fear of failure, and the possibility of success.

Entrepreneurship has little to do with genes. I do not believe that some people are born entrepreneurs and others are not. It is about upbringing and the environment in which we grow up. Everyone has a role to play here.

Mr Gori is a public relations specialist based in Nairobi. [email protected].