ABSTRACT
This study was
carried out to critically examine the Impact of Entrepreneurial Education on
Disabled Students in Enugu Metropolis. The study adopted a descriptive survey
design in which four research questions were posed. The population of the study
consisted of 9,583 disabled persons in Enugu North and Enugu East local
governments of Enugu State. Simple random sampling procedure was used in
selecting three (3) special education centres to represent other six (6)
special education centres in Enugu Metropolis that was sampled in the study.
Fourteen (14) teachers and one hundred and twenty (120) students were equally
selected randomly from each of the three-special education centres making a
total number of 402 respondents. A questionnaire of four-point rating scale was
used as instrument for data collection. Mean statistics was used to analyze
data relative to research questions with a cut-off mean score of 2.5 and
percentages were used, 50% and above indicates acceptance and below represents
rejected. That formed the standard for accepting or rejecting any item on the
questionnaires. The result of the analyses reveals that they (disabled) face
challenges when starting a business/ venture and this hinders them from
becoming effective in the labour market. Challenges such as access to start-up
capital, consumer discrimination which is the highest of them all, lack of
confidence/ limited aspirations, training is not always tailored to individual
needs and therefore of limited value to particular recipients. However already
existing policy tools are not effective and efficient as the case maybe. Based
on the findings, it was recommended among others that the stakeholders, government and other
related/concerned bodies should encourage the special needs students by providing
the necessary assistive technologies. Parent/guardians of special needs
students should encourage these ones and make them feel wanted in the society instead of
segregating them.
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background of Study
Worldwide,
the prevalence of disability is argued to be growing, with population ageing
and increasing incidence of chronic health conditions (World Health
Organisation/World Bank 2011). Disability affects a wide range of
socio-economic outcomes, including labour market participation, but also other
factors that shape participation including education, information and
transport.
The WHO
(2013) (World Health Organisation) describes disability as an umbrella term,
covering impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions. The
impairment being a problem in body function or structure; an activity
limitation being a difficulty encountered by an individual in executing task or
action; while a participation restriction is termed a problem experienced by an
individual’s involvement in life situations. Disability is thus not just a
health problem, but a complex phenomenon, reflecting the interaction between
features of a person’s body and features of the society in which he/she lives.
Impairment can occur from/ at birth or any time over the course of an
individual’s life, either permanently or temporarily.
As pertains
to its causes, explanations abound from the mystical to the empirically
researched complex happenings that only genetics can provide as is the case in
Systemic Lupus Erythematosis. Mugo (2010) states that traditional and spiritual
beliefs play an important role in framing up comprehensions of disability in
Africa. Many communities attribute disability to witchcraft, curses or
conditions afflicted by bad omen and spirits with the resulting effect being
that of fear and pity towards the PWD (Persons living with Disability)leading
to their isolation/discrimination.
In actual
schooled sense, the causes of disability are as numerous as they are
indiscriminate; encompassing everyday happen-stances like road accidents,
diseases as trachoma, war injuries,and work place injuries amongst others. This
being the case, it should come as a sobering realization that we are all
potential candidate or already might be albeit without symptom as isthe case
with genetically acquired degenerative diseases. With this in mind, it should
bear moreon our expertise, for us in academia to pay more attention to matters
of disability.
The
convention on the Rights of Persons Living with Disability, an initiative of
the United Nations, as quoted in the WHO website, states that around 10% of the
World’s population or roughly 650 million persons live with known disability.
This undisputedly constitutes the world’s largest and most widespread minority
and with continued trends of rapid population growth and advances in modern
medicine, posits the WHO, these figures can only rise.
The first
ever world report on disability (2000) co-authored by the World Bank group and
WHO holds that PWD (Persons living with Disability) generally face higher rates
of poverty and are afforded fewer economic opportunities compared to persons
without disability. The figures are that 20% of the world‘s poorest are disabled
and living in the developing countries. This sad state of affairs can find part
explanation in the ostracization of PWD from mainstream social-economic life by
society.
Disabled
people tend to be concentrated in lower-skilled, lower-paid occupations (Meager
and Higgins 2011). Low participation rates are costly for the individuals
concerned in terms of economic and psychological well-being, for governments in
terms of lost output and tax revenues, and increased welfare payments, and for
the society in terms of the impact of social exclusion and discrimination on
civic participation and public life.
However,
one possible solution to problems of low participation rates lies in the
potential for disabled people to become self employed or to start and run their
own businesses. The relevance of entrepreneurship education to humanity and economic
growth cannot be overemphasized considering its developmental incentives in the
well being of an individual and promotion of economic activities.
Entrepreneurship education could take the form of technical education, business
education, computer application, fine and applied arts among others.
Entrepreneurship
is not just skill acquisition for acquisition sake; it is an acquisition of
skills and ideas for the sake of creating employment for one’s self and also
others (Garba 2010). Therefore the need for entrepreneurial education to be
incorporated into special needs education curriculum for this category of
persons becomes a salient issue. This is because entrepreneurship education
will help unlock their potentials and pave way for their financial independence
and sustainability in the face of the large scale unemployment in Nigeria.
1.2 Statement of
Problem
Education
in Nigeria is devoid of the element crucial to averting the surging rate of
unemployment with persons with impairment/ disability in the country, therefore
the breeding of psychological dependence on direct access to money.
However
despite the efforts by tertiary institutions in teaching various skills and
trades, coupled with learning aimed at imparting knowledge and understanding of
the potential rewards for business establishment, unemployment abounds among
the young: Hungra et al (2011). Brijlal (2011) asserts that only a small
percentage of graduates became entrepreneurs after college.
In a bid to
explain this phenomenon of poor transition rates into enterprise by graduates,
numerous studies have been undertaken all over the world, with many focusing on
entrepreneurial intention studies as a possible avenue for explanation of this
lack of entrepreneurial behavior. This
focus has been so popular with researchers as intentions are said to be the
best predictors of planned behavior.
As evidence
in literature, the emphasis has been on studying entrepreneurial intent in ̒ ̒normal able-bodied
persons. A clear-cut case of marginalization in academic research and knowledge
against PWD in the society. This research seek to address the impact of
entrepreneurial education on disabled students.
1.3 Purpose of Study
Overall,
the purpose of this study is to help address a broad research question for
which entrepreneurship education assessment literature has so far provided only
tentative insight; whether and to what extent entrepreneurship training programs
and studies help to create additional or more successful entrepreneurs. This
includes:
(1) To examine
the level of self employment activities among people with disabilities.
(2) To assess the challenges the disabled people
face when starting a business/venture.
(3) To determine the extent to which policy
support/tools on disabled are available to help them become more
entrepreneurial.
(4) To ascertain the extent to which disabled
students/persons benefits from entrepreneurial education.
1.4 Scope of Study
The study
assessed the impact of entrepreneurial education on disabled students. The
assessment was done by; the challenges faced by disabled students when starting
a business, examining the level of self employment activities of people with
disability, the extent to which policy tools on disabled are available and the
benefits of entrepreneurial education to the disabled using Enugu metropolis as
a case study.
1.5 Significance of the Study
In the
introduction of Adam Smith’s world renowned book on economics, titled ‘The
Wealth Of Nations’, by Alan Krueger (2003) , it is stated that the propensity to
truck, barter and exchange one thing for another is common to all men, and is to
be found in no other race of animals, from communistic societies to
prisoner-of-war camps. Constraints can be imposed on a market, oreven for the
sake and purpose of this paper, disability can occur or be the case! But
therise of the market seems virtually unavoidable.
PWD in
society have been marginalized long enough more so in academic research on
matters of entrepreneurship. The subject of entrepreneurial intent has been
researched on high and low, but empirically sound research on the same focusing
on the disabled population is extremely hard to come by in literature.
Significantly,
the findings of this study will aid shape the direction taken by governmental
policymakers on coming up with curriculums and strategies in special needs
schools which better address the entrepreneurial needs of PWD and better inform
the economic empowerment programmers geared towards their emancipation by the
state after college.
The
research findings will also serve the parents or guardians of these students
especially in guidance of career choice. Thus equipping them with foresight on
how to prepare to be of best moral and material support to the soon to be
granduands.
The
findings will encourage teachers and students to develop skills and competencies
in technologies for teaching and learning of entrepreneurship in schools. From
the findings, it will further help teachers enhance their teaching skills and
strategies. The teachers will use the results collected from the study to
reform the content and method of teaching. The results of the study will also
be of great importance to disabled students, it will improve their academic
performances, job readiness, enhance their social psychological
development(self-esteem, ego development,self-efficacy); and perceived improved
health status etc.
Finally non
state actors who are a crucial social economic development agents will benefit
greatly from the findings of this study. Based on the same these actors can
better formulate programmes and strategies on how to economically empower the
students after college.
1.6 Research Questions
1. What is the
level of self-employment activities among people with disabilities?
2. What
barriers do people with disabilities face when starting a business/ venture?
3. What are
the policy tools/ support available to help those with disabilities become more
entrepreneurial?
4. What are
the benefits of entrepreneurship for people with disabilities?
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