PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM SECRETARIAT PIFS(05)FEDMA.08 EDUCATION MINISTERS MEETING Apia, Samoa 23-24 May 2005 SESSION NINE ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION This paper was prepared by the Forum Secretariat. It includes the Outcomes Document from a regional workshop on Entrepreneurial Education that was held in April 2005. PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM SECRETARIAT PIFS(05)FEDMA.08 EDUCATION MINISTERS MEETING Apia, Samoa 23-24 May 2005 Summary brief SESSION 9: ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION Purpose This paper outlines the concept of Entrepreneurship Education, which could lead to increased opportunities for earning livelihoods in the Pacific region. 2. A recent regional workshop on Entrepreneurship Education for senior curriculum development officials from Pacific Island Countries unanimously endorsed its adoption into the school system. Recommendations from this workshop are included in this paper. Background 3. Several international and regional agreements endorse the notion of entrepreneurship to enhance job creation1. Entrepreneurship is considered key to economic performance, in particular in relation to innovative change, playing an important and dynamic role in all economies. Encouraging entrepreneurship is increasingly recognised by governments as an effective means of creating jobs; increasing productivity and competitiveness; and alleviating poverty and achieving societal goals, in particular by assisting disadvantaged groups of the population. 4. A robust private sector is frequently cited as the ‘engine’ of a nation’s economy. It is identified as a vital determinant of economic growth and provides the opportunity for increased prosperity and social development for a nation 5. It is often lamented that entrepreneurship and Pacific Island cultures are incompatible. This is not necessarily true. There are numerous examples of highly successful Pacific entrepreneurs who have proved that this is not the case. Many, but not 1 For example: Forum Island Countries Private Sector Development Strategy; APEC, OECD, ASEAN and 48th UN Session on Entrepreneurship and Privatisation for Economic Growth and Sustainable Development all of them, had exposure to a business environment as children and this influenced them significantly. 6. EE is well established in many parts of the world and packages and curricula have been developed by different countries and organisations. 7. Entrepreneurial education offers an exciting possibility for advancing the relevance of education and contributing towards improving sustainable livelihoods and overall social and economic development. There is sufficient expertise already in existence that can be built upon and adapted for use in the Pacific region at both regional and national levels. 8. The recent regional workshop on EE2 proposed some recommendations that Ministers of Education may wish to consider, as follows: (a) At the regional level: o That further research in this area be conducted in order to progress the introduction of EE into schools in FICs. o Direct the Forum Secretariat to seek and develop a regional resource base for EE that can provide technical assistance to Members particularly through ILO, PRIDE and COL, among others. This could include information sharing mechanisms such as a website as well as training for teachers. (b) At the national level: o Develop policy, curriculum and related teaching materials on the basis of research, with regional assistance where required. o Develop meaningful partnerships between Ministries of Education and the private sector. o Seek assistance from other regional and international agencies in developing and strengthening EE. 2 The full outcomes document is attached as Annex 1 PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM SECRETARIAT PIFS(05)FEDMA.08 EDUCATION MINISTERS MEETING Apia, Samoa 23-24 May 2005 ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION Rationale The youthful populations of Pacific Island countries, combined with the lack of opportunities in the formal sector or post-school training and downsizing of the public sector, result in large numbers of people who lack the skills to create sustainable livelihoods. Widespread unemployment has obvious links to poverty and instability. 3. Self-employment is seen as providing openings for future generations. Entrepreneurship education, taught from an early age and continuing throughout the school cycle, can foster traits, behaviours and processes that differentiate an entrepreneur from an employee or a manager. 4. A recent regional workshop on Entrepreneurship Education for senior curriculum development officials from Pacific Island Countries unanimously endorsed its adoption into the school system. Recommendations from this workshop are included in this paper. Background 9. Several international and regional agreements endorse the notion of entrepreneurship to enhance job creation3. Entrepreneurship is considered key to economic performance, in particular in relation to innovative change, playing an important and dynamic role in all economies. Encouraging entrepreneurship is increasingly recognised by governments as an effective means of creating jobs; increasing productivity and competitiveness; and alleviating poverty and achieving societal goals, in particular by assisting disadvantaged groups of the population. 3 For example: Forum Island Countries Private Sector Development Strategy; APEC, OECD, ASEAN and 48th UN Session on Entrepreneurship and Privatisation for Economic Growth and Sustainable Development 10. A robust private sector is frequently cited as the ‘engine’ of a nation’s economy. It is identified as a vital determinant of economic growth and provides the opportunity for increased prosperity and social development for a nation Culture and entrepreneurship 6. It is often lamented that entrepreneurship and Pacific Island cultures are incompatible. This is not necessarily true. There are numerous examples of highly successful Pacific entrepreneurs who have proved that this is not the case. Many, but not all of them, had exposure to a business environment as children and this influenced them significantly. 7. It is worth reflecting that traditional Pacific cultures are resilient and value qualities of risk-taking, vision, determination, integrity, leadership and discipline. These align very positively to qualities of entrepreneurship. Culture can therefore be a powerful factor in promoting entrepreneurial development and should not be seen as an obstacle to it. Entrepreneurship education (EE) 8. Entrepreneurship can be considered as a process through which individuals or groups pursue opportunity, utlise resources and initiate change to create value. Entrepreneurship is about action and wealth creation and is a vital determinant of economic growth, providing opportunities for increased prosperity and social development for a nation. 9. The education systems of many Forum Island Countries offer business-related subjects such as accounting as well as technical and vocational courses. Such courses usually lack a component of entrepreneurship, focusing more on gaining a job that is created by someone else, rather than seeking opportunities. The objective of EE is to develop an entrepreneurial mindset in young minds, to that potential business opportunities in local communities can be identified and developed. 10. EE is a process of lifelong learning. It is fully recognised that the school curriculum is crowded and there is understandable resistance to include new subjects, which is why it should be integrated into existing school curricula starting from the primary level. 11. The key characteristic of entrepreneurship is taking a risk in return for profit. Young people can build confidence in their abilities to become entrepreneurs in their future as a result of a variety of entrepreneurial activities provided throughout education. EE activities are real-life vehicles for developing skills, alongside knowledge and principles, which prepare young people for the wider world. 12. EE can meet the needs of many diverse groups, such as • Areas in need of economic development consider developing an entrepreneurial culture a significant long-term strategy for creating jobs and wealth. • Individuals who lose or give up their jobs for any reason need to have the option to become self-employed, should the opportunity arise. • Youth that come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds can be motivated to learn and achieve once they are provided with training. • Women have proved themselves natural entrepreneurs with training and opportunities. • Reducing business failure as a result of better education and training is an economic benefit to all. 13. EE is well established in many parts of the world and packages and curricula have been developed by different countries and organisations. 14. The International Labour Organisation has developed training packages in business: Improve Your Business; Start your Business; Start and Improve Your Business and Know about Business. These packages are targeted at out-of-school youth and adults and are in use in several Pacific Island Countries. The ILO has indicated that it could adapt its packages for use at school level, which could provide training materials. 15. The US Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education has developed complete curricula in EE that is based on a framework for different levels. Based on the framework is the development of knowledge and skills based on core academic skills. The curriculum provides both a context for learning and subject matter4. Partnerships 16. Partnerships are an essential part of EE and can be forged between national education systems, the private sector, academia, trade unions, international and regional organisations and non-governmental organisations. 17. The private sector is a key player, and can provide advice, mentoring and networking, as well as workplace attachments. Representatives of the Pacific region’s private sector met in 2004 and agreed to pursue and support the proposal for a regional entrepreneurship and enterprise development trainers’ training programme that would lead to the introduction of EE into the region’s high school curriculum. What could be done in the Pacific? 18. Entrepreneurial education offers an exciting possibility for advancing the relevance of education and contributing towards improving sustainable livelihoods and overall social and economic development. There is sufficient expertise already in existence that can be built upon and adapted for use in the Pacific region at both regional and national levels. 4 See http://www.entre-ed.org 19. The recent regional workshop on EE5 proposed some recommendations that Ministers of Education may wish to consider, as follows: (a) At the regional level: o That further research in this area be conducted in order to progress the introduction of EE into schools in FICs. o Direct the Forum Secretariat to seek and develop a regional resource base for EE that can provide technical assistance to Members particularly through ILO, PRIDE and COL, among others. This could include information sharing mechanisms such as a website as well as training for teachers. (b) At the national level: o Develop policy, curriculum and related teaching materials on the basis of research, with regional assistance where required. o Develop meaningful partnerships between Ministries of Education and the private sector. o Seek assistance from other regional and international agencies in developing and strengthening EE. 5 The full outcomes document is attached as Annex 1 Annex 1 PACIFIC ISLANDS FORUM SECRETARIAT REGIONAL ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION WORKSHOP Tanoa International Hotel, Nadi, Fiji, 11-13 April 2005 OUTCOMES DOCUMENT Senior education officials from Cook Islands, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Tuvalu met in Nadi, Fiji on 11- 13 April 2005. Representatives of Small Business Advisory Institutions from Fiji, Niue and PNG also attended. Resource personnel for the workshop were drawn from Commonwealth of Learning (COL), International Labour Organisation (ILO), Maori Trust Office, Pacific Regional Initiatives for the Delivery of Basic Education (PRIDE) and private sector representatives from Fiji and PNG. Participants were exposed to the experiences of successful entrepreneurs as well as development partners, which generated considerable interest. 2. The workshop was opened by Mr Peter Forau, Deputy Secretary General (DSG, Economic Growth and Security), Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS). In his opening statement, DSG acknowledged the role that entrepreneurship education (EE) at school level could play in addressing the region-wide problem of youth unemployment, through the creation of small and micro enterprises and a generation of self-employment. He also referred to the Forum Leaders’ vision for a Pacific region of peace, harmony, security and economic prosperity and noted entrepreneurship as an effective tool to achieve this vision. He thanked participants for their support for entrepreneurship and private sector development in the region. 3. The theme of the workshop was “Towards an Entrepreneurial Society in the Pacific” and its objectives were: • To network and share experiences amongst FIC Curriculum Developers; • To introduce experience-based curriculum for teaching youth about entrepreneurship; • To discuss the suitability and sustainability of introducing an Entrepreneurship Education Curriculum at the appropriate level in schools; and, • To strengthen the private sector and the generation of self-employment through the development of youth entrepreneurship. 4. In recognition of the complementarities of the Forum Basic Education Action Plan, Millenium Development Goals, Private Sector Development Strategy and other pertinent regional and international agreements, as well as the current development of the Pacific Plan, participants discussed the relevance of EE and agreed on the following: a) Considering the social and economic context of Forum Island Countries (FICs) that are characterized by youthful populations, few economic opportunities, underdeveloped private sector, public sectors undergoing reform and, high youth unemployment, they expressed their commitment to furthering the potential of entrepreneurship through EE. b) EE can assist with job creation, poverty reduction, protecting and sustaining livelihoods and, promoting peace and harmony. Hence, it is able to help address some of the national/region’s priority needs. While closely related to Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), EE should be integrated into the whole education system. c) In line with the objective of PRIDE, EE can also help expand opportunities for children and youth to acquire the values, knowledge and skills that will enable them to actively participate in the social, spiritual, economic and cultural development of their communities and to contribute positively to creating sustainable futures. d) FICs have different needs in regard to EE as well as varying capacities to integrate it into existing subject curricula. However, it was agreed that an appropriate entry point for EE would be primary school, and that it be continued into secondary school. e) Appropriate pedagogies for the delivery of EE should be developed, which are accessible, creative, flexible and innovative, including experiential learning, games, practical work in running small businesses like school canteens, field trips etc. Existing materials developed by agencies such as ILO and COL could be adapted. f) Capacity building through networking and information sharing is to be encouraged, whilst appropriate training for trainers and teachers, including attachments, in the area of EE will also be sought within the region. g) Indigenous cultures were seen as important and it was noted that there is not necessarily a conflict of interest between Pacific cultural values and entrepreneurship. Our ancestors possessed qualities of leadership, vision, inspiration, risk-taking, discipline, dedication and commitment, all of which are basic pre-requisites for entrepreneurship. h) Partnerships with the private sector (consultations, mentoring, attachments and apprenticeships) and other stakeholders are seen as essential for the development and sustainability of a vibrant and effective EE. i) The outcomes of this workshop are to be followed up through communication mechanisms and further collaboration. Ministers of Education may wish to consider recommending: • At the regional level: o That further research in this area be conducted in order to progress the introduction of EE into schools in FICs. o Direct the Forum Secretariat to seek and develop a regional resource base for EE that can provide technical assistance to Members particularly through ILO, PRIDE and COL, among others. This could include information sharing mechanisms such as a website as well as training for teachers. • At the national level: o Develop policy, curriculum and related teaching materials on the basis of research, with regional assistance where required. o Develop meaningful partnerships between Ministries of Education and the private sector. o Seek assistance from other regional and international agencies in developing and strengthening EE. Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat Nadi, Fiji 13 April 2005
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