Universal Basic Education and Economic Recession: the Need for Entrepreneurship Education
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Vol. 7(1), pp. 1-5, March 2019 DOI: 10.14662/IJARER2019.010 International Journal of Copy © right 2019 Author(s) retain the copyright of this article Academic Research in ISSN: 2360-7866 Education and Review http://www.academicresearchjournals.org/IJARER/Index.htm Full Length Research Universal Basic Education and Economic Recession: The Need for Entrepreneurship Education 1Dr. Justina Lere Charles-Zalakoro and 2Beetseh, Kwaghga 1Department of Arts Education, Faculty of Education, Niger Delta University Wilberforce Island, Amassoma Bayelsa State. E-mail: [email protected] 2Library Department University of Agriculture Makurdi, PMB 2373 Benue State Nigeria. Corresponding author’s E-mail: [email protected]/[email protected] Accepted 17 March 2019 Entrepreneurship education is necessary especially in this era of economic instability in the country. In recent times, the foundation level of education has most been affected. The present economic situation in Nigeria has destabilized our UBE programme in achieving its policy. This instability has generated negative effects on the basic education system. Although education had been in crisis for many years, the situation has recently been made worse by recession. Much of the difficulty in the universal basic education lies in the fact that the sector is poorly funded. This paper discusses the characteristics and vision for basic education, factors that lead to economic recession, concept of economic recession and entrepreneurship education for economic recovery. Finally it was recommended that government efforts on entrepreneurship development should move from the drawing board of dailies to concrete and practical steps, which are physical and graphical among others. Keywords: Universal Basic Education, economic recession and entrepreneurship education. Cite This Article As: Charles-Zalakoro, J.L., Beetseh, K.(2019). Universal Basic Education and Economic Recession: The Need for Entrepreneurship Education. Inter. J. Acad. Res. Educ. Rev. 7(1): 1-5 INTRODUCTION No society can escape the responsibility for trying to (Gbamanja 2012). plan the education of the children who grow up in it, but Education is central to human development. It the more complicated a society is, the more difficult it is empowers people and strengthens nations. It is a to make such plans and the more tempting it is to see powerful “equalizer”, opening doors to all to lift them as somebody else’s concern. The purpose of themselves out of poverty. Education is a decisive factor Universal Basic Education cannot be divorced from the in the Upliftment of individual and communities. It country’s philosophy of education. The whole range of empowers the individual, improves his skills, arouses education (primary, secondary and higher education) can potentials and makes him more innovative. The be compared with the building of a house (foundation compulsory, free, Universal Basic Education Act (UBEA, walls and roof). Although the word house is common 2004) states that “Basic Education means nine years of throughout the world, their types differ from country to formal schooling”. The same act also defines Universal country. This is the same with education, for like a house Basic Education as early childhood care and education, which meant, all over the world, for living and sleeping, the nine years of formal schooling, adult literacy and non- so education is concerned with human development, formal education, skills acquisition programmes and the 2 Inter. J. Acad. Res. Educ. Rev. education of special groups such as nomads and basic learning needs (BLN) met. This right is met; in migrants, girl’s child and women, street children and various settings (home, community, school, out of school disabled groups. If a child’s education will lead him/her to educational, cultural and recreational centers, mass improvement of skills, attitude, abilities and innovative media, everyday life and activities); by various agents, qualities early in life, such a child already developed Family, local and broader community, state/government, entrepreneurship. civic society (including local associations such as rural Macauley, Allen and Onita (2016), Beetseh & Ahima cooperatives, P.T.A etc, and market; through various (2012) and Chorun, Beetseh & Ameh (2015) describes means, including education (formal, non-formal, training, entrepreneurship education as that which deals with self-directed and experimental learning, making use of those attitudes and skills that are necessary for the both traditional and modern media, face to face and individual to respond to his environment in the process of distance modalities and throughout life, that is, not just conversing, starting and managing a business enterprise. during a specific period, in the life of an individual, This implies that entrepreneurship education prepare the because BLN (Basic Learning Needs) are numerous, individuals to be properly equipped to acquire saleable they change over time and must be updated as realities skills which could be used to manage his own business and knowledge also revolve, Basic education does not and that of another person. Entrepreneurship education need to be overloaded with a wide variety of subjects. is a specialized training given to students to acquire What makes basic education basic is the extent to which necessary skills, ideas, competencies and the managerial it is able to lay a solid foundation for life long and lie-wide abilities for self-empowerment rather than being learning. It aims at improved quality of life for the employed for pay. Economic recession is a period of beneficiaries. prolonged abnormally low economic activities and abnormally high unemployment. CONCEPT OF ECONOMIC RECESSION Recession can be described as two consecutive Characteristics/Vision for Basic Education quarters of negative growth. It can be described as a situation where a country’s potential gross domestic Basic education is aimed at equipping one with such Product (GDP) growth outweighs its real GDP growth for knowledge and skills that will enable one to develop to prolonged periods, (Osai, Akpabio and Frank 2017). In a one’s fullest capacity, derive maximum social, economic, recession, widespread contraction in economic activities political and cultural benefits from one’s membership of occurs; the unemployment rate spikes and inflation society and fulfill one’s civil obligation. It should inculcate declines. This contraction in economic activities can be in one a spirit of enquiries, desire for problem solving and attributed to events ranging from bottlenecks in the a life-long interest in learning. Mbachu (2009) explained financial system to external imbalance shocks. that vision for Basic Education as declared by the In economic Osai, Akpabio and Frank (2017) defines Jomitten (1990) on education for all encompasses: recession as a negative economic growth for two consecutive quarters. It is also a business cycle 1. Literacy – using reading and writing for reasoning contraction which results in a general slowdown in communication, exploring the world around us. economic activity. Macroeconomic indicators such as Full participation in social life, and empowerment GDP (gross domestic product), investment spending, through the abilities, to make informal life- capacity utilization, household income, business profits, choices. and inflation falls while bank ruptures and the 2. Numeracy – mastering of numbers, numeration, unemployment rate rise. Recession generally occur when computation and their applications to decision there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse and making an analytical reasoning. demand shock). This may be triggered by various events, 3. Life skills mastering of life challenges in one’s such as a financial crisis, an external trade shock, an environment and the application of social, civil adverse supply shock or the bursting of an economic and scientific awareness to tacking survival bubble. Government usually responds to recession by challenges in nutrition, health, environment adopting expansionary macroeconomic policies, such as issues, earning a living, participation in civil life, increasing money supply, increasing government human rights gender sensitivity etc. spending and decreasing taxation. 4. Learning to – learn skills self-driven propensity During recession, economic proffer 1.5- 2% points rise for continuous self-improvement through in unemployment within 12 months. Osai, Akpabio and continued push to acquire knowledge, to gain Frank (2017) define an economic recession as a new insights to be open to new ideas etc. significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months, normally Basic education for children, youth and adults as defined visible in real GDP, real income, employment, industrial at Jomitten and Dakar is about the right to have ones’ Charles-Zalakoro and Beetseh 3 production and wholesale-retail sales. Wikipedia and financial institutions to begin to search for profitable cooperation (2016) wrote that under ideal conditions, a investment opportunities which resulted in over optimism country’s economy should have the household sector as speculations and leverage. a net savers and the cooperate sectors as not borrowers, 2. Another major aggravating factor was financial with the government budget nearly balanced and net institution, the widespread practice of the securitization. exports near zero. When these relationships become Commercial banks changed