Students’ Perception of Entrepreneurship Education and interest in selfreliance: Evidence from Polytechnics in Yobe State, Nigeria

Abstract

Entrepreneurship Education emerged few decades ago as instrument through which poverty could be
alleviated from amongst the Nigerian youth; by providing opportunities and ways of occupational
alternatives and choices to which graduates of Polytechnic Institutions are a part. This work intends to
explore the sensitivity of the Polytechnic students in the polytechnics in Yobe State, Nigeria towards
entrepreneurship education in inducing venture creation after their tertiary education. The investigator
collected data through questionnaire in ended opened-ended format. Random sampling was used to select
respondents for the study. Data were analyzed using partial least square method and the hypotheses were
tested using the structural equation model (SEM). Application soft wire applied in this study is the
SmartPLS version 3.0. The study findings highlightedamong other things the lower level of practical
activities, inadequate curriculum content, lack of depth treatment of the subjects, less time allocated for
the subject and otherwise lecturers who teach the course are very qualified but not in entrepreneurship as
a discipline as some of the factors that halt students’ interest in venture creation. This study recommends
that EED curriculum be enriched and students be given lot of practical for them to appreciate very well
the venture creation formula. Furthermore, expert from different field of endeavors are recommended to
be hired or recruited to teach entrepreneurship education particularly the practical aspects in Nigerian
Polytechnics. This will help in no small measure to blend theory of entrepreneurship with practice.