Time for a refreshed curriculum? ‘Misaligned’ education system delaying entrepreneurship

South Africa requires a paradigm shift in its education approach to enable learners not only to survive but also to thrive in a modern, ever-changing economy.

That’s the latest call by Ndumiso Zulu, CEO of Group Social Investments at Old Mutual, who believes the country is currently confronted by a difficult truth: millions of young people are entering a labour market that can no longer guarantee traditional employment.

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As the country marks Youth Month, commemorating the 1976 Soweto Uprising, Zulu told Moneyweb’s Mzansi Business podcast that more needs to be done to scale up existing initiatives to integrate entrepreneurship education into the school curriculum early on.

This would equip learners to become job creators rather than job seekers.

He says the economy is changing faster than the education system, warning that unless that gap is urgently closed, the country risks deepening unemployment, inequality, and social instability.

According to Zulu, part of the problem is that entrepreneurship is currently not seen as a viable first-choice career.

“That’s the original sin.”

“We need to reposition entrepreneurship as something people aspire to, not because there are no other options, but because it’s their first option.”

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While a complete overhaul of the curriculum may not be necessary, he says a refresh is overdue.

“I think the easiest way of doing it would be to infuse into the existing curriculum because, like I said, in its simplest form, entrepreneurship is about problem solving, so is Maths and Maths Literacy,” Zulu adds.

“Instead of introducing a standalone subject about entrepreneurship, maybe we look at the existing subjects and say, ‘how do we make them more real-world relevant to our learners and how do we make it more relatable?”

While he says the conversations are being had with policymakers, the question is whether it’s happening often enough and effectively.

You can also listen to this podcast on iono.fm here.

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