Enabling environment in entrepreneurship education

THE term ‘enabling environment’ has its origins in economics, specifically macroeconomics. It comprises strategies that concentrate on creating and maintaining an overall macroeconomic environment that brings together suppliers and consumers in an inter-firm co-operation (cooperation between businesses and industries) manner. Simply put it refers to plans, policies and procedures that are in place in the wider economy (for all businesses and sector) to ensure that certain goals and objectives are met. An example would be the taxation policies. In education, environment plays a key role in supporting and extending learning and development. An enabling environment encourages learners because they feel relaxed, comfortable and ‘at home’ in them. But apart from these, the environment should challenge and encourage the learner to stretch themselves and master and practice the concepts and values being taught.Typically we think of the learning environment as that that surrounds the learner and the teacher. This is as inadequate as it is incorrect. Teaching and learning is a ubiquitous exercise that encompasses many facets of life.Learning like charity ’begins at home’, but it ‘never stops at home’. Children do what their parents/ guardians do, rather than what their parents tell them. It is much more fun to try on your father’s shoes than to be told how to tie your laces. Learning at home must be practical and fun. Children are more observant than we give them credit for. If one is exposed from an early age to business and entrepreneurial activities, they are more likely to be entrepreneurs. Perhaps this is why it is presumed that some people are born entrepreneurs. Parents should, thus, expose children to various entrepreneurial activities (and indeed other avenues of productive work) from an early age so as to kindle this spirit. The parenting role should not end once the students go to school. Rather, it should reinforce the school’s role. As parents monitor their children’s education, they can play a pivotal role in encouraging and inspiring the children to achieve their goals and even dream more. The teachers’ role is equally significant. They can be great role models and influence in the development of the learners. However, we must shift from the current ‘chalk and board only’ approach and develop more linkages with the ‘outside world’. A partnership between the working world (both professional and business) is critical in helping learners develop clear and creative perceptions and understanding. This is a small but effective step in developing critical thinking. The learner gets to understand ‘how’ things work so that they can ask ‘what if it was done in another way?’ Talks from people in fields of interest can also inspire the learners as can job shadows field trips and excursions. Let’s face it, it’s much more interesting to go to the park and see a giraffe than to listen, chapter and verse, about the animal.Old learners (from senior five through University) can also benefit from brief stints of work in the interest areas. This is different from the current internships, where the learner goes to the work environment after the final year of study. In this case exposure and linkage to the practical world is part of the learner’s development. The end product is more relevant to the market.An enabling environment for learning needs everyone’s cooperation. The main hurdle is attitudinal. We say that there are not enough businesses for the learners to link up with. This may be true, but it is basically ‘white collar’ thinking. The mutual benefit between the learners informal sector can be immense if this is properly managed. Besides, we need to formalise this sector!The media can also support by giving the right messages. Is it possible to make business startups, in general, and the informal sector, in particular, as fancy and nice as Tusker Project Fame and Primus Guma Guma Superstar competitions that have made every boy and girl in my neighborhood keen on a musical career? The Government can go to its core job to create an enabling environment! This can work but we need to begin and we will keep reshaping it mbele kwa mbele (as we go along)!