Should Entrepreneurship Be Taught at School Level? Mark Zuckerburg sums it simple - "If you just work on stuff that you like and you're passionate about, you don't have to have a master plan with how things will play out."
By Rahul Rai
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When we look at business columns of newspapers or online websites, names like Mark Zuckerburg, Fred Smith or the Bansal Brothers of Flipkart are common, these days. What makes them become news elements on a regular basis is their innovative business idea that simply reflects their outstanding entrepreneurship.
The concept of building a business begins with an idea, yet there is much more to it. To develop, to reap and to water the business idea to bloom to a successful business requires constant effort of a mastermind, referred to as the entrepreneur of the business. From gathering the right resources required to nurture the business till well marketed, the entrepreneurs are a spinal cord to a business stands by all thick and thins.
While entrepreneurship encompasses a balance of authority, influence and leadership, Mark Zuckerburg, the founder of Facebook sums it simple - "If you just work on stuff that you like and you're passionate about, you don't have to have a master plan with how things will play out."
So, from where does a child or an aspiring business tycoon learn the fundamentals of entrepreneurship?
Is it alone a degree or a diploma course from a popular B-School that can pave one's way to entrepreneurial success?
Well, the answer is simple.
The earlier one is connected to entrepreneurship, the more the individual will have the scope to learn and master the tricks, techniques and strategies of a successful business.
While college is too short a span to learn entrepreneurship. School is the ideal time when students can be introduced to the basics of entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship can be an optional subject only for a student interested on the same.
However, it's on the parents, tutors or guardian to find out, whether a student has knack in learning entrepreneurship. Until there is interest in the subject matter, no student can be a successful learner of any subject. Often flourished business families expect their children to have great interest in entrepreneurship, but it might not be the case. Hence, ample time should be spent to find out the interest of a child in entrepreneurship before being introduced to the same.
As entrepreneurship is yet not taught in schools, its therefore important to frame a right curriculum that will let students learn the entire business of entrepreneurship slowly over time. The fundamentals, examples, strategies of business all can be divided into chapters and sessions for kids to learn. Along with basics, it's also important to introduce the children to successful business tycoons whom they can look upon as inspiration.
Also, if there is no space to allot entrepreneurship as a separate paper, then it can be merged with subjects like economics, history, technical n, comparative studies, business education or psychology. Integrating entrepreneurship in these main stream subjects will allow students to understand the same and take up (if they wish to) later in life.
Learning entrepreneurship from school level will allow students also instill the following traits at a young stage:
a) Patience
Business is not a one day phenomenon. It happens over time, grows over decades or more. The entrepreneur needs to hold on their patience and be with the business all throughout. Learning entrepreneurship from school, will allow one to get accustomed to the long time span that one requires to invest to establish a business.
b) Adaptability and Flexibility
Running business is not a smooth flow of events. It has good times, bad phases and so on. How to survive at the best and worst of business can also be learnt from an early stage, if entrepreneurship is introduced in school.
c) Hunger to achieve
As school is too nascent a stage, students might change their decision of being an entrepreneur and opt for some other profession. But, it's the "hunger to achieve', the take away from entrepreneurial classes that will help them earn success in any other profession.
