Assesment of Entreprenuership Awareness in Health Education among Physical and Health Education Lecturers in Tertiary Institutions of Bauchi State

Introduction

Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what Hypothesis is normally encountered in starting business, which may include other values than simply economic ones [1]. Therefore, an entrepreneur is an individual who creates and/ or invest in one or more businesses, bearing most of the risk and enjoying most of the rewards. The process of setting up a business is known as entrepreneurship. The entrepreneur is commonly seen as an innovator, a sort of new ideas, goods, services and business or procedures [2]. Entrepreneurship is a key driver of job creation, economic diversification, and improving local quality of life, it is a tool for poverty reduction, reducing economic disparity, and creating a positive sense of community [3].

More narrow definition have describe entrepreneurship as the process of designing, launching, and running a business, which is often similar to a small business, or as the capacity and willingness to develop, organize and manage a business venture along with any of its risk to make profit. Entrepreneurship typically focuses on the launching and running of businesses due to the high risk in launching a start-up, a significant proportion of start-up businesses have to close due to “lack of funding, bad business decisions, government policies, an economic crises, lack of market demand or a combination of all these [4]. Therefore, if there are no businesses, the nation will experience unemployment like in the case of Bauchi state in particular and Nigeria in general.

Awareness of an entrepreneurial culture that positively values entrepreneurs and entrepreneurship is a key determinant of the success of entrepreneurship policy framework and it is also a crucial factor to overcome the culture of dependency, either from government or aid donors. Therefore, negative socio-cultural perceptions about entrepreneurship can act as significant barriers to enterprise creation and can undermine the impact of policy intervention in support of entrepreneurship. The impact of regulatory awareness in support of start-ups or to facilitate access to finance for entrepreneurs will be less than optimal if large sections of the population do not consider entrepreneurship as a viable and rewarding option, that is, if they would only consider entrepreneurship if forced, or out of necessity [5].

Awareness of entrepreneurship describe the ability to recognize or create opportunity to take action aimed at realizing an innovation knowledge practice or product [6]. The awareness of an entrepreneur introduces the principles, skills and knowledge required to be a knowledge entrepreneur or “entrepreneur”. It outlines the process for developing and implementing business plans and proposals for knowledge- based initiatives. It also offers insight into the nature of knowledge, innovation and entrepreneurship. Effective awareness of entrepreneurship policies and programs focuses on developing entrepreneurial competencies and skills, which are transferable and beneficial in many work contexts. The aim is not only to strengthen the capacity and desire of more individual to start their own enterprises but also to develop an entrepreneurial culture in the society [3]. A similar study was carried out by Orji [7] to assess awareness and acceptance of the new trade and entrepreneurship among public and private school teachers in North East Nigeria. The finding of the study reveals that the respondents were “not sure” about their awareness as well as their acceptance of the new trade and entrepreneurship. Another study was conducted by Akpan, et al. [8] bon lecturers perception of the relevance of entrepreneurship education to graduate self-employment in south-south Nigeria. The result of the study shows that lecturers were positive in their perception of the relevance of entrepreneurship education is an empowerment strategy for graduate self-employment. Male and female lecturers do not differ significantly in their rating of the relevance of entrepreneurship education to graduate self employment. Lectures rated information skill as the most important skill student should acquire in their preparation for entrepreneurship, followed by financial management skills and risk taking skills. Large class size, inadequate funding and poor mindset to students toward entrepreneurship education were rated as the major constraints to effective entrepreneurship curriculum content delivery.

Lekoko, et al. [9] conducted a similar study to explore and investigate entrepreneurship education at Botswana’s two universities to determine and evaluate its effectiveness. 400 students were identified within two universities. A convenient sampling approach was used to select the respondents and a self-administered questionnaire with closed questions was used to collect data. The results indicate the entrepreneurship education is not appropriately developed in Botswana to effectively equip student with entrepreneurial skills and competencies that will help them to choose entrepreneurship as a career option.

Physical and health education is a unique area of knowledge that has linkage with all aspects of human endeavor. According to Stop-learn [10], physical and health education can be defined as the acquisition of skills and knowledge necessary to help the development of the body, mind and spirit in order to promote health and wellness. Physical education can also be defined as a part of general education that helps to develop the body. It is a form of education that takes place in a variety of settings and among all age groups. Physical and health education has wide connectivity to human endeavor and as such, there is large latitude of entrepreneurial skills inherent in it [11].

Physical and health education meets all the requirements to be considered both a profession and an academic field and has been for long time. It entails formal association, schooling preparation, a code of ethics and a corpus of knowledge that is always growing. PHE used to be considered a component of the teaching profession, but it has since grown to include contexts outside of schools and related professions. Primary, secondary and university education are all infused with the academic discipline of physical and health education. Academics at the tertiary level increase their scholarly activities in respect to the subject’s development, and as a result of technological advancements, scientific research on other fields, and an explosion in research many specialized fields have formed [11].

The scope of entrepreneurial skill potential in physical and health education has been demonstrated in this article. According to the entrepreneurship tenet of putting ideas into action, PHE specialists have amassed a wealth of ideas that they may use to hone their entrepreneurial talent. Creative thinking, commitment, devotion, innovation, risk taking, enthusiasm, self-reliance, and self-confidence to pursue projects are prerequisites for developing entrepreneurial skills in PHE. Financial resources are a crucial factor, although they differ as certain other services demand capital outlay. An entrepreneur should start off with minimal planning for expansion and be realistic about their financial resources [12].

Fitness experts that work as consultants fall under the category of fitness entrepreneurship. They examine the current program and offer suggestions for improvement while visiting other health clubs and fitness facilities. Additionally, they might regularly host seminars and workshops for the staff while simultaneously hiring new staff for the centers and fitness clubs. According to Ventole [13] exercise specialist can equally launch mobile fitness and health appraisal firms. This call for loading up a van with the necessary gear and travelling to various businesses and organizations to provide services for fitness evaluation and health maintenance. Ventole [13], stated that physical and health education has a diverse range of subfields and career options, which is why it has a high potential for developing entrepreneurial skills. To become an entrepreneur, a physical and health education graduate from a university or college of education must have earned a number of competencies. It involves creating a service or product to satisfy the wants or demands of the general public in the fields of wellness, mobility, and health. It is inevitable that physical and health education will continue to expand in breadth and common to all of this niche fields.

Working one-on-one with clients in fitness programs where exercises tailored to each client’s needs are carried out is among the possible entrepreneurial talents in PHE. According to Pronk [12], programming for exercises and health promotion provide a wide range of business options. More people are willing to pay for services that will help them get fitter and healthier. Program design and execution on fitness assessment and improvement, weight loss, fitness maintenance, nutrition, stress management, massage, management of specific health conditions and rehabilitative and recuperative activities and entrepreneurial skills that could be developed to provide this service. For the benefit of employee, this service can be promoted to corporate entities and organizations in addition to individuals, books, and videos that serve as guides. In PHE, offering private coaches for athletes is practical entrepreneurial expertise. People who are skilled in a particular spot and have the capacity to coach could profit by the industry by offering personal coaching to people who want to compete at a high level. When this happens, coaches are most frequently used in individual or dual sports like tennis, table tennis, golf, badminton, swimming, track and field, and occasionally in specific position in team sports like football and basketball. Many amateur and professional athletes also desire peak performance in these situations [14].

Darby, et al. [15] stated that the construction of football academies is gaining popularity in Nigeria nowadays, which expands the chances of PHE professionals to start their own businesses. Other sports include basketball, tennis, volleyball, handball and table tennis could be included in the concept. For kids, teens, adults, or persons with impairment, educational sports camps, or health camps could be organized. PHE professionals can find employment in this schools and camps in the field of administration, instruction and coaching. Baro [14] further added that another aspect that has highlighted the value of entrepreneurship and the necessity to develop entrepreneurial skill is a current global economic downturn. These factors all improve one’s potential to start creating new businesses, achieve financial independence, and support economic growth. Therefore, it has become imperative to promote student entrepreneurship. The result of fostering and recognizing the entrepreneurial spirit is the economic success of nations. It act as an engine for economic growth.

Bauchi state is a state in the north-east geopolitical zone in Nigeria, boarded by Kano and Jigawa to the north, Taraba and plateau to the south, Gombe and Yobe to the east, and Kaduna to the west. It takes its name from the historic town of Bauchi, which also serve as its capital city. The stated was formed in 1976 when the former north-eastern state was broken up. It originally included the area that is now Gombe state, which become distinct state in 1996. Bauchi is the fifth largest in the area and the seventh most populous with an estimated population of over 6,530,000 as of 2016. Geographically, the state is divided between the west sudanian savanna in the south and drier, semi- desert sahelian savanna in the north with a small part of the mountain of south plateau in the southwest [16].

Due to the alarming rate of unemployment in Nigeria, the nation requires an education that will provide opportunities for employment and generate income for youths and the nation at large. It has been reported that about 80% of the graduate from Nigerian universities find it very difficult to get employment every year. This is partly due to the curricula of the universities and other tertiary institutions, which lay emphasis on training for white collar jobs. The incidence of poverty in Nigeria is on the high side, where 70% of the population has been classified as poor, in Nigeria, observations show that the high rate of unemployment is related to social vices such as youth restiveness, armed banditry, prostitution and kidnapping to mention a few. This study believes that these social vices to some extend as a result of not equipping the youth and the graduates with the necessary entrepreneurship skills for them to be self-employ and self-reliant after graduation even if the labor market is unable to accommodate them [1].

The majority of graduates in Bauchi state in the last five 5 years are still unemployed, and it has been noted that the state administration of Bauchi is unable to create employment prospect for its citizens in the developing economy. The circumstance highlights the fundamental mismatch between the types of educational graduates acquire and the requirement of governmental organizations, private industrial firms, and other employers of labor, and it paints the state’s entire educational system is failing. It is against this background that the researcher intends to assess the entrepreneurship awareness in physical and health education among health education lecturers in tertiary institutions of Bauchi state. This study is expected to answer the following questions by testing the formulated null-hypothesis.

Research Question

Are physical and health education lecturers in tertiary institutions in Bauchi state aware of entrepreneurship in physical and health education?

Hypothesis

Physical and health education lecturers in tertiary institutions in Bauchi state do not significantly aware of the entrepreneurship in physical and health education

Discussion

This study assessed the awareness of entrepreneurship in physical and health education among physical and health education lecturers in tertiary institution in Bauchi state.

The outcome of this study indicated that, physical and health education lecturers in tertiary institution in Bauchi state did not have significant entrepreneurship awareness in physical and health education [x2=7.120, df; 3; P>0.05]. This finding is in line with the study of Orji [7] on awareness and acceptance of the new trade and entrepreneurship among public and private school teachers in north-east Nigeria. The findings of the study reveal that the respondents were “not sure” about the awareness as well as their entrepreneurship. Their awareness and acceptance levels were poor or uncertain. The finding of this study was also consistence with the study of Akpan, et al. [8] on lecturers’ perception of the relevance of entrepreneurship education to graduate self- employment in south-south Nigeria. The result of the study shows that lecturers were positive in the perception of the relevance of entrepreneurship education as an employment strategy for graduate self-employment. The finding is also in line with the study of Lekoko, et al. [9] to explore and investigate entrepreneurship education at Botswana’s two universities to determine and evaluate its effectiveness. The results indicate that entrepreneurship education is not appropriately developed in Botswana to effectively equip student with entrepreneurial skills and competencies that will help them to choose entrepreneurship as a career option.

Conclusion

Based on the findings of this study, it was concluded that physical and health education lecturers in tertiary institution in Bauchi state did not have significant entrepreneurship awareness in physical and health education.

Recommendation

Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended that, entrepreneurship should be incorporated into the department of physical and health education curriculum to prepare the students with entrepreneurship skills in physical and health education.