Olalekan Ojumu
Bethel American International School, KM 20 Oyo-Ibadan Road, Fiditi Oyo State, Nigeria
Olalekan Ojumu is a young educator who is passionate about policy, education, international development, climate change, youth development, and technology. Olalekan is fascinated by the changing nature of work and believes that for Nigerian youths to be future-ready, there is a need for them to upskill. He is a graduate of History/ International Relations from Obafemi Awolowo Ile-Ife and he is on the verge of starting his secondary degree in Developmental History from the University of Ibadan. Olalekan is a serial volunteer and is currently engaged with Chatham House in their Common Futures Conversation program. ojumulekan@yahoo.com, o.ojumu@bethelais.org
Sowunmi, Gbolahan
Bethel American International School, KM 20 Oyo-Ibadan Road, Fiditi Oyo State, Nigeria
Sowunmi, Gbolahan is a young scholar who feels comfortable with teaching and research. He had his first degree in Educational Management (Economics Option) and Masters in Educational Management (Policy and Planning Option). He has published papers in international journals. His research interests include; educational policy, planning, efficiency, and comparative education. He is a graduate member of the Nigeria Institute of Management (Chartered) (NIM) and Institute of Strategic Management, Nigeria (ISMN). sowunmigbolahan@gmail.com,
ABSTRACT
As a result of the economic downturn, which is caused by the pandemic and that has affected the global community, people who have lost their jobs are seeking sustainable entrepreneurship opportunities that will change their economic status. To date, relatively few rigorous studies exploring the relationship between sustainable development and entrepreneurship especially in the secondary level of education in Nigeria have been published. This study was designed to address this gap. Thus, this study investigated entrepreneurship and sustainable development in the new normal: a study of selected secondary schools in Oyo State. The study was conducted under a descriptive survey design; seventy students were selected from four local government areas across the State from twenty secondary schools. Descriptive statistics of frequency counts, percentages, and mean were used to analyze the data. The five research questions which guided the study were answered. Findings revealed that many secondary schools in Oyo State offered entrepreneurship programmes. And the students have acquired entrepreneurship skills for self-employment. Finally, the study found that skills learnt by the students are not skills needed for future jobs. Based on the findings, the study thus recommended that skills needed by people to thrive in the future of work in the 21st century should be encouraged and inculcated in the entrepreneurship studies. Finally, a support system (resources, grants, opportunities, and mentorship) should be provided so that the students can thrive in entrepreneurship.
Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Sustainable development, pandemic, economic downturn