Challenges of Entrepreneurship Education Implementation in Vocational Schools in Niger State

This study investigated the challenges of implementing entrepreneurship education in vocational schools in Niger State, North Central Nigeria. Entrepreneurship education is a government-mandated component of vocational and technical education, designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills, and attitudes needed to create and sustain businesses. Niger State, as a major center for vocational education in the North Central zone, represents an important context for evaluating the progress of this policy objective. A descriptive survey design was employed. The population comprised 280 entrepreneurship education teachers and administrators in twelve vocational schools across three senatorial districts in Niger State. Using purposive sampling, 140 participants were selected. A validated 38-item questionnaire on implementation challenges was used for data collection. Frequency counts, percentages, and mean scores were employed for analysis. Findings reveal that the most significant challenges include absence of business incubation facilities, teacher unpreparedness for entrepreneurship instruction, inadequate funding, and the absence of linkages between vocational schools and the business community. A significant proportion of teachers also reported that the entrepreneurship curriculum is overly theoretical and lacks connection to local business realities in Niger State. The study recommends that the Niger State Government should establish functional entrepreneurship development centers in vocational schools, fund student business start-up competitions, and engage the Bank of Industry in creating mentorship pipelines for vocational school graduates. Keywords: entrepreneurship education, vocational schools, implementation challenges, Niger State, business education