Entrepreneurship education: concept, characteristics and implications for teacher education

Abstract

Entrepreneurship education has the mandate to equip the youth with functional knowledge and skill to build up their character, attitude and vision. It has vital role in developing eco-system that promotes innovation (European Union, 2006).QAA (2012) remarks its importance for providing the base for innovation and creating a value system; and developing entrepreneurial culture, which drives wealth creation and gives further push to innovations. This necessitates pro-active policy interventions in favour of entrepreneurship. Initiating a fruitful discussion on entrepreneurship education, this article tries to conceptualise the phenomenon of entrepreneurship education, starting form genesis of term 'entrepreneur', its definition, nature and new role of teachers and teacher training institutions in fostering young entrepreneurs. The article also tries to facilitate an understanding about 'entrepreneurial teacher and training institution' and emphasizes the active role of teacher as a 'facilitator'. For this new role teachers have to be ready initially by going through rigours of teacher training and by continuing professional development. The paper also deals with the urgency of policy interventions in India in this regard