Make Entrepreneurship the Centerpiece of Jamaica’s Education System-Joe Issa

Popular Ocho Rios figure Joe Issa, who is said to have become hugely successful on the back of an early exposure to business, believes that entrepreneurship training should be made the showpiece of Jamaica’s education system; and the earlier the better, in order to have the greatest impact on the development of entrepreneurial activity, both cognitive (conscious mental activities, such as thinking, understanding, learning) and non-cognitive (persistence, creativity and pro-activity).

“I would agree with teaching business at any age and under any circumstances, let alone in all primary and secondary schools and colleges as part of the curriculum.

“The teaching of the subject from as early as the primary level will better enable school leavers to start companies and become more creative and ambitious,” says Issa, whose charities buy books and supplies, enhance the learning experience in classrooms with computers, cupboards and air condition units, as well as provide scholarships for university students.

The founder of Cool Group of over 50 companies was responding to a recent announcement by Minister of Industry and Commerce Karl Samuda, that entrepreneurship would be introduced in schools from as early as the primary level.

In stating that the subject would be taught right across the education system, Minister Samuda said at the launch of Scotiabank’s 2016 Vision Achiever Programme in Kingston, that the move is part of an attempt by the government to foster innovation among students, arguing that it is critical for young people to be sensitized at an early age about how to do business.

Stating that the absence of entrepreneurship studies in schools is undesirable, Issa bemoans the current situation: “By and large all young people leave school looking for jobs, but many won’t find any, leaving them to think out of the box for alternatives, something they are ill prepared for.

“The situation gets worst when they fail to get alternative means of supporting themselves and their families, at which point anything goes and that can give rise to bad choices that often lead to a life of crime and violence, disrespect for others’ pursuits, and little or no respect for property and life, even their own,” Issa says.

In making a case for the more desirable flipside, he says, “Young people will be leaving school still seeking to fend for themselves and their families, but the difference this time is that they won’t be doing so necessarily through employment or by any means necessary…With their newly acquired entrepreneurial skills they would instead be eyeing funds to set up businesses and employ people.”

Like Minster Samuda, Issa’s views are supported in a study by Amsterdam School of Economics and University of Amsterdam in The Netherlands. It suggested that non-cognitive entrepreneurial skills, which are increasingly relevant determinants of labour market outcomes, are best developed at an early age.

Issa also adds: “As part of the curriculum, the entrepreneurship learning experience could bring about a positive change in the mindset of young people, which allows for greater appreciation and respect for each other’s challenges and successes and ultimately, make for a more peaceful and prosperous society.”