AWAKENING AND SUSTAINING STUDENTS’ INTEREST IN ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION AS A KEY RESPONSE TO THE CHALLENGES OF THE NEW NORMAL OCCASIONED BY COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Coping with the new normal created by the COVID-19 Pandemic has become the concern of every nation. The pandemic has badly affected the fabrics of nations’ life such as economy, education, physical interactions, businesses, and health. These are the major areas of challenges, to which every nation is struggling to provide adequate and long term responses. Nigeria has made some efforts in this regard mainly by way of monetary and food assistance, sensitization and health concerns, but without much attention to entrepreneurship education and awakening and sustaining students’ interest in it. This paper is an effort to bridge this gap. Using descriptive and analytic methods, the paper explored relevant concepts and literature. These were followed by the challenges of the new normal, and benefits of entrepreneurship education. The purpose of the paper was to contribute to Nigeria’s efforts towards containing the new normal and her quest for economic emancipation and active participation in global competitiveness, through the input of entrepreneurship education. Based on the issues discussed, the paper concluded that entrepreneurship education remains the most viable option as a key response to the challenges of the new normal occasioned by the COVID-19 Pandemic in Nigeria. It therefore suggested, among others, that government and stakeholders should focus more attention on entrepreneurship education, come up with workable strategies to awaken and sustain students’ interest, and create enabling environments and conditions for effective education, and so reduce brain drain in the name of search for greener pastures outside the shores of the country.