Ignite the entrepreneurial spark in Hong Kong people from an early age
Warren Chiu says as part of the school curriculum, teachers and business leaders can nurture a new mindset
Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying's proposal to establish a HK$300 million Youth Development Fund and Alibaba's establishment of a HK$1 billion foundation to support young entrepreneurs are both welcome developments in nurturing entrepreneurship among our younger generation.
Yet, for these initiatives to deliver, we need to equip our young people with the necessary skill set and mindset by introducing entrepreneurship education into the primary and secondary school curriculums.
Understood broadly, entrepreneurship relates not just to starting and running a business, but to a broad range of qualities, such as leadership, pragmatism and creativity, which are all indispensable for finding solutions that meet or even anticipate market needs. Thus, employee entrepreneurship is highly valued by innovative companies. In this light, entrepreneurship education is crucial to nurturing a new workforce that would enable us to extend Hong Kong's legacy as a global economic powerhouse.
By entrepreneurship education, I have in mind the type of curriculum widely adopted in Scandinavia for primary and secondary schools, in which courses based on a "miniature society" see students role-play different business transactions. Teachers also take students on company visits to learn about various facets of business operations and appreciate first-hand how different skills and qualities contribute to success.
Besides its relevance for economic development, entrepreneurship education also brings important social benefits. First, entrepreneurship is generally recognised as a force for social stability and community cohesion; those with firmly planted business roots are more motivated to contribute ideas and resources for the common good.
Entrepreneurship education can also complement traditional academic subjects to get students engaged in the practical world around them. In this respect, its function is akin to liberal studies, though without as much focus on controversial societal issues. With business playing a dominant role in a free market economy, students should learn about the entrepreneurial process to better understand the world they live in and contribute more to society.
A third social benefit of particular relevance to Hong Kong is that students can come to appreciate the perspective of businesses. As the younger generation have increasingly adopted a cynical attitude towards "profiteering" enterprises, being able to see the world from the other perspective would go a long way towards promoting social harmony.
Adding entrepreneurship education into the curriculum would not be too difficult, but it would take a concerted community effort, starting with teacher training. For teachers to inspire students to value the entrepreneurial spirit, they themselves must embody the relevant qualities. Therefore, they need to be exposed to a range of relevant activities and concepts.
This training would also be a critical step towards counselling students on career paths. If students with entrepreneurial talent can be identified early on, they can be steered towards suitable education and support programmes that give them the opportunity to flourish.
The curriculum for entrepreneurship classes would also need to reflect the pragmatic nature of the subject. Instead of focusing on evaluating students through written exams, such courses should emphasise practical skills, hands-on experience and active learning.
For students in higher grades, financial support can be allocated from the proposed Youth Development Fund to help them embark on real-life entrepreneurial projects, such as bidding on and operating a stall during the annual Lunar New Year Fair at Victoria Park.
Broader community involvement can also help enrich these courses. For instance, retired executives and business owners could help coach and mentor students on their projects, while local companies can work with teachers and students beyond class visits.
At the university level, students from academic disciplines should also be encouraged, if not required, to take an entrepreneurship course.
After all, the majority who graduate end up working for private enterprises. Entrepreneurship training would boost their employability and economic contribution to society.
Leung's administration would do well to prioritise entrepreneurship education to complement the proposed Youth Development Fund. In the sphere of public policy, it is rare to find an initiative that addresses such a wide range of issues, including youth engagement, education reform, social harmony and economic development.
