Entrepreneurship should be taught in secondary schools - Ahmad Maslan

BANTING - Entrepreneurship should be taught in secondary schools to provide students with early exposure and to produce more entrepreneurs in our country, said Deputy Finance Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan.

He said according to statistics, only 40 per cent of the 500,000 Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) school leavers entered Form Six, took Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), or pursued their studies at higher education institutions.

"Of that number, about 300,000 end up working in the factory or e-hailing with only SPM qualifications.

"If exposure to business (entrepreneurship) knowledge starts earlier, we will be able to produce high-income entrepreneurs,” he said after officiating Gerakan Belia 4B Malaysia's 42nd and 43rd annual general assembly at Mahsa University here today.

Ahmad said the proposal was among the issues discussed in the National Employment Council (MPN), chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof and also attended by Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek last week.

Ahmad also said that entrepreneurship should be made a subject in secondary schools rather than a curriculum.

"An entrepreneur must have extensive business knowledge and effective marketing methods in order to be successful. We hope that the Ministry of Education will consider the proposal,” he said.

Meanwhile, Ahmad announced an allocation of RM150,000 from the Finance Ministry for the Gerakan Belia 4B Malaysia movement to carry out programmes related to entrepreneurship. - BERNAMA