Entrepreneurship course and the fear of exams

Towards the end of 2012 to 2013 session, the programme became effective as most institutions made it a two credit courses apart. Some students were allowed to do these courses in their 1st and 2nd semester of level four hundred, while others do it in the second semester of their level three hundred and in […]

Towards the end of 2012 to 2013 session, the programme became effective as most institutions made it a two credit courses apart. Some students were allowed to do these courses in their 1st and 2nd semester of level four hundred, while others do it in the second semester of their level three hundred and in the 1st semester of their level four hundred. Other students, due to the nature of their programmes, are allowed do it at the end of a session.
In Bayero University Kano, the BSc. Entrepreneurship courses with codes EEP 3201 and EEP 4201 have come to stay. Students are not just involved in the theory aspect of the courses but also the practical side of it in order to become true entrepreneurs.  
Recently, students from different departments of the institution were sent to various small/medium enterprises event as part of continuous assessment requirements for the course.  
“I happen to be one of these students, it was quite fun and I acquired knowledge visiting some selected small/medium enterprises (SMEs) to know about their marketing strategy and sources of fund,” one of the students said.
The science students, although  they know about chemicals in the laboratory, they still  cannot tell how to write a business plan, establish the business plan and apply the knowledge of entrepreneurship into a business related to their discipline.  
However, despite this development, fear for the examinations among BUK students has remained a factor affecting the success of the entrepreneurship programme in the institution. This is because Entrepreneurship, like other courses, is a wide course and entails theory and technical parts that require students to brainstorm.  
As the examinations commenced on October 2, 2014, BUK students could be seen running helter-skelter for tutorials, and to meet friends or course mates for knowledge sharing about the course.  
Also, during examinations, you will begin to hear comments like: ‘why this EEP! The note is too bulky, it is stressful, there is no time to read it as other departmental courses are there for us to read, I can’t wait to write this exam! Is not even all about the objective; it is about the theory aspect, do you have past questions? Why is this course be introduce, where is the venue for the tutorial? ‘It will soon come to pass, how I wish is not even introduced at all, I don’t like EEP;’ ‘I just want to pass this exam!’  
However, in the heat of examinations time we tend to forget that Entrepreneurship is meant to inculcate the spirit of entrepreneurship in us, rather than the spirit of passing examinations to get white collar jobs.
At this juncture, it is pertinent to note that Entrepreneurship provides us with the knowledge, skills and motivation for entrepreneurial success.   
Amina is a final year student of Mass Communication at BUK