Dubai: More than 70 per cent of Dubai’s private schools teach entrepreneurship, research by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) has found.
The study found that the majority of the 74 per cent of Dubai private schools that teach entrepreneurship start doing so in grade 6.
The KHDA presented these findings in an infographic at the International Council for Small Business (ICSB) World Conference, which showcases the best entrepreneurship practices in Dubai’s schools.
“Entrepreneurship education builds so many skills in students that they will need in their future lives, from communication, to collaboration, resilience, negotiation, and financial literacy,” said Kaltham Kenaid, Head of Research at KHDA.
The study found that 72 per cent of entrepreneurial activities in schools develop students’ business skills; 59 per cent of schools include visits to local businesses as part of entrepreneurship education; and 72 per cent of entrepreneurship lessons focus on generating new ideas.
It also found that 74 per cent of Dubai schools teach entrepreneurship skills through extra-curricular activities and 72 per cent of entrepreneurial activities in schools focus on developing students’ business skills.
The research done by the authority was conducted through questionnaires and personal interviews with principals, teachers and students across Dubai’s private schools.
It aims to shine a light on how schools are teaching entrepreneurship, how the community organisations are supporting entrepreneurship in schools, which serves as a way of connecting schools to these organisations to give further opportunities to students.
“It was wonderful to listen to students’ positive stories of entrepreneurship in their schools, and we hope that all students in Dubai will be able to benefit from this rich experience,” said Kaltham.
The infographic showed that the majority of these entrepreneurial activities take place in business studies, extra-curricular activities, humanities and social/governmental studies.
Some of the current entrepreneurial competitions in Dubai schools include the F1 in schools challenge, World Robotics Olympiad and Online Gold Trading competition, to name a few.
Entrepreneurship promotes creativity, innovation and initiative, qualities identified as essential to furthering the National Innovation Strategy and meeting the targets of the 2021 National Agenda.
