THE ROLE OF ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION ON ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION AMONG STUDENTS WITH DISABILITY IN GOMBE STATE

Abstract

Creating employment opportunities for people living with disabilities is one of the government's major targets in Nigeria, and entrepreneurship has been recognised as of way to support business start-ups that generate employment and sustainable growth. This study examines the role of entrepreneurship education on entrepreneurial intention among students with disabilities in tertiary institutions within the context of the theory of planned behaviour. A survey was conducted in three institutions of higher learning in Gombe State using a multi-stage sampling technique, whereby 240 questionnaires were distributed for data collection. Regression techniques were used to test the hypotheses of the study using the structural equation model (AMOS). Results reveal that all the variables, including entrepreneurship education, attitudes towards entrepreneurship, subjective norm and perceived behavioural control, have a positive but insignificant effect on entrepreneurial intentions of disabled students. Based on the results, it is recommended that educators and policymakers should prioritize entrepreneurial skills acquisition and innovation to enhance entrepreneurial intention, especially among students with disabilities, to be successful. There is a need for the government to create more awareness and support for entrepreneurship as well as challenging tertiary institutions to improve the level of formal enterprise education given the students by providing academic and business support to generate ideas, start and nurture a new business in the entrepreneurship centre within the institutions.