Nigerian universities must move beyond classroom theories and adopt a more practical, industry-driven approach to entrepreneurship education if the country hopes to tackle rising graduate unemployment, Prof. Harald von Korflesch of the University of Koblenz, Germany, has said.

Speaking in Abuja yesterday at a two-day international conference on Academic Entrepreneurship, Knowledge and Technology Transfer for Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria, the German scholar said that although entrepreneurship courses had become common across many higher institutions in Nigeria, there remained a glaring gap in implementation, industry linkage and funding.

At another event, the Country Director of the British Council in Nigeria, Donna McGowan, has said that improving learning outcomes in Nigeria requires schools and educators to embrace evidence-based approaches that place research and innovation at the heart of teaching.

She spoke at the British Council Action Research Grants showcase in Abuja yesterday, noting that while expanding access to education remained important, equal attention must be paid to improving the quality of teaching and learning in classrooms.

At the Abuja conference, the German scholar, Prof. Korflesch, noted that entrepreneurship education should not merely be treated as another academic subject, but as a professional discipline that equips students with the competencies required to create businesses and jobs.

He stressed the need for a more structured and well-managed system that would connect universities with industry players, arguing that such collaboration would expose students to real-world entrepreneurial experiences and improve learning outcomes.

Korflesch questioned the extent to which professional entrepreneurs were involved in teaching entrepreneurship in universities, suggesting that those with practical business experience should play a greater role in shaping future entrepreneurs.

The academic criticised the prevailing method of teaching entrepreneurship, describing it as overly theoretical and disconnected from the realities of running a business.

He called for a shift towards experiential learning, mentorship, innovation projects and hands-on training that would enable students to develop practical entrepreneurial skills.

MEANWHILE, at the British Council event, Donna McGowan noted that education systems globally were under pressure to equip young people with the skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing environment, stressing that school improvement should no longer be driven by assumptions but by research findings and practical classroom experiences.

According to her, the British Council’s Action Research Grants programme empowers teachers and school leaders to identify challenges within their classrooms, test practical solutions, evaluate their impact and share lessons with colleagues. She added that some of the most transformative education reforms often begin as small, locally driven innovations within schools.

McGowan explained that the Action Research Grants initiative, a global British Council programme, supports educators to investigate and address context-specific challenges affecting teaching and learning.