Factors influencing entrepreneurial capabilities of South African schools: the case of selected schools in Harry Gwala District in Kwazulu Natal

The South African public education system has for a long time been criticised for a number of things, including failing to meet international quality standards, poor resource management and failure to cope with rapid changes in the global environment. One of the most scathing of all these attacks, however, has been that it continues to churn out thousands of unemployable youth year after year. One critical area of improving this state of affairs could lie in the avenue of entrepreneurial education. There is no doubt that there is a considerable need to have an educated citizenry in South Africa. Since the dawn of democracy, government has made concerted efforts to improve the provision of education especially to the previously disadvantaged sections of the population. However, it has been proven that there is an even more dire need to produce competent and skilled school graduates who will not only be prepared for the job market, but also those who will be creators of much needed employment. In the pursuit of entrepreneurial education, entrepreneurial development capability thus becomes an important factor that needs to be understood in line with other factors that can be used to enhance it. It is hoped that understanding these factors will assist education managers to consider their implementation in their respective organisations. This study sought to establish a framework that might enable South African schools to enhance the entrepreneurial development capability of these schools. Initially, the study sought to investigate the contribution that education and training, culture of entrepreneurship, funding and finance, human capital and workforce, engaging the private sector and regulatory framework and infrastructure make in achieving the entrepreneurial development capability of schools. After conducting an exploratory factor analysis, these variables were however reduced to three independent variables (fostering entrepreneurial culture, funding and extra-curricular opportunities and external stakeholder support) and one dependent variable (entrepreneurship development capability). A mail survey was conducted in 82 schools in the Harry Gwala district of KwaZulu Natal. The purpose of the study was to investigate where the identified independent variables positively contribute to the entrepreneurship development capability of these schools. The major findings of the study reveal a low level of prevalence of the independent variables (fostering entrepreneurial culture, funding and extra-curricular opportunities and external stakeholder support) and the dependent variable (entrepreneurship development capability) in the participating schools. The empirical results also showed that all three independent variables were significantly positively related to the entrepreneurship development capability of the participating schools. These independent variables are therefore important determinants of the entrepreneurship development capability of schools.Thesis (MBA) -- Faculty of Business and Economic Sciences, 202