Value of entrepreneurship should be taught in school, Villar says

Sen. Cynthia Villar today said the passage of the bill that will make entrepreneurship part of the school curriculum will motivate students to become entrepreneurs early on in their lives.

"We need a new generation of entrepreneurs. And we need to start them young, as the cliché goes. Thus, incorporating entrepreneurship in the school curriculum is the most logical thing to do," Villar said.

Senate Bill 2212 under Committee Report No. 26 was sponsored by Sen. Bam Aquino before the adjournment of the First Regular Session of the 16th Congress. The bill introduces and integrates in the curriculum of primary, secondary, alternative learning and post- secondary education subjects and competencies in entrepreneurship and financial literacy.

Senate Bill No. 147, one of the first bills filed by Villar at the start of her term as senator in July 2013, is the first Senate bill seeking to integrate entrepreneurship in the high school curriculum.

"We have been promoting entrepreneurship as a way out of poverty because it generates employment. And unemployment is a major problem in our country. When we get the chance to talk to the youth, students, and new graduates, we urge them to aspire to merely landing a good job or getting employed. Anyone can be an employer or a creator of jobs," Villar said in co-sponsoring the bill.

"While I have misgivings in introducing entrepreneurship to elementary or grade school students as they may not be able to grasp the concepts yet, I believe we can start with value formation with them. It is important for them to learn values--besides theories and strategies, that will make them good entrepreneurs in the future," she added.

Villar said the values of saving money and hard work should be taught in school to prepare the students to become entrepreneurs.

The Nacionalista Party senator said the new generation of entrepreneurs will pave the way for the creation of more micro, small and medium enterprises or MSMEs--a strong engine of growth in our country.

"MSMEs comprise nearly 90 per cent of the businesses in our country and provide more than 50 per cent jobs or employment. Wealth and a high majority of jobs are created by small businesses started by entrepreneurially-minded individuals, many of whom go on to create big businesses," Villar said.

Villar also encourage people venturing into business not to lose heart when they lack the capital.

"It is not the be-all and end-all of entrepreneurship. Mas importante ang kaalaman at kakayahan. I know that based from my own experience," she said. Villar recalled that their billion-dollar real estate company started as a small gravel and sand company with a P10,000 capital.

"Manny and I are living examples of what entrepreneurs can accomplish and achieve with hard work and persistence coupled with fairness and integrity. Noong panahon na iyon, wala pang entrepreneurship subjects or courses, so we can just imagine how good an entrepreneur our youth will be in the future, if they will be educated and trained about entrepreneurship early on in their lives," she said.