Leveraging Covert Curriculum in the Nurturing of Entrepreneurial Mindsets among Higher Education Students

Abstract

The field of entrepreneurial education has received increased global research interest in recent decades. This is evident in the simultaneous recognition and interrogation of the roles of the institutions of higher education in the enhancement of students’ entrepreneurial skills. The analysis of extant and recent studies beckons the need for a multi-layered and complex review of the strategic position of the institutions of higher education in this enterprise. Continued promotion and internalization of entrepreneurial values and skills demand deliberate engagement and integration of the covert curriculum at the institution of higher education. This article utilizes an in-depth review of literature to ascertain the state of entrepreneurial study in South Africa's institutes of higher education. To exploit the current wave of increased interest in entrepreneurial education in the South African context, it is important to draw attention to the current state of entrepreneurial education with the view to unpacking the ambiguities and gaps in the existing approach. This paper enriches the comprehension and analysis of gaps in current trends of entrepreneurial education in South African higher education institutions. It positively contributes to the practice of entrepreneurial education in South Africa through its arguments for a reconsideration of the teaching pedagogies to intentionally and extensively incorporate the covert curriculum towards the internalisation and efficacy of entrepreneurial skills in South African institutions of higher education.