ENTREPRENEURIAL CONTENT OF TEXTILE DESIGN IN FINE AND APPLIED ARTS CURRICULUM IN SOUTHWEST NIGERIA

Abstract

This article explored the incorporation of entrepreneurial content in the Fine and Applied Arts curriculum in Universities in Southwest Nigeria, with a specific focus on textile design. Acknowledging the landscape of the global textile industry and the cultural significance of textiles in Southwest Nigeria, the study analyzed the existing Fine and Applied Arts curriculum, highlighting the level of consideration given to entrepreneurship in the development of the curriculum. The study adopted the content analysis approach to investigate the entrepreneurial content of the textile design curriculum. Universities in Southwest Nigeria use a unified curriculum (BMAS) to teach Fine and Applied Arts. The curriculum of the Ladoke Akintola University, Ogbomoso (LAUTECH) was selected to represent that of other universities in the region because it runs for five years while others run for four years. This is because it is a university of Technology. However, the content of the curriculum for four years duration (B.A) and that of five years (B. Tech) are similar. The curriculum was analyzed across all levels, the entrepreneurial courses were highlighted based on the course synopsis while other courses were classified as general courses. The study revealed that practical exposure to entrepreneurship was a good consideration during the development of the curriculum.
However, the study observed that the curriculum did not make adequate provision for a theoretical introduction to entrepreneurship. The study recommends exposure of students to entrepreneurial seminars and workshops. Similarly, as the curriculum is being updated from BMAS to CCMAS, courses that will adequately introduce students to theoretical concepts of entrepreneurship should be sufficiently incorporated.