Understanding Teachers Perception of Entrepreneurship Education in Pakistan ()
1. Introduction
Pakistan is not only one of the newest nations in its area, but also one of the newest countries in the whole world. About 30% of the population is between the ages of 15 and 29, while 64 percent of the population is younger than 29. Over the next three decades, Pakistan is expected to maintain its relatively young demographic profile (Najam & Bari, 2017) . An economic assessment shows that a significant share of Pakistan’s population lives in poverty. As a matter of fact, 24.3% of Pakistanis are ultra-poor, meaning they have to get by on less than $1.25 a day. According to the statistics (Zreen, Farrukh, Nazar, & Khalid, 2019) , poverty in Pakistan is quite high. Gul, Zaman, Khan, and Ahmad (2012) note that the situation in Pakistan would worsen over the long run and provide a major threat to the country’s economy. Both college graduates and the general labor market have seen increases in their unemployment rates at similar rates (Zreen et al., 2019) . In the next five years, Pakistan needs to create 4.5 million new jobs. By 2050, Najam and Bari (2017) predict that if no new jobs are created, 43 million people would be out of employment.
Experts in economics say that working for oneself is the best option here. The economic benefits of entrepreneurship are enormous (Ahmed et al., 2010) . Entrepreneurship is crucial to economic expansion since it encourages the launch of new businesses and results in the creation of new jobs. Technology improvements are another way that encourages rivalry and boosts competitiveness (Shah & Soomro, 2017) . Economic growth depends on entrepreneurial activity since it generates new jobs, raises overall employment, and helps propel society forward (Farrukh, Khan, Khan, Ramzani, & Soladoye, 2017) . Proliferation of entrepreneurs is credited with the economic development of industrialized countries like the United States, Germany, and Japan (Prakash, Jain, & Chauhan, 2015) . These businesspeople are a major force in the economic growth of their nations (Anjum et al., 2018) . Growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is often higher in countries with more robust commercial activity (Galvão, Marques, & Marques, 2018) . Entrepreneurship provides people with several opportunities for independence, financial success, and positive economic impact (Usman & Ahmed, 2018) . However, opportunities for businesses are still somewhat limited in Pakistan. This is because leaders and the government have so little expertise in this area (Haque, 2007) . More than $850 million is added each year to Pakistan’s GDP thanks to the country’s prominence in the global freelance economy. To address this issue, it is necessary to create a network for entrepreneurship that brings together forward-thinking innovators, educators, business executives, and policymakers (Najam & Bari, 2017) .
There has been a huge increase in the number of HEIs that offer EE throughout the globe. The rise of EE stems from the idea that entrepreneurialism is a teachable talent (Fretschner & Weber, 2013) . In addition, encouraging the development of an entrepreneurial mindset among students is feasible (Nabi, Walmsley, Lián, Akhtar, & Neame, 2018) . Education in entrepreneurship (EE) is an effective strategy for nurturing budding business owners. As Azizi and Mahmoudi (2019) point out, EE is in a class by itself in the higher education systems of both developed and developing countries. Rapid and considerable growth in EE has occurred as a consequence of the increasing importance of entrepreneurship in recent years. The importance of evaluation cannot be overstated in light of the fact that EE has been implemented (Galvão, Marques, & Ferreira, 2019) . When looking at emotional experience (EE), the bulk of research has focused on the idea of emotional intelligence (EI). Education in entrepreneurship (EE) has several effects beyond just encouraging budding entrepreneurs to act on their ideas. EE also helps students improve their future opportunities, build their own wealth, and increase their feeling of self-worth. They may also provide opportunities for others to get employment and serve their communities. The importance of EE assessment cannot be overstated. At the end of the course, students will have gained a well-rounded comprehension of information. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the effectiveness of entrepreneurship classes.
1.1. Objectives of the Research
The objective of this study is to:
• Investigating the efficacy of Environmental Education in Higher Education Institutions.
• Examining teachers’ perspectives on environmental education (EE).
• Determine the acquired knowledge and skills that pupils have gained from environmental education.
1.2. Research Question
The objective of this study was to investigate the efficacy of Environmental Education (EE) in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in Lahore. A study investigates the perceptions of educators regarding environmental education (EE). This study will also aid in discerning the information and competencies that students acquire through the programme. This report also offers recommendations to higher authorities for making crucial decisions to enhance energy efficiency in higher education institutions.
• What is the level of effectiveness of entrepreneurship education programmes at higher education institutions (HEIs)?
1.3. Significance
Multiple studies have demonstrated that entrepreneurship is vital in advancing a nation’s economic and social standing (Lumpkin & Dess, 1996; Maritz, Jones, & Shwetzer, 2015; Shah & Soomro, 2017) . Pakistan’s performance in entrepreneurship, as indicated by both national and international measures, is not favourable (Hussain & Norashidah, 2015) . Research has also shown that Entrepreneurship Education (EE) has a significant impact on promoting entrepreneurship (Daniel, 2016; Duval-Couetil, 2013) . The investigation of the role of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in fostering entrepreneurship in the country is insufficient. The majority of research on environmental education (EE) in Pakistan primarily focus on environmental impact (EI) and fail to provide an accurate representation of the true significance and contributions of EE (Ahmed et al., 2010; Alam, Kousar, & Rehman, 2019; Anjum, Ramzani, & Nazar, 2019; Shahid, Imran, & Shehryar, 2018; Tanveer, Shafique, Akbar, & Rizvi, 2013; Usman & Ahmed, 2018) . This study aims to assess the efficacy of environmental education (EE) in Lahore through a qualitative research technique, involving the collection of data from both instructors and students. This study is crucial as it provides an accurate depiction of the relationship between EE and its impact on entrepreneurial growth. This study is significant due to the scarcity of relevant research on the topic, despite efforts to locate such studies. This evaluation technique appears to be more pragmatic than solely relying on the analysis of intentions. This study demonstrates that the inclusion of teachers’ viewpoints reveals how well-designed programmes are and their inclination towards objectivity.
2. Literature Review
The creation of new services, products, and opportunities all originate in the entrepreneur’s quest to find untapped markets. Azizi and Mahmoudi (2019) define innovation as “the making of something out of nothing”, the ability to put one’s ideas into action. Planning and project management are essential for reaching program objectives (Haghighi, Mahmoudi, & Bijani, 2018) . Talent is first and foremost a mindset and way of life (Papagiannis, 2018) . New ideas and solutions need vigor and excitement to implement (Zhang, 2003) . According to Morris, Kuratko, and Cornwall (2013a) , a worldwide economic boom may be attributed to entrepreneurship and innovation. According to research by Morris, Webb, Fu, and Singhal (2013b) , entrepreneurship is the most empowering, democratic, liberating, and transformative force in human history. According to Decker, Haltiwanger, Jarmin, and Miranda (2014) , thriving economies are the result of an entrepreneurial spirit, which fuels growth via the creation of new businesses, which in turn generates jobs and wealth.
According to the European Union’s framework, entrepreneurialism is a vital skill (Papagiannis, 2018) . Governments throughout the globe are monitoring the employment growth potential of startups (Hornsby, Messersmith, Rutherford, & Simmons, 2018) . Entrepreneurship is seen as more important by EU authorities due to its potential to reduce unemployment and boost innovation (Papagiannis, 2018) . Entrepreneurship is on the rise as a result of the shift from a managerial to a “entrepreneurial” economic model (Audretsch & Thurik, 2000) . Jobs, employment, and societal progress are all boosted by entrepreneurial activity (Farrukh et al., 2017) . Anjum et al. (2018) and Prakash et al. (2015) both agree that a robust entrepreneurial community is a key factor in the economic success of developed countries like the United States, Germany, and Japan. Asikhia (2010) explains, entrepreneurs assist those living in poverty by creating jobs, self-employment, reducing crime, ensuring the safety of their families, and other positive social outcomes.
Starting a business is a great way to help the economy. There is a wide range in the quality and quantity of entrepreneurship among developing and developed countries. There are a variety of conflicting viewpoints on what it means to be an entrepreneur. Entrepreneurship is linked to things like individual flourishing, market expansion, and competitiveness. Cooperation, exchange, and partnership are essential elements of entrepreneurship (Boysen, Jansen, & Knage, 2020) . Hernández-Sánchez, Sánchez-Garca, & Mayens (2019) found that entrepreneurs tend to solve problems or make them easier to understand. According to the findings, entrepreneurial behavior is not natural but rather is nurtured via formal training and real-world practice. Individual characteristics may be less important than exposure to an entrepreneurial atmosphere. These skills may be honed by students of any academic background by way of training and business courses (Kuratko, 2005) . We have reached a tipping point when our understanding of what entrepreneurship educators should teach, how entrepreneurship should be learned, and how results should be measured has been outrun by the rapid development of the field itself (Morris & Liguori, 2016) .
2.1. History
According to research by Bell, Callaghan, Demick, and Scharf (2004) , Japan launched its first entrepreneurship program in the late 1930s. Over 500 entrepreneurship programs are available in the United States alone (Maritz, 2017; Nabi, Lián, Fayolle, Krueger, & Walmsley, 2017) , making it the world leader in the sector since the first such program was established in 1947 at Harvard Business School. In the 1970s and 1980s, several were built (Bell et al., 2004) . There has been a 500% increase in the number of universities in the United States that offer courses in entrepreneurship since 1995 (Thomas & Van Slyke, 2019) . The United States is arguably the most advanced in EE (Heriot & Simpson, 2007) and has the longest history of entrepreneurial universities (Karimi, Chizari, Biemans, & Mulder, 2010) . For almost sixty years, universities in North America have included entrepreneurship courses in their curricula (Wilson, 2008) . From 1990 to 2005, the number of institutions offering courses on innovation and entrepreneurship rose dramatically (Solomon, 2007) . Most universities in the United States now have majors in business planning and entrepreneurial management in response to student demand. As schools have expanded, so too have efforts to increase EE inside them (Haghighi et al., 2018) . In the United States, students are encouraged to explore several disciplines. In the United States, courses on entrepreneurship often focus on managerial skills. The courses focus on application and use examples from the actual world. Businesses, corporations, and angel investors may all gain from colleges that emphasize integrated learning. Today, entrepreneurship centers may be found at a wide variety of universities, sometimes with funding from outside sources. The majority of the resources necessary to run entrepreneurship centers in the United States come from successful student entrepreneurs (Haghighi et al., 2018) .
Commercial and entrepreneurial expansion is one of four strategic objectives for British institutions by the year 2000 (Kitagawa & Lightowler, 2013) . To become the most entrepreneurial economy in the world, the United Kingdom’s government launched a new business policy agenda in 2008, highlighting the importance of EE from K-12 all the way through college. In reaction to economic and social changes, the UK government has introduced a number of programs and legislation meant to encourage both individual entrepreneurialism and collective social innovation. Higher education institutions (HEIs) have received funding and support as a result of these kinds of efforts. Over the last decade, there has been a significant increase in the number of extracurricular entrepreneurship education (EE) programs, courses, and events offered at universities in the United Kingdom (UK) (Rae, Martin, Antcliff, & Hannon, 2012) . Many of these strategies rely on government funding.
When Australia finally got its first serious EE program in 1989, it was at Swinburne University of Technology. The government of Australia has also made significant investments in tertiary institutions with the goal of stimulating innovation and entrepreneurship within the student body. Lackéus (2015) and Van Gelderen, Kautonen, and Fink (2015) both agree that EE is crucial to the growth of the market in this sector. The number of universities in Australia that have courses on entrepreneurship is growing (Jones & English, 2004) . Over the last decade, the promotion of entrepreneurship has been a focal point for several Dutch organizations. There are a number of programs available to students who are interested in starting their own enterprises. Many entrepreneurial courses, ideas, concepts, and approaches are considered silly by students who are not majoring in business (Fayolle, 2007) . To aid in the country’s ascent to middle-income status, the government of Malaysia enacted the Higher Education Entrepreneurship Development Policy (HEEDP) in 2010. Malaysia’s tertiary EE strategy is distinguished by the HEEDP’s attempts to develop entrepreneurship centers at all Malaysian HEIs (Bin Yusoff, Zainol, & Bin Ibrahim, 2015) .
The Entrepreneurship Development Program (EDP) in India has been around for a while. It’s a great way to hone the enterprising spirit and learn the ropes that will get you to the top of your field. The EDP was a countrywide movement that originated in the 1960s under the name “industrial campaign.” In the late 1990s, the Chinese government began actively supporting small and medium-sized enterprises. An MBA is highly regarded in China. Some American MBA professors who have been to industrialized nations have encountered EE there. They did something similar with MBA programs in China. The rising demand from businesses for college graduates led to EE’s meteoric rise in popularity among college students (Zhang, 2003) .
Pakistan is progressing. Business innovation was overlooked. The idea of starting a business has been appealing to more people recently. Many students in Pakistan’s rapidly developing economy choose to study business (Usman & Ahmed, 2018) . Companies should avoid setting up shop in Pakistan since government officials there are likely to ignore the country’s sizable informal economy (Qureshi, Cheema, & Sana, 2016) . Government intervention in the market has a chilling effect on creativity and risk-taking in Pakistan. The term “enterprise” has been used to describe successful businesses since 1947. There has been no policy in place to promote company growth (Alam et al., 2019) . When compared to its neighbors, Pakistan suffers from a severe lack of entrepreneurial spirit. Current rules prevent universities from helping entrepreneurs (Anjum et al., 2019) . Despite the success of the entrepreneurial movement, EE is continuously evolving (Alakaleek, 2019) . Most higher education systems throughout the globe have undergone structural and operational shifts since 2006 (Auranen, 2006) , and EE has contributed significantly to these improvements.
2.2. Policy Perspective
Rising unemployment rates and the shift from manufacturing to information-based industries go hand in hand with growing populations. National and international competition are fueled by the globalization of society and technology. To better compete, educational institutions should encourage entrepreneurialism (Haghighi et al., 2018) . However, over the last 40 years, universities have placed considerable emphasis on their third mission: fostering innovation, social change, and economic development. The third mission is what distinguishes entrepreneurial colleges from others (Fayolle & Redford, 2014) . Through knowledge-based activities, it promotes an entrepreneurial mindset among students, new ventures, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).Increasing student entrepreneurship may help with issues including young unemployment, the dearth of professional skills among recent college grads, the development of jobs, and the growth of local economies (Sá & Kretz, 2015; Mudde, van Dijk, Gerba, & Chekole, 2019) . Both developed and developing countries are increasingly prioritizing policies that encourage entrepreneurship and EE. Public policies and linked institutions with the required capacities for entrepreneurs are recommended by Galvão et al. (2019) to foster an entrepreneurial environment. Launching, reviewing, and making adjustments to entrepreneurship programs may all benefit from input from stakeholders, who may have both good and negative effects on the initiatives (Bischoff, Volkmann, & Audretsch, 2018) . Several countries have strengthened their commitment to EE in policy (Chowdhury et al., 2019) . The World Bank and the International Labor Organization (ILO) collaborated to form the Youth Employment Network and launch country-specific EET projects to address the issue of youth and female unemployment (Nyadu-Addo & Mensah, 2018) . Most European nations have included lessons on innovation and entrepreneurship in their basic and secondary school curriculum (Boysen et al., 2020) in response to the EU’s emphasis on entrepreneurship throughout the years. Bin Yusoff et al. (2015) state that poverty on the Malaysian Peninsula fell from 49.3% in 1970 to 16.5% in 1990 as a direct result of the government’s emphasis on entrepreneurship.
Many nations’ leaders have come to realize that investing in their citizens’ education is the best way to foster a dynamic startup culture. Education policy should emphasize EE because it is a direct response to people’s inclination to become entrepreneurs and because it fosters high-growth entrepreneurial activities (Bowen & De Clercq, 2008) . Students are vital to the future of a country and its strategic goals (Sieger, Fueglistaller, & Zellweger, 2016) . Participation from both students and the general public is essential for entrepreneurship programs to succeed (Barnard, Pittz, & Vanevenhove, 2019) . For EE to be of better quality and more practical, universities and businesses need to work together (Byun, Sung, Park, & Choi, 2018) . When national regulatory bodies are robust, EE has a greater impact on student entrepreneurship (Ayob, 2021) . The establishment of EE at public and private HEIs throughout several countries (Coelho, Marques, Loureiro, & Ratten, 2018) highlights the importance of an entrepreneurial orientation in promoting employability, socioeconomic development, and innovation across a range of fields.
2.3. Pedagogical
Universities all around the world are enhancing their curricula to provide a steady supply of budding company owners (Din, Anuar, & Usman, 2016) . There are many entrepreneurship-oriented resources available at many colleges and universities nowadays (Hornsby et al., 2018) . As of yet, entrepreneurship education does not follow a well-established pedagogical paradigm (Galvão et al., 2019) . Even if there has been a huge rise in curriculum variation at business schools, they remain an integral feature of entrepreneurial campuses throughout the world (Hornsby et al., 2018) . Results show significant expansion, especially considering that only around half of HEIs now provide any kind of online service at all (Maritz, Nguyen, & Bliemel, 2019) . In order to better prepare students for their careers, universities often revise their curricula (Din et al., 2016) .
Strategic decision making, personal initiative, collaboration, spotting opportunities, creativity, forward-thinking outcomes, calculated risk-taking, dogged persistence, and a focus on the future are all highly prized in entrepreneurial universities (Morar, 2013) . Alvarez-Torres, Lopez-Torres, & Schiuma (2019) argue that for universities to foster entrepreneurial mindsets among their students, faculty, and local companies, they must prioritize competency-based activities. University EE programs often provide students with extensive guidance throughout the various stages of entrepreneurship (Barnard et al., 2019) . Seminars on business fundamentals, strategic plans for expansion, chances to make professional connections, work with other students, and access to university resources are all necessary components of a well-rounded EEP. There are opportunities to learn about innovation, teamwork, communication, company development, and technology. Knowledge of the startup world, a willingness to embrace unpredictability, and a knack for making things happen are all assets to EE (Srivastava, Satsangi, & Satsangee, 2019) . Education programs and courses are critical to fostering entrepreneurship, but specialist seminars and the promotion of business ideas are critical to expanding the breadth of business education and locating new chances for training. Dukhon, Zinkovsky, Obraztsova, & Chepurenko (2018) argue that universities should include entrepreneurship education within the standard business curriculum to foster creativity, development, and innovation. According to Mwasalwiba’s (2010) new paradigm for EE, studies show that educators and researchers are more interested in how students’ worldviews shift rather than how new businesses are created. In addition to the basics of self-employment, students in EE should be introduced to the fundamentals of entrepreneurship (Nyadu-Addo & Mensah, 2018) .
Teachers of EE should be familiar with the research on the value of interdisciplinary education (Penaluna, Coates, & Penaluna, 2010) , the need to contextualize EE (Carey & Matla, 2010) , the advantages of include work experience in EE programs (Mills, 2012) , and the employment outlook for EE graduates. If the facilitator is knowledgeable and enthusiastic, this is achievable, as suggested by Arthur and Adom (2019) . He thinks that facilitator effectiveness may be increased by learning about business and pursuing entrepreneurship as a profession. EE facilitators serve several purposes, including providing material and perhaps motivating receivers. Incorrect categorization of EE is a major source of mistrust among educators (Fejes, Nylund, & Wallin, 2019) . Successful teams will look to university mentoring programs as a stepping stone to angel funding. By acquiring talent, universities may better support the development of start-ups by providing speakers, mentors, and trainers to early-stage companies (Dukhon et al., 2018) . Graduates’ levels of entrepreneurial belief and attitude are significantly correlated with the efficacy of the curriculum and the efficiency with which resources are used. Saji and Nair (2018) found no correlation between students’ exposure to entrepreneurs and their own entrepreneurial motivations.
In order to instill in students the discipline necessary to launch a company, community project, or acquire new social skills, a firm hand is required. Students’ ability to learn and grow is facilitated via collaboration and the development of projects (Neck & Corbett, 2018) . According to a recent study by Barnard et al. (2019) , new EE programs may need to include more “implementation practice” in their curriculum. The majority of current EE frameworks focus on classroom instruction and the analysis of business plans rather than on hands-on experience (Scott, Penaluna, & Thompson, 2016) .
2.4. Impact
No conclusive evidence for the impacts of EE was discovered by Martin, McNally, and Kay (2013) . Pros and downsides of EE have been found in assessments (Fayolle, 2013; Martin et al., 2013; Nabi et al., 2017) , suggesting that the effects of EE are not uniformly positive or negative. While children with prior entrepreneurial experience showed the reverse effect, EE has been shown to boost EI in pupils who were poor or absent before school (Fayolle & Gailly, 2015) . It has been well shown that EE raises students’ EIs (Bae, Qian, Miao, & Fiet, 2014; Martin et al., 2013) , however this may be exaggerated (Otache, 2019) . The study sparked further inquiry and encouraged the introduction of EE programs at additional universities throughout the globe (Egerová, Eger, & Mik, 2017) . Ismail, Sawang, & Zolin (2018) found that the connection between EE and EI is moderated by the presence of skill.
Hussain and Norashidah (2015) and Oguntimehin (2018) both find that EE has a significant effect on students’ EI. According to the study by Hussain and Norashidah (2015) , EE may benefit from both general entrepreneurial knowledge (know-what) and awareness of unique network development (know-who). Based on the findings, it seems that neither family businesses nor EE alone foster the drive to pioneer novel ideas and ventures. Entrepreneurs are shaped and launched by their unique blend of personality traits, upbringing, social networks, and access to capital (Usman & Ahmed, 2018) . Students had low levels of entrepreneurial motivation, according to another study. Strong predictors of student entrepreneurship include self-reflection and family background, whereas gender has a negligible influence and increasing age reduces the likelihood of launching a successful business. Surprisingly, students who major in entrepreneurship have a more negative view of self-employment than the general public (Tanveer et al., 2013) . According to the research of Nabi et al. (2018) , EE both raises and lowers EIs. The significant increase in good intentions has produced a plethora of valuable educational opportunities in which EE has been the primary emphasis rather than business. Students’ EI decreases because they get a more realistic and practical perspective on entrepreneurship even as they strengthen their own identities. Third, there is movement in the EE-EIs connection. EIs are also impacted by students’ ages, ethnicities, levels of family support, and levels of entrepreneurship-driven enthusiasm.
Although EE has been shown to improve entrepreneurial abilities, a recent evaluation of the literature suggests that it has little to no effect on EI. This may be the result of a short-term or subjective approach. The favorable EE and EI associations shown by Bae et al. (2014) were robust but not universal. The EE-EI link was also shaped by several theories. There is strong evidence between EE with EI, according to human capital and entrepreneurial self-efficacy theories. Differential effects theories include the two-factor theory and the idea of planned behavior. The Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) developed by Ajzen is another well-known EI model (Alam et al., 2019) . Growth in entrepreneurship is a desired outcome of many educational initiatives (Galvão et al., 2018) .
2.5. Assessment
Evaluating EE programs before they launch is useful for planning their content, goals, and methodology. EE programs should evaluate and make changes to the curriculum to boost medium and long-term performance (Galvão et al., 2019) . Programs that undergo regular evaluation tend to have higher rates of success. Effectiveness (accomplish goals) and efficiency (achieve goals and setup features) are two possible metrics for assessment (Galvão et al., 2019) . Educational context, course diversity, country variances, etc. (Hernández-Sánchez et al., 2019) all contribute to the complexity of EE system assessment.
An excellent entrepreneurship curriculum will motivate students to create their own opportunities for employment, financial security, personal growth, community service, global impact, and personal fulfillment. Normal EE operation. Studies have shown that these kind of programs encourage entrepreneurship in local communities (Hernández-Sánchez et al., 2019) . Multiple studies (Millman, Li, Matlay, & Wong, 2010; Murugesan & Jayavelu, 2015) employ EI as a measure of EE achievement. Those who care are only as efficient as they are motivated and believe they are valuable. Is there a particular reason this unit (or paper) is required? Who are they, and what do they want? In order to evaluate success, it is necessary to find out the answers to these questions (Scott et al., 2016) . Students’ access to capital and the encouragement of risk-taking have both benefited from the scheme. Coelho et al. (2018) found that EE had a critical role in shifting attitudes and opening up new commercial possibilities. High-quality EE and an entrepreneurial culture have been shown to enhance the number of new businesses founded by graduates in surveys conducted in 67 countries between 2014 and 2016. According to the findings, students gain from high-quality EE, and peer networks have a greater impact on student entrepreneurs than universities do (Ayob, 2021) . Young children are less open to the environment around them since they are still developing cognitively (Bergmann, Hundt, & Sternberg, 2016) . Despite its meteoric rise, entrepreneurship in higher education is still mostly unplanned and disorganized. University entrepreneurship programs are one example of a new kind of organization whose goals and objectives aren’t always apparent (Kuratko & Morris, 2018) .
Adolescents who are particularly at risk may find a safe space in EE since it fosters long-term benefits for young people (Geldhof, Weiner, Agans, Mueller, & Lerner, 2014) . According to a survey (Jennings, Shore, Strohminger, & Allison, 2015) , young people of color who come from disadvantaged backgrounds are interested in business careers. Krause, Chapman, and DeJaeghere (2013) found that EE increased financial literacy and vocation awareness among economically disadvantaged kids. An empirical analysis (Hussain, Bhuiyan, Said, & Ab. Halim, 2017) concluded that EE increases access to resources and decreases poverty. The number of college grads who go into business for themselves drops unexpectedly when they have access to EE (Otache, 2019) . Only 24 out of 1968 EE-affected graduates in Malaysia were found to be self-employed, according to research by Othman, Hashim, and Ab Wahid (2012) . According to data from 2016-2017, just 1% of UK graduates set up shop in the first six months after graduation (Watson & McGowan, 2019) . Traditional business courses really work against the development of innovative new ventures. There is a widening chasm between academia (theory) and business (practice), and entrepreneurial educators are strongly against attempts to explain education and assessment (Murray, 2019) .
Alvarez and Barney (2014) found that EE has the potential to increase creativity, decrease poverty, and create new jobs. “Venture creators” are prototypical student entrepreneurs who, according to four patterns in student logic and sense making, wish to launch a firm. Second, those who call themselves “experience seekers” are interested in gaining work experience but do not regard themselves as entrepreneurs. Finally, “explorers” are looking for possibilities to put their knowledge of entrepreneurship into practice before deciding whether or not it’s a smart career choice. Eventually, “engagers” put their budding business acumen to the test (Sá & Holt, 2019) . Most entrepreneurship student research (Kwong & Thompson, 2016) focuses on adjusting for entrepreneurial purpose, behavior, and result. There is a wide range in the amount of preplanning and goal-setting that students who take part in entrepreneurship studies do (Sá & Holt, 2019) . Studies show that many recent grads have no plans to start their own businesses anytime soon (Duval-Couetil & Long, 2014) . While over half of respondents expressed interest in launching their own business, just 9% intended to do so upon graduation (Sieger et al., 2016) .
It is challenging to change students’ preparedness to invest in start-ups unless institutional contexts pick specific university programs to encourage an entrepreneurial mentality. Students’ perceptions of EIs, a crucial part of entrepreneurial systems, are negatively impacted by the tense environment. As Alves et al. (2019) point out, this might happen in a variety of developing countries. According to Hägg, Kurczewska, McCracken, and Matlay (2016) , EE has to go beyond measuring only behavior in order to accurately gauge professional development. The most common outcome measured in EE is the intent to launch a business, although this is by no means exhaustive (Almeida, Daniel, & Figueiredo, 2021) . What students will know and be able to do as a result of this course is described in the learning outcomes (Azizi & Mahmoudi, 2019) . Education and training aimed at encouraging entrepreneurship will address the demand and supply sides equally, with an emphasis on the latter. Evaluation of the demand side is necessary for designing programs with the potential for positive entrepreneurial outcomes (Martín-Cruz et al., 2012) .
3. Methodology
3.1. Research Design
Qualitative studies deal with the social aspect of research. When the problem is not easily identifiable and there is an established desire to learn as much as possible about it, researchers often turn to qualitative research methods (Rutberg & Bouikidis, 2018) . The purpose of this grounded theory is to investigate how successful EE is by analyzing the opinions of individuals in Pakistan. Although there are several methods for doing qualitative research, semi-structured interviews were used in this investigation. The study was cross-sectional, and data were collected at regular intervals. Educators from six Lahore higher education institutions provided the data. Some of the universities in this category include the University of the Punjab, the University of the Central Punjab, the University of South Asia, the University of COMSATS, the University of Superior, and the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences.
Research facilities are the actual locations where the research takes place. The research was done in a variety of Lahore universities. In this investigation, a real-world environment was used. No fabricated conditions were employed in this investigation. The researcher hardly interacted with the subjects. All questions were free-form, and answers may be given how the responder saw fit.
3.2. Analysis Unit
The unit of analysis is fundamental to every technique. Damşa and Jornet (2020) note that this statement “specifies the object of investigation”. In this investigation, people served as the basic analytical unit. Individual interviews with educators were used to evaluate the success of EE. In order to provide a complete picture of EE, we surveyed teachers on a variety of related topics. The research set out to determine whether or not EE had a significant impact in the success of entrepreneurs.
3.3. Sampling & Population
The information comes from Lahore’s higher education institutions’ instructors. Since it was impossible to survey all Lahore higher education institutions, only six were included in the analysis. These six universities were selected for their proximity to where the students would live, and three are public and three are private. Six distinct Lahore higher education institutions’ faculty members provided the information. Ten educators were interviewed extensively. Half of the educators interviewed came from schools in the public sector, while the other half came from schools in the private sector. These 10 responders were chosen in part because they are designated and approved school staff for entrepreneurship courses.
3.4. Method of Sampling
Lahore is home to around 30 educational institutions. Collecting from professors at tertiary institutions is not possible. The data was gathered using a sampling method that was both quick and easy. The lockdown and the COVID-19 virus make this method of data collection preferable. The information was gathered via semi-structured interviews. At first, the respondents were briefed on the overall purpose of the research. They were briefed on the scope and purpose of the research. Respondents were assured their answers would be kept confidential, and they were informed they may end the interview at any moment if they were uncomfortable. Respondents’ desire to learn was taken into account while defining technical words and fielding inquiries. Participants were given enough time and space to share their thoughts and feelings. To get to the meat of their statements, several inquisitive questions were also asked. In addition to recording the conversation, brief notes were taken throughout the session for later analysis. An audio recording and brief notes were utilized to transcribe the interview. After performing transcription and thematic analysis to identify the overarching themes, the data was used to inform the development of the interview codes. These categories and ideas were then used to answer the study’s central question.
4. Empirical Findings
In my conversations with educators, I uncovered the following four overarching themes: an entrepreneurial attitude, an entrepreneurial orientation, the establishment of ventures, and the provision of institutional support. After chatting to the teacher, I saw four overarching themes: an entrepreneurial outlook, an entrepreneurial orientation, an adventurous spirit, and the ability to create new experiences. The entrepreneurial attitude of pupils is a frequent topic of discussion in classrooms. They changed for the better as a result of their exposure to Entrepreneurship Education (EE). Research shows that in order to orient pupils about entrepreneurship, instructors introduce them to a variety of academic information and ideas and attempt to instill a variety of practical abilities inside them. Students acknowledge the importance of both the theoretical and practical components for an entrepreneurial attitude, but research suggests that students are more motivated by the practical components. The primary goal of entrepreneurship is to inspire students to take action and launch their own business. Teachers take a keen interest in this, and they provide students with many opportunities to learn about and practice every step of the business cycle, from brainstorming to pitching to funding. That way, during events like the entrepreneurship gala, students will be prepared to propose their own company plans. Some academic institutions also help students get their businesses off the ground by providing funding and encouragement. At addition, they value the hands-on training they get at all stages of the innovation and commercialization processes. However, most people’s exposure to the process of starting a business is confined to the occasional entrepreneur’s ball. According to educators, this is mostly due to a lack of institutional backing. In the eyes of educators, the HEC is not fulfilling its pivotal function, and neither is there any coordination between the many players in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, including the government, the private sector, and educational institutions. Students’ indifference and procrastination kill entrepreneurial spirit. The issue will worsen, the results reveal, unless they are addressed first.
Teacher’s Perspective
Entrepreneurship is gaining popularity throughout the globe (Song & Winkler, 2014; Farrukh, Sajid, Zreen, & Khalid, 2019) . The significance of entrepreneurs to economies has also been underlined by developed nations (Prakash et al., 2015) . Developing nations, such as Pakistan, benefit more from an entrepreneurial spirit (Dimov, 2007; Usman & Ahmed, 2018) . EE is gaining traction as a tool for encouraging business startup. Education on entrepreneurship is increasingly being offered at Pakistani universities. The course’s primary objective is to have pupils thinking like entrepreneurs.
According to research (Kuratko & Morris, 2018) , EE has received widespread support throughout the globe. Universities in Pakistan have been developing and marketing it as a product in a variety of disciplines during the last several years. The efficiency of this has been called into doubt as its significance grows. To what degree it has promoted and supported itself is shown by this inquiry. Data is gathered from educators at all levels to better understand how this initiative is being implemented and how it is being used to foster entrepreneurial spirit in the community. The goal of this data collection is to learn how students feel about the program and whether or not it was beneficial to them. The data collecting from both sides has been quite useful for pinpointing areas of disagreement and drawing attention to areas of agreement between students and instructors.
Entrepreneurial mindset, venture creation, business orientation, and structural support are the four most common topics discussed with educators in this study. Gibb (2005) proposed the same three major goals for a good EE program that those highlighted in this study: an entrepreneurial mindset, venture creation, and a business orientation. Based on empirical research (Lindberg, Bohman, Hulten, & Wilson, 2017; Pihie & Sani, 2009; Wardana et al., 2020) , it is clear that the primary goal of EE is to alter students’ worldviews. Educators strive to transform their pupils from job-seekers into entrepreneurs. They want the pupils to think big and not be limited by the 9-5 workday. By depicting the lavish lifestyles of successful businesspeople, they want to influence pupils to think differently. They inform students on the present employment climate, which helps them realize that they are responsible for their own success. In order to shift people’s perspective and encourage them to consider entrepreneurship, they also discuss the commercial potential available in developing nations. The results suggest that instructors inspire students to alter their perspectives by instilling a sense of enthusiasm and convincing them that this is the best path for them to take if they want to build a successful profession and live a comfortable lifestyle. Entrepreneurs, students are told, are people who are both creative and driven by a desire to make a difference in the world (Godar, O’Connor, & Taylor, 2005; Ribeiro-Soriano, 2017) .
According to research, educators also challenge students to think beyond the box and consider how they might contribute to the growth of society and the economy (Meyer & de Jongh, 2018) . Entrepreneurship is the finest alternative for those who want to do something meaningful for their nation, since it allows them to help others while also lightening the load on government. Adopting a more optimistic outlook and forcing pupils out of their comfort zones are two effective strategies for altering their worldview (Wardana et al., 2020) . They urge students to stop putting off starting their own businesses and start doing something about it. To help students make the transition from employee to entrepreneur, teachers use a variety of methods, including holding seminars and assigning case studies. To help students develop a more positive outlook on entrepreneurship, educators sometimes bring in guest speakers to talk about their experiences in the business world.
Teachers don’t only emphasize information to familiarize pupils with it; they also emphasize the mentality (Matlay, 2009; Pickernell et al., 2011) . They are committed to providing as much useful information as they can so that their firm may thrive in the future. In order to prepare pupils to succeed in the business world of the future, a wide variety of ideas and theories are taught to them. In the classroom, students learn everything from how to brainstorm to how to set up a company. Business trends are discussed in the classroom so that students may think creatively and responsibly in the workplace. This course is offered to a wide range of students, not only those majoring in business, so that they may each develop the skills necessary to launch a successful enterprise in their chosen profession.
Teachers encourage students in developing skills and information that will be useful to them in addition to imparting the fundamental knowledge or orient connected to it, according to studies. Students are introduced to business ethics and principles, which are discussed in depth to help them understand and incorporate them into their own personal and professional development. Teachers also provide children with the ability to recognize right from wrong. So, they shouldn’t resort to dishonest measures only to get what they want now. Considering this, the teachings of Islam are the most lucid and trustworthy source for personal and professional ethics. Teachers instill in their pupils a firm moral compass via religious instruction.
Students who want to be entrepreneurs in the modern economy will need more than theoretical knowledge to succeed in the industry. As important as other abilities, ideas, and theories may be, interpersonal competence is crucial in this context. Elmuti, Khoury, and Omran (2012) and Allinson, Chell, and Hayes (2000) agree that entrepreneurs need strong personalities and interpersonal abilities to succeed. Taking risks is essential in entrepreneurship, and students are given specific guidance on how to manage these risks. Students are introduced to risk calculation using a variety of methods. Since entrepreneurship is a practical endeavor, students need to learn more than just theoretical principles. Teachers stressed the need of establishing personal connections in a society that is more interconnected. Teachers encourage their students to cultivate professional relationships and even provide them with a forum for doing so, stressing the need of networking in today’s cutthroat business environment. instructors may interfere with students in network building or urge students to go out into the market and develop networks on their own, but either way, instructors recognize the importance of network building for fostering students’ creative output and idea generation. Negotiation skills are stressed alongside network development because of their importance to a company’s overall success. They learn from their educators how to bargain with various parties to maintain a win-win arrangement.
The fundamental goal of this curriculum is to become an entrepreneur, and teachers have made it clear to their pupils (Agwu, Onwuegbuzie, & Ezeifeka, 2017) . Students are encouraged to develop their own businesses and teachers are there to help them get started. Teachers often encourage students to think outside the box and come up with fresh, original concepts that take into account and improve upon contextual elements. Change agents, educators help students make their visions a reality. Teachers aid students in developing business plans, the written expression of an otherwise inchoate concept. The majority of class time was devoted to instructing students on business plan creation. In the last year of college, students are expected to submit a fully developed business plan for their ventures. After presenting their concept to the university-appointed panel and receiving approval, students are given the green light to put their business plans into action. Finding a way to fund the implementation of the business plan is the single most crucial step (Paulson & Townsend, 2004; Somoye, 2013) . Some universities provide a venue for students to solicit funding from investors, stakeholders, and the general public by working in tandem with faculty members who provide instruction and feedback on how best to present a company’s business model. However, other schools just direct pupils to a website where they may start earning money. In both cases, lecturers instruct students on how to amass wealth and put it to good use over time.
In this course, educators foster an environment that encourages original thinking. Students are warned by their instructors that “there is a tough competition in the market and you won’t survive long if you go in the market with the same product which is already available in the market,” so they must “do something unexpected, something new, creative, and innovative” (either with the product itself, its quality, or the process by which it is presented to the market) in order to succeed. If you want to break into the market, you don’t have to come up with a whole new product; you may just make existing ones more visually appealing. To make sure their kids get the most out of the curriculum, almost all schools have some kind of “entrepreneurship gala” when teams of students present their prototype businesses. Due to a lack of resources and funding, public institutions in the United States also host formal Galas, although they are much less in scope.
Among the many positive and useful aspects of this curriculum shown by this research is that students learn about the market, monitor the market, and assess the markets in their own best interest. It is common practice for educators to assign students to visit many marketplaces, do market research, and compare and contrast the things sold there. By doing so, they may learn about new markets, goods, and rivals, as well as locate financial backers for their company plans. While the need for entrepreneurs is on the rise, empirical research shows that these nations often lack the institutional framework to facilitate this trend (Farrukh et al., 2017; Hussain & Norashidah, 2015) . The Higher Education Commission (HEC), which is responsible for education policy in Pakistan, is not very influential in this area. HEC just provides general guidelines for the program’s academic component to universities and other institutions; it does not specify the program’s central component, its actual execution. Universities view this as a good thing and a chance to stand out from the competition by showcasing their version of the program.
According to research (Anjum et al., 2019) , the lack of coordination between institutions, students, and stakeholders is the primary cause of the program’s insignificance and lack of output. Due to poor lines of communication, Pakistan lacks both an up-to-date database on entrepreneurship and a comprehensive strategy on the topic at the national level. There is no institutional mechanism for vetting and releasing business concepts to stakeholders for testing and implementation in the market. There is no framework for students to take their ideas and turn them into reality; all the effort falls on the shoulders of professors. The lack of funding and interest from key stakeholders is preventing its development in Pakistan. Students aren’t invested since there isn’t enough institutional backing, enough funding, or representation from key stakeholders. Students only attend since it is required for graduation. All of these reasons contribute to the steadily deteriorating state of this program.
5. Conclusion
Finding out how much of an impact Entrepreneurship Education (EE) is having on the expansion of the entrepreneurial sector was the primary motivation for this research. The study of entrepreneurship is one such field that is receiving a lot of attention these days. Education in entrepreneurship is becoming more important in inspiring young people to pursue business ownership. Pakistan is also investing heavily on entrepreneurship education. Universities are also actively selling EE to interested parties. In this research, we aimed to ascertain whether the EE goals of institutions were being met. The questions were designed to help researchers pinpoint the specific goals of EE in the classroom, both in terms of content and pedagogy. In addition, we want to hear what our students have learned from this course and how they feel about the EE. In order to gauge the degree to which the lessons were successfully conveyed. The research has benefited greatly from the empirical data it gathered.
Since the need for entrepreneurs is growing, it is more important than ever to track the results of entrepreneurship education programs. The developed world recognizes the value of fostering an entrepreneurial mindset via education and has prioritized the growth of entrepreneurship education. In a developing nation like Pakistan, where young make up 64% of the population and unemployment is rampant, entrepreneurship and EE take on greater significance. According to the data, educators and students alike recognize the value of EE as a tool for fostering an entrepreneurial mindset. The research demonstrates that one of EE’s main functions is to encourage students to adopt a more entrepreneurial outlook. Students recognize that EE has had an effect on their thought processes. These results also indicate that students get an entrepreneurial orientation and are taught the abilities they’ll need to become entrepreneurs. Research shows that students are not engaged by the theoretical component of this foundational knowledge and abilities, but that the applied nature of EE has a significant impact on their learning. Findings from empirical research confirm that encouraging students to launch their own businesses is important to the EE curriculum. The results show that educators give students considerable leeway when coming up with business ideas. They teach students how to navigate the whole innovation and commercialization cycle. Students are given the opportunity to develop their business ideas via events like the entrepreneurship gala, but are then left to fend for themselves. The empirical data reveals that structural support was a major issue for both the educators and the learners. The results indicate that the output of EE is subpar because of poor communication and collaboration among the many parties involved in the field (government, industry, and academia). The lack of entrepreneurship policy and the key role of HEC are also hurting the efficacy of Entrepreneurship Education, the findings suggest.
This study provides a solid foundation upon which future academics might build their understanding of Entrepreneurship Education. I have only been able to gather data from six institutions because of my limited time, money, and access to smart locks. In the future, researchers may use all or most of Lahore’s institutions to conduct more comprehensive studies. Three public and three private institutions provided the data for this study. In the future, researchers will have the option of collecting data from both public and private institutions. In the future, researchers may take a quantitative or mixed-methods approach to their studies for broader insights. Similar to how the data for this research was acquired only from universities; the results reveal that there is a lack of coordination among the stakeholders (government, industry, university etc.) of EE. The government and business sectors may be included in future studies evaluating EE’s efficacy. Since this study found that HEC does not provide a standardized outline for EE, it is incumbent upon future researchers to develop such an outline, taking into account government, industry, and university perspectives in order to better prepare students for the job market.
List of Abbreviations
EE: Entrepreneurship Education
EEP: Entrepreneurship Education Program
EI: Entrepreneurial Intention
HEIs: Higher Education Institutions
HEC: Higher Education Commission
HEEDP: Higher Education Entrepreneurship Education Development Program
EDP: Entrepreneurship Development Program
Interview Protocol
An interview guide was used to collect data from respondents. Most of the questions were drawn up in the light of the literature. An interview guides were shared below.
Semi-structured interview guide for teachers
Q1. Tell me about your entrepreneurship education program?
Q2. How have you designed this program?
Q3. Does HEC define any standards to design the program?
Q4. Does your program is according to the standards of HEC?
Q5. What are these standards of HEC?
Q6. Kindly tell about the learning objectives of this program?
Q7. What type of knowledge your program offered to student?
Q8. What skills your program impart in student?
Q9. What are the abilities student have at the end of the program?
Q10. Which core values students received from your program?
Q11. Which type of attitude your program build in student at the end of program?
Semi-structured interview guide for students
Q1. How do you perceive EEP when you join the program?
Q2. What type of theoretical knowledge you learned from the program?
Q3. What type of practical skills you gained from this program?
Q4. Which core values you learned from the program?
Q5. Which type of attitude program build in you at the end of program?
Q6. Did this program build intentions in yourself to start your venture?
Q7. Does the program teaches calculate risk taking?
Q8. Does the program teach you how to raise funds for venture?
Q9. Does the program provide a platform for network building?
Q10. Does the program teach you how to negotiate with shareholders?
Q11. Did you start your own venture at the end of the program or have you developed any entrepreneurial idea?
Q12.Do you have any idea about conducting marketing research?
Q13. Did you learn how to build a feasibility report and business plan?
Q14. Does the program help you to shift your idea into business or if you don’t have idea then helped you in building idea?