Chapter One — 1.1 Background to the Study

Entrepreneurial Education has increasingly attracted the attention of researchers, regulators, and practitioners concerned with business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes). This growing interest reflects the recognition that entrepreneurial education does not operate in isolation, but interacts with a wider set of institutional and market conditions found within Selected Federal Government Parastatals in Nigeria.

Selected Federal Government Parastatals in Nigeria presents a useful setting for examining this relationship precisely because the conditions there — structural, regulatory, and behavioural — differ from those typically assumed in the broader literature, most of which draws on evidence from more developed economies.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Despite a growing body of literature on entrepreneurial education, there remains limited consensus on the precise nature of its relationship with business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes), particularly within Selected Federal Government Parastatals in Nigeria. Many organizations continue to make decisions about entrepreneurial education without a clear, evidence-based understanding of how those decisions ultimately affect business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes). This gap between practice and empirical understanding is the central problem this study seeks to address.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

1. To examine the effect of Entrepreneurial Education on business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes) in Selected Federal Government Parastatals in Nigeria.
2. To assess the extent to which entrepreneurial education influences business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes) within the study area.
3. To identify the challenges associated with entrepreneurial education in relation to business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes).
4. To recommend strategies for optimizing entrepreneurial education in order to improve business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes).

1.4 Research Questions

1. What is the effect of entrepreneurial education on business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes) in Selected Federal Government Parastatals in Nigeria?
2. To what extent does entrepreneurial education influence business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes) within the study area?
3. What challenges are associated with entrepreneurial education in relation to business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes)?
4. What strategies can be adopted to optimize entrepreneurial education in order to improve business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes)?

1.5 Significance of the Study

This study is significant to a range of stakeholders. For policymakers and regulators, the findings offer evidence to guide the design of frameworks that support healthier outcomes around business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes). For managers and practitioners within Selected Federal Government Parastatals in Nigeria, the study provides practical insight into how entrepreneurial education can be better managed. Finally, it contributes to the academic literature on entrepreneurship by extending existing knowledge into a specific empirical context, and offers a reference point for future researchers.

1.6 Scope of the Study

The study is limited to an examination of Entrepreneurial Education and its relationship with business survival rate of small and medium enterprises (smes) within the context of Selected Federal Government Parastatals in Nigeria. It reflects a MSc-level scope of analysis and relies on data and perspectives available within that scope; generalizing the findings beyond this specific context should therefore be done with appropriate caution.