DR. I.J. OJEAGA

This study assessed business education students’ perception of entrepreneurship studies as a potent tool for national transformation in tertiary institution in Edo State. The prevalence of Business Education graduates unemployment in spite of their exposure to the entrepreneurship content of the curriculum is also a major concern to the various stakeholders. Many graduates of Business Education prefer seeking for ready-made employment or remaining unemployed to creating jobs through solving societal problems. The inability to secure paid employment often compel many unemployed graduates to engage in several nefarious activities such as kidnapping, armed robbery, assassination, or create unbearable situations such as poverty, hunger, lack of productive employment, and decent work shortfall in the country. A survey research design was adopted in this study where the primary data were obtained through questionnaire administered to 100 business education students in tertiary institution in Edo State. The researcher employed tables, simple percentage, mean and standard deviation to analyze the research questions. The finding showed that there is a positive influence of business education students’ perception on entrepreneurship studies as a tool for self-employment. It was also discovered that there is a positive relationship between business education students’ perception and entrepreneurship studies as a tool for poverty reduction. Further finding revealed that there is a positive influence of business education students’ perception on entrepreneurship studies as a tool for self-reliance. It was concluded that business education students’ perception of entrepreneurship studies is a potent tool for national transformation in tertiary institution in Edo State. Recommendations were that there is a need for Business Education Departments in tertiary institution in Edo State to provide skills acquisition programmes in diverse fields in order to change the narrative of business education students’ perception of entrepreneurship studies. Tertiary institution in Edo State should stimulate students‘ interest towards the choice of career in business education and entrepreneurship studies among others.