Entrepreneurship education has been positioned as a critical response to South Africa's high youth unemployment and structural inequalities, offering potential pathways for empowerment and economic participation Source: Taylor & Francis Online.
Despite its prominence in policy and curriculum frameworks, the subject remains overly theoretical, exam-driven, and poorly aligned with the realities of township and rural economies Source: Taylor & Francis Online.
The problem addressed in this study was the persistent gap between ambitious national strategies, limited teacher capacity, and the inadequate use of educational technologies, which together have constrained meaningful entrepreneurial learning Source: Taylor & Francis Online.
Research Design and Findings
This study explores how existing policies, curricula, and educational technologies can inform the design of a dual-user, AI-powered sandbox platform that supports entrepreneurship education for pre-service teachers and Further Education and Training (FET) learners in South Africa Source: Taylor & Francis Online.
A qualitative desk-based research design was employed, analysing secondary literature, policy texts, and global innovations in simulation, artificial intelligence (AI), and gamification Source: Taylor & Francis Online.
The findings showed that while policy frameworks articulated strong intentions, their implementation was fragmented, teacher preparation was insufficient for digital and experiential learning, and imported simulation tools were poorly localised Source: Taylor & Francis Online.
Recommendations
The study recommended the development of a contextualised, AI-powered sandbox platform that integrates experiential learning, strengthens teacher training, and aligns entrepreneurship education with South Africa's diverse socio-economic realities Source: Taylor & Francis Online.
