Grade 7 learners at Midlands International School traded their classrooms for the marketplace on September 3 as they put their entrepreneurship lessons into practice during a school market day.

Learners took on a variety of roles as young entrepreneurs, selling products and offering services to fellow pupils and members of the school community. Their businesses ranged from food and refreshments to beauty services, while others explored different creative business ideas.

Read more: Market Day filled with fun and excitement

The market day formed part of the learners’ economic and management sciences (EMS) curriculum, giving them an opportunity to apply the theoretical knowledge they had gained throughout the term in a practical setting.

EMS teacher Sandra Matangira said the project was designed to give learners a realistic understanding of what it takes to start and run a business. “This week in EMS, our learners have been exploring entrepreneurship. It is a two-part process.

They have their theory, which they do in class, and that leads up to the project, where they have tasks that they complete before the practical part, which is what they are selling today.”

She said learners were taught key entrepreneurial skills, including conducting market research, identifying customer needs and developing products based on their findings. According to Matangira, the project goes beyond teaching learners how to make sales, by introducing them to financial literacy and essential life skills. “They are learning how to start a business, how to manage it and how to run it,” she said. “We are also teaching them financial literacy and how to handle money.”

Also read: Midrand Primary and High School Market Day

Building confidence through teamwork

The project also encourages learners to develop confidence as they interact with customers and promote their products, while teamwork is strengthened through group-based businesses. “Another important life skill is time management because every part of the project has deadlines, and they have to manage their time to meet them.”

Unlike a conventional classroom exercise, learners will also be able to retain the profits generated by their businesses.

Matangira said this was intentional, as the school wanted learners to experience the rewards associated with their hard work. “We want them to actually have a view of what it is like to be a successful entrepreneur,” she concluded.

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