Forget the usual school bell and textbooks, Midlands International School’s Grade 7 learners had customers to impress and businesses to run on September 3.

The learners transformed their market day into a hive of activity, selling everything from food and refreshments to beauty services while testing out their own creative business ideas.

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

Read more: Midlands International School learners explore diverse career paths

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.

“They are learning how to start a business, how to manage it and how to run it. We are also teaching them financial literacy and how to handle money.”

Also read: Midlands International School career day opens learners’ eyes to future careers

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.

“They are interacting with other learners, and it helps build their confidence. We are also teaching them teamwork because they are working in groups. 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.

“They are keeping the money they made and the profits they make because we want them to enjoy 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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