Over a thousand school co-operatives recently took part in the Schools Cooperative Day in Malaysia for young entrepreneurs, which was themed ‘Creativity and Innovation Empowers School Cooperatives’.
Co-operatives have been established and encouraged in schools in Malaysia for over 50 years as a way of introducing young people to the co-operative values and principles and fostering the culture of co-operatives. The Education Ministry in Malaysia aims to have co-operatives in all secondary schools, and so far 2,090 of the 2,190 secondary schools in the country have established co-operatives. Of these, 1,835 have registered as members of Angkasa (the Malaysian Cooperative Commission), meaning they have access to programmes and training.
School co-operatives are involved in projects that help develop the qualities of independence and responsibility, with links to education, business, enterpreneurship and the economy. Students engaged in training through school co-operatives gain more knowledge on the finer points of business at an early age, enabling them to become effective leaders of co-operatives later in life and successful entrpreneurs.
The Schools Cooperative Day, which is organised by ANGKASA and the Education Ministry, has been running annually since 1995. Participants take part in activities such as a quiz, essay writing and drawing competitions, seminars themed around co-operatives and the co-operative movement and a petanque tournament. Prizes include visits to co-operatives and universities in other countries and the opportunity to experience first-hand the co-operative movement around the world.
One programme introduced by ANGKASA is a School Co-operative Tourism Package, which emphasises educational programmes rather than typical tourism and sightseeing. It involves local co-operatives in two ways: they can organise tours for their members to visit other co-operatives or they can host members from other co-operatives, providing students with the opportunity to plan and to manage tourist packages. When a co-operative serves as a host, it provides accommodation and organises the itinerary for the stay, including educational activities. The package is drawn up based on a local historical figure who has contributed to the development of Malaysia and includes a discussion on the figure and his or her contributions. The tour also includes a visit to historical sites relating to the subject. ANGKASA provides training and guidance for this programme.
For more information visit www.learningcentre.coop/resource/angkasa-its-role-development-school-co-operatives-malaysia.