Full Project – The role and importance of cooperative education towards cooperative development in Imo state

Click here to Get this Complete Project Chapter 1-5

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Cooperative education is a technique of learning that many perceive as being preferred over competitive situations. The concept is that of “divided we fall, united we stand” (Johnson, Johnson, & Smith, 1991). Colleges and universities, along which other adult educational establishments, need to encourage a change from the concept that learning is an individualistic and competitive endeavour. By learning together, students will learn more in a shorter amount of time while developing social skills and teamwork, two team-building talents that will make them successful later in life.

As students, adults are “a different breed”. Many may have little or no interest in returning to school after graduation, whether from high school, basic training, trade school, college, or graduate school. Then there are the “professional students” who never stop learning and hesitate to leave school for whatever reason.

Adults who become aware they are in need of further education usually have an idea or plan of what they require in the way of additional knowledge and training. According to Knowles (1990), adult learning is “a process of active inquiry, not passive reception. “In other words, adults are going to seek out the knowledge they need or in which they have an interest. They can be demanding and know what they should be getting for their educational dollar, whether they or their company are paying the tuition bill. Many approach additional education or training with a sense of excitement while others might experience anxiety or dread.

Returning to school, having the nerve to get involved in a training course at work, or making the decision to begin graduate school may take a lot of personal courage on the part of some adults. There are many factors involved in making such a decision. Something that may help an adult with the decision is the knowledge that he or she is not alone when it comes to the fears and misgivings they are experiencing regarding “going back to school”.

While there are those who fear a return to school, there are students who are very excited about going back to school for further study. Each of these groups of adult students can benefit from one another, those who are anxious about returning to school can find encouragement from the more confident while the latter group can learn compassion from the former. Through concepts of cooperative learning, adults can enhance their knowledge and skills in a shorter time than while working individually. By sharing their workload and disseminating information more quickly, adult students may realize their goals more readily and thoroughly (Johnson, et al, 1991).

Adult learning and cooperative education are two terms or “buzzwords” in use lately in the field of education. Educators refer to adult education in context of graduate education, continuing education, on-the-job training, and in other ways which may or may not incorporate cooperative learning techniques.

Cooperative learning is an educational idea that is rather old. This technique, referred since Biblical times, has not been used much in the last two centuries. This is however, changing. Cooperative education is important in terms of dealing with higher levels of learning, and in particular, adult education. Cooperative education is a learning style useful for every level of education from kindergarten through graduate studies. It is however, of particular importance regarding adult learning. Many universities, colleges, schools, and businesses are realizing the merit of this teaching and learning technique. This is particular true regarding older students.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

The role and importance of cooperative education is one of the cooperative principles which seek to provide education/training for cooperative members, elected and representative, manager and employees, so that they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives. Its importance cannot be overemphasized in cooperative development, the role and importance of cooperative education stand in the center of the cooperative movement.

From the inception of early cooperative Rochdale, the pioneers of the world cooperative movement, one of the unique tasks, embarked was philosophy and practice of cooperative, even in recent review of cooperative principles in 1966, the traditional cooperative alliance (ICA) re-stated the role and importance of cooperative education as one of the cardinal principles cooperation. The cooperative societies and the 1993 cooperative decree stipulated that some percentage of the cooperative education for members management or committee members is a body of elected member in cooperative society who handles the affairs and the day to day running of cooperative business enterprise. The importance of management in any organization is axiomatic. The success of failure of an organization depends to a great extent on quality of the management committee.

Therefore officer and management of cooperative business enterprise required a more technical education/training to be able to control the management. Moreover, in order to alleviate the problem of illiteracy, ignorance of member, misconduct and poor management, the role and importance of cooperative education and management cooperative development in Imo State most be tenaciously pursued.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS

Generally, history of cooperative education in the development countries of the world revels that the main cause of rickety foundation of cooperative is lack of the role and the importance of cooperative education.

Lack of the role and importance of cooperative education includes disloyalty of member, high incidence of over-due and unpaid loans, low attendance at meeting, ignorance of members proposals poor member relations bad management, low productivity resulting in little or no surplus, poor public image, inability to change with the times and other harmful result.

Lack of education/training and business in experienced limits the effectiveness of managers, president, secretaries, treasurer and other management committee member. Quite often, some together as members pools cooperative ideology, they enter into cooperative for political or personal interests without adequate knowledge on role and importance of cooperative education to equip them for an effective task. Some cooperative societies, due to their small-size, low memberships, find it very difficult to raise fund sufficient to organized or sponsor special training programmed for their management of cooperative development in Imo State, the role and importance of cooperative education programmed could be taught through seminars, conferences or relevant courses institution of high learning.

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The basic objective of the study is to determine empirically the role and importance of cooperative education towards cooperative business enterprises in specific terms, the objective of the study are:

To determine the importance and role of cooperative education on cooperative development.
To access how the cooperative education/training has affected the effective or ineffective working of the management of cooperative business enterprises in the cooperative sector in Orsu local government area.
To examine the modalities for proper cooperative education and management business enterprise.

1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY

According to the statement of International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) in its 1972 congress, all cooperative societies should make provision for the importance of cooperative education for their member and their employees as well as general public, in the principles and techniques of cooperative both economic and democratic (Agbo 1992).

This study aims at solving the problem of acute shortage of managerial manpower. It also aims at facilitating cooperative development through web designed articulated and functional the role and importance of cooperative education, mass enlightenment and publicity.

1.5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS

Has cooperative education played any important role in the development of cooperative society in Orsu local government area?
Why is it necessary for the management of cooperative business enterprise to have adequate knowledge on cooperative education?
How would you access the importance of cooperative education on the management of cooperative education in your society?
What is the most striking problem that hinders the effective role and importance of cooperative education in cooperative societies at Orsu local government area?
How can cooperative education be enhanced in Orsu local government area?

1.6 SCOPE OF THE study

The study covers a limited number of selected primary cooperative societeis in Orsu local government area. This study focuses on the role and importance of cooperative education towards cooperative management of cooperative business enterprise.

It is certain that it has not been easy for the development or establishment of cooperative societies in Orsu local government area, which will form a basis for valid generalization of all cooperative societies in Nigeria, with regards to their role and importance in Orsu local government area.

1.7 LIMITATION OF THE STUDY

However, the following factors were the limitation of the study;

Lack of Finance: The main factor that can disorganize the effort was lack of finance. To take a wider study on the role and importance of cooperative education towards cooperative business enterprise of cooperative societies in Orsu local government area. Requires a huge some of money which will enable the researcher travel far and wide, searching for valuable materials and information work with.
Inadequate Research Materials: The materials relating to this project were scares and difficult to lay hands on, however best use was made of what was available.

1.8 DEFINITION OF TERMS

A cooperative is an autonomous dissociation of person united voluntary to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs aspiration through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise.
Education/training is a process of designed to give knowledge and develop skills. This is the fifty (ICA) cooperative principle which stipulates the provision of education and training for their member, elected representatives, management of their cooperative.
Management of cooperative business enterprise the government body of a registered cooperative society to whom the management of its affairs in entrusted.
Cooperative education is a technique of learning that many perceive as being proffered over competitive, situation. The concept is that of “divided well fall” “united we stand” (Johnson and Smith, 1992).
Cooperative education may be defined as a structured programme in which period of study match with period of related work experience. At the secondary level cooperative member usually attended classes for part of the day and part of work for the day. This is designed for cooperative members to enable them to be experts and have the knowledge and skill in other to competitor in the market environment.
Cooperative is a legal entity owned and democratically controlled by its members, members often have a close association with the enterprise as producers or consumers of its product or service or as its employees.
Cooperative are typically on the cooperative values of “self-help, self-responsibility democracy and equality, equity and solidarity and seven cooperative principles.
Cooperative are dedicated to the values of openness social responsibility and carry for other such as legal entities have of social characteristics, which members are open, meaning that anyone who satisfies certain non-discriminatory condition may join education training information (ICA 1995) “cooperative provide education, training, for their members, elected representative manager and employment so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperative, they inform the general public particularly young people and “opinion leaders about the nature and benefits cooperative”

Education in cooperative is an essential of the movement and is bound to remain the core of its educational.

Get the Complete Project

This is a premium project material and the complete research project plus questionnaires and references can be gotten at an affordable rate of N3,000 for Nigerian clients and $8 for international clients.

Click here to Get this Complete Project Chapter 1-5

You can also check other Research here: