9th Meeting of ICA Regional Assembly at Beijing

Status and Progress of Cooperative Education in

Schools (An Indian Perspective)

Presentation by

Anita ManchandaChief Executive

National Cooperative Union of India

India has accorded High Priority to both Higher and Elementary Education in its Educational Policies. In this perspective the School Education has much relevance as it not only makes the children literate but also prepares them to pursue Higher and Specialized Education. It thus builds up a base for their employment as they grow up.

Level of School No. of Schools

Number of Children enrolled

(in millions)

Drop out rate

Primary (I to V) 7,85,950 136 25%

Middle (VI to VIII) 3,20,354 51 46%

Secondary / Sr. Secondary (IX to XII)

1,71,862 41 60%

SCHOOL EDUCATION

Not all the children in the age group of 6 - 14 go to school.

Although Gross Enrolment Ratio has been increased from 10 to 15%, the percentage of dropouts is increasing.

Drop out rate in girls is higher than boys. Educating a girl child is still considered to taboo in many states.

There is acute shortage of infrastructure and teachers all over country.

Right to Education Act, 2009.

Provides for free and compulsory education to all children upto the age of 14. It is now a constitutional commitment and is the fundamental right of all children of age group 6-14 years.

National Policy on Education and Programme of Action.

There is a definite NEP and POA to support the education sector.

Mid-day meal Scheme Provides free meal to school children so as to attract them to schools and give them nutritious diet. This has resulted in higher turn out and less drop out in schools.

National Scheme of incentives for Girls

Special stress is laid on girls’ education. Various incentives in cash & kind are provided to Girls.

GOVT. INITIATIVES TO GIVE THRUST TO

EDUCATION SECTOR

Cooperatives - Need to establish their relevance by entering new areas of activities

Diversification - The biggest challenge before cooperatives is to shed their conventional orthodoxy and visualize new ways to make their impact felt on all sections of the society

Challenges before the cooperative sector

- Involvement of Youth in Cooperatives through systematic exposure to cooperative thought and practice.Study of cooperation as a distinct discipline has not emerged at the level of graduation and post-graduation level except for few universities.

IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL EDUCATION IN THE COOPERATIVE SECTOR

Junior Training Centers 109

Institute of Cooperative Management 14

Regional Institute of Cooperative Management

5

National Institute 1

NCUI INTIATIVES

Leadership Development Programme Capacity Building Programme MBA/MCA Programme

These units provide

These units impart Education & Training to :

Members of Cooperatives Board of Directors Employees of Cooperatives for Developing

Professional & Operational skills. Fresh Graduates – through MBA/MCA

programmes to turn out and induct professionals. Educating Youth about the concept, objectives

and functioning of cooperatives in a generalistic manner.

Implementation of Cooperative Education Field Projects,

Connecting Youth and particularly womenfolk into the Cooperative Movement

Creation of a Forum COOP CONNECT:

Realizing that for image-building of the cooperative sector, the cooperative concept has to be disseminated far and wide. NCUI has created a forum called Coop-Connect. Through Coop-Connect the academic plank of the NCUI will be strengthened with focus on research and study. A unique platform comprising of practitioner/researchers/experts in diverse fields has been created.

TWO PRONGED STRATEGY ADOPTED BY NCUI

STRATEGY I. POPULARISATION OF COOPERATIVE

MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT AMONGST

YOUTH AND PARTICULARLY IN SCHOOLS.

POPULARIZATION OF COOPERATIVE MODEL OF DEVELOPMENT AMONGST YOUTH AND

PARTICULARLY THE SCHOOLS

A blog of Coop Connect has been launched in the

name of www.ncui.net/coop.blog.bhp which

is interactive and has a potential to communicate

the philosophy and achievements of the

cooperative sector to a wider audience.

COOP-CONNECT MEETINGs

Generate interest of cooperative personnel in the emerging issues.

Involve experts who have interest in cooperatives.

Associate experts/officials from national/ international organizations who may like to collaborate with cooperatives in mutual areas of interest.

Sensitize the cooperative management by devising action plans/strategies which may help in policy-formation.

FOCUS OF COOP-CONNECT MEETINGs

Need for initiatives/steps for full sensitization/awareness of cooperatives in school.

Need to propagate cooperatives as value-based economic model in schools.

NCUI and Central Board Secondary Education to work together in various areas like project formulation, developing illustrative school publications on cooperatives etc.

To establish synergies with the educational institutions/organizations so as to connect them to the cooperative agenda by highlighting the importance of cooperative education in schools.

INNOVATIVE SENSITIZATION PROGRAMME FOR SCHOOL STUDENTS

Topics covered : -

Basics of Cooperation.

Achievement of Cooperatives.

Ways to form students cooperatives.

Inter-school quiz competition, essay and debating

competition on cooperative themes.

ICMs & JCTCs – Sensitized to design programmes in

specific areas so that the schools are fully aware about

the concept of cooperatives.

COOPERTATIVE EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS (A PILOT PROJECT)

In the State of Gujarat 5 Schools are taken up to create a hub of

Resource Persons who will interact with schools and provocateur

the idea of cooperatives. The objectives are

Create awareness in schools and communities, develop content

and train the resource persons on aspects like understanding the

cooperative sector, building teaching-learning methods for

students to engage in real life setting, support curriculum related

activities, introduce project/activity based opportunities to support

development skills on cooperation, collaboration, problem

solving, critical thinking, digital literacy, entrepreneurship and

financial management.

The target population will be teachers, students, officials and local community.

The designed outcome will be the development of mock cooperatives.

The project would be closely monitored and once found successful, it will be taken up in other states.

COOPERTATIVE EDUCATION IN SCHOOLS (A PILOT PROJECT)

NCUI- PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP WITH INDUSTRY EXPERT TO PROMOTE AND SUPPORT COOPERATIVES FOCUSING

ON YOUTH.

Empower youth with life and entrepreneurship skills :-

(i) Promote Digital Literacy and Cooperative Education.

(ii) Promote Functional English.

Target groups / Beneficiaries

Cooperative MembersPotential MembersStudentsUnemployed YouthWorking Professionals.

STRATEGY II. PROMOTION / DEVELOPMENT OF COOPERATIVE EDUCATION THROUGH CENTRAL GOVERNMENT, STATE GOVERNMENT AND THROUGH NATIONAL / INTERNATIONAL EDUCATIONAL BODIES LIKE UNESCO.

Through NCERT, SCERT, Ministry of HRD by requesting them to:

Include the study of many facets of Cooperatives in the school Text Books.

Include the role of Cooperatives in National Economy in the syllabus of School Children

Submission of findings of NCUI study report to NCERT showing inadequate and least coverage of cooperatives in the school syllabus.

Request for upgrading the syllabus Submission of a Model Cooperative Project to CBSE

Take up with Central Government and State

Government bodies - NCERT, Educational

Boards/Ministry of HRD and to include detailed

curriculum on cooperatives in the school text

books of social sciences, humanities, economics,

business studies etc.

COOPERATIVE SCHOOLS IN INDIA

Many cooperatives, all over India, are promoting educational institutions of higher learning, management, medical colleges, engineering colleges as an extension of their existing activities.

A stage is set for cooperatives to enter into the business of school education.

Cooperative schools are already their in Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and are coming up in a few other states.

A Cooperative Academy of Professional Education in Kerala is functioning.

Since this concept is in initial Stage there is a need for an acceptable and plausible model to be developed.

FINANCING OF SCHOOL COOPERATIVES

National Cooperative Development Corporation, a premier Institution for Financing Cooperatives in India shall Finance Education Cooperatives

A Proposal submitted to Govt. Of India for approval for financing the educational cooperatives.

NCUI is in touch with NCDC and other organizations to advocate formation and funding of school cooperatives in a big way.

THANK YOU