Co-operative Education in Africa: Case of Moshi University College of Co-operative and Business Studies, Tanzania
Keywords:
Co-operative Education, Co-operative movements, Co-operative Colleges, AfricaAbstract
Co-operative education is one of the seven Co-operative Principles that requires “education, training and information to be provided to members, leaders, employed staff and the general publicâ€. The origin of the co-operative education is in the United Kingdom. Later on co-operative education spread to other countries including Africa where it was first introduced during the colonial administration. The development of co-operative education in Africa is associated with the growth of co-operative movement. As co-operative movement was growing, the need for co-operative education also increased and hence the establishment of specialized co-operative training institutions.
This paper attempts to discuss provision of co-operative education in Africa, available opportunities, and the challenges involved by drawing the experiences of the Moshi University College of Co-operative and Business Studies in Tanzania. The paper identifies four categories of co-operative education providers, namely: University Colleges, specialized Co-operative Colleges, Departments or Centers, and University based Institutes/Directorates/Departments. Because of these diversities, curricula and practice of co-operative education varies between countries. In some countries, programmes are accredited by accreditation bodies that are not co-operative in nature, while in others programmes are not accredited especially those that are of short-term in nature that are offered through seminars, workshops, Tailor Made Programmes, to mention a few.
During the 1980s through the early 2000s, co-operative education experienced crises as co-operative organizations themselves. However, the resilience that co-operative movements have shown in addressing global financial and economic crises recently has sparked the renewed demands for co-operative education. The re-newal of co-operative development model spearheaded by both the United Nations and the International Co-operative Alliance has enhanced the demand for co-operative education. Despite the renewed interest in co-operative education, there are also challenges that training institutions face, which relate to limited research in co-operative education, limited development of co-operative theory and documentation of practices, development of institutional capacities in offering co-operative education, financing and development of human capital. These challenges call for concerted efforts between institutions, the movements, and governments.
Â
References
• Baumgart, P. N.; Kouzmin, A.; & Martin, A., “Evaluation report on the Co-operative Education for Enterprise Development Programme†(CEED). Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra, 1994.
• Bee, F. K. “ICA AFRICA: Co-operative Development Progress Report, 2009 – 2010â€, ICA ROA, Nairobi, (2011).
• Bee, F. K., “The Impact of Trade Liberalization on Agricultural Marketing Co-operatives in Developing Countries: The Case Study of Tanzaniaâ€, Visiting Research Fellows, VRF Series No. 289, Institute of Developing Economies: Tokyo, 1996.
• Berko, S. Y. “The Expansionist Trend of Influence of the Institute of Co-operation in Developing Countries, Marburg along the West Coast of Africaâ€, in Munkner, Hans (ed.), Making Co-operative Promoters – 40 Years ICD, Marburg Consult/University of Marburg, 2012, pp. 129-147.
• Bisschoff, T.C., “The Role of Co-operative Education in Relationship between Education and Economyâ€, SA Journal of Education, vol.17, no. 20 pp. 53-55, 1997.
• Castillo, Eulogio T., “National Co-operative Education System: A key to Success of Co-operativism in the Philippinesâ€, Malaysian Journal of Co-operative Management, Vol. 3, pp. 86 – 97, July, 2007.
• Chambo, S. A, “Co-operative Education and Training in Tanzaniaâ€, A paper presented at the Institute of Co-operative Studies of the University of Forthare, East London, South Africa, 2009.
• Co-operative College Moshi, A Brief History of Twenty Years of the Co-operative College Moshi, Co-operative College Moshi, 1984.
• Co-operative Education Association, Inc., “Building Co-operative Programmes around the Principles of effective students learningâ€, Learning Outcomes. The Educational value of Co-operative Education, vol. 1, no. 10, pp. 43-52, 1998.
• Co-operative Education Centre, Handbook on Co-operative Education, Co-operative Education Centre, 1970.
• Engelbrecht, L. V., Best Practice of Co-operative Education,. NRF Project, Ref. 15/1/5/2/000 44, 2003.
• Grroenewald, T., “Towards a Definition for Co-operative Educationâ€, International Handbook for Co-operative Education, vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 17-25, 2004.
• Hyden, G., Beyond Ujamaa in Tanzania: Underdevelopment and Uncaptured Peasantry, London, Heinemann, 1980.
• International Co-operative Alliance, “Report of the ICA Commission on the Co-operative Principlesâ€, London, ICA, 1967.
• International Co-operative Alliance, Co-operative Education Materials Advisory Services – CEMAS, ICA Geneva, (1995).
• Kimario, A., Marketing Co-operatives in Tanzania: Problems and Prospects, DUP, Dar es Salaam, 1992.
• Maghimbi, Sam, Co-operatives in Tanzania Mainland: Revival and Growth CoopAfrica Working Paper No. 14, ILO Dar es Salaam, Geneva, 2010.
• Onuoha, E., Principles of Co-operative Enterprises, Enugu Empress Publishing Company Ltd, 1986.
• Pollet, I., Co-operatives in Africa: The Age of Reconstruction – Synthesis of a Survey in nine African Countries, CoopAfrica Working Paper No. 14, ILO Dar Es Salaam, Geneva, 2009.
• Shaw, L. (2010) “Co-operative Education in East and Southern Africaâ€, (Draft) CoopAfrica Working Paper No. ILO Dar es Salaam, Geneva
• Wanyama, Fredrick O. and Pollet, I., Reinventing the Wheel? African Co-operatives in a Liberalized Economic Environment, CoopAfrica Working Paper No. 1, ILO Dar es Salaam, Geneva, 2009.
• Watkins, W. P. “Co-operative Principles, Today and Tomorrowâ€, Manchester Co-operative Union, 1986.
• Wessels, M. L., Reconceptualization of Co-operative Education in the Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa.
• Wikipedia “Education†http://eng.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooperative _education visited on 3 July, 2011.
• Wikipedia “Education†http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CO-OP_education visited on April 6th, 2011.
• Wikipedia “Research†http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research visited on 4th November, 2009).
• Wikipedia “Virtual Learning†http:/en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_learning_environment visited on 3 July, 2011.
• Wilson, J. W.; Stull, W. A. and Vinsonhaler, J., “Rethinking Co-operative Educationâ€, Journal of Co-operative Education, vol. 1, no. 2-30, pp. 154-165, 1996.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
- Papers must be submitted on the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere (except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, or thesis) and are not currently under consideration by another journal published by any other publisher.
- It is also the authors responsibility to ensure that the articles emanating from a particular source are submitted with the necessary approval.
- The authors warrant that the paper is original and that he/she is the author of the paper, except for material that is clearly identified as to its original source, with permission notices from the copyright owners where required.
- The authors ensure that all the references carefully and they are accurate in the text as well as in the list of references (and vice versa).
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
- The journal/publisher is not responsible for subsequent uses of the work. It is the author's responsibility to bring an infringement action if so desired by the author.