Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – The 1st International Tourism Programme for School Cooperatives reeled off in the Malaysian capital last Monday with close to 20 international delegates participating. The six-day education program highlights 2014 as a year to visit Malaysia. The program is under the aegis of Angkasa, the apex body of the Malaysian cooperative movement.
Angkatan Kerjsama Kabangsaan Malaysia or Angkasa has 5,762 members of which 2,250 are school cooperatives or co-ops based in learning institutions. The growth of the co-op sector in Malaysia is significant if one reckons the turnover of 263.56 million Malaysian ringgit or roughly US$80 million annually. No wonder, Angkasa continually updates and upgrades its support services to co-op members, numbering about eight million.
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The co-op movement was introduced in Malaysia in the mid-‘50s, but the establishment of the cooperative college in 1956 virtually opened the doors for the population to the practices and principles of cooperativism.
Today or after 58 years of professional training, the co-op movement has saturated the public secondary school system and has transformed the young population into a dynamic economic sector, thanks to heartfelt co-op education brought to the fore by vigorous government support.
The Ministry of Education has mandated the setting up of school cooperatives and encouraged students aged 12 years old and above to join the self-help enterprise. School officials, teachers and students run and manage the co-op.
Malaysia stands out because it is the only country in the world which has made co-ops part of its formal education system. If one looks at Malaysia’s thriving economy, cooperative schools are the country’s not-so-secret formula. School co-ops aim to develop thrift and independence among student members.
Through frugal practices, students are able to practice financial discipline and make investments.
School co-ops create a practical environment for students to practice management and business techniques that are taught inside the classrooms. In the process, the environment helps instill democratic principles among young people and help them attain their full potential.
The slogan, “Malaysia, truly Asia” has attracted more than 27 million tourists a year. Tourists come here to visit historical sites, sample the country’s exotic cuisine and shop in swanky boutiques around Kuala Lumpur’s shopping district under the seduction of the Petronas Twin Towers at night.
On the other hand, visitors looking for alternative holidays find the country’s mix of sprawling villages still steeped in traditional lifestyle, modern infrastructure, efficient utilities and tourist facilities just right as a unique holiday or brief business trip.
I heard that in 2013, the number of tourists reached 28 million although observers think the number could taper a bit because of the Malaysian airline crash which occurred early this year.
To ensure that the country’s tourism industry maintains its lead and strong presence in the Asian region, the Ministry of Education through Angkasa partnered with the ministries of Trade, Cooperatives Commission, the Cooperative College and other related agencies in setting up the so-called PKS or school cooperative tourism.
By educating, nurturing and immersing young people in the principles and practices of cooperatives, Malaysia has reinvented the way we view formal education. But more than that, it has shown how countries could ensure the future of succeeding generations.
I’m writing this piece as I and other international delegates prepare for a trek to Orang Utan Island, Bukit Merah. This is one of Malaysia’s tourism gems, an ecological getaway d in Bukit Merah Laketown Resort. The Orang Utan island has a vast area of 35 acres, five acres of which have been set aside as a research center for the endangered species. In other words, this is not simply a sightseeing location, but a platform to learn more about the endangered species.
A hands-on opportunity to observe these animals in their natural habitat, including a well-researched academic study on orangutans tells me that I’m about to experience my tourism moment of a lifetime. Big thanks, Angkasa.
By the way, my fellow delegates from the Philippines are composed of Victo national representatives led by Myrna Ogoc, a professor from the University of Eastern Philippines (UEP) in Catarman, Northern Samar and Victo staff Rodolfo Idano and Jesie Roldan. Myrna was joined by nine students from UEP who were selected to undergo the school cooperatives education program.
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