THE IMPORTANCE OF CO-OPERATIVE AND EDUCATION IN EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF CO-OPERATIVE ENTERPRISES A CASE STUDY OF STUDY OF CO-OPERATIVE ECONOMICS SELECTED MINISTRIES IN IMO STATE.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0 INTRODUCTION

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY                     

The role and importance of cooperatives is one of the cooperative principle which seek to provide educational training for cooperative members, elected and representative, manager and employee, 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 centre of the cooperative movement.

From the inception of early cooperative Rochadale 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 principle in 1966 the traditional co-operative alliance “ICA” re-sated the role and importance of co-operative education as on e of the cardinal principle cooperation. The co-operative rules, laws and bye-laws of respective co-operative societies and the 1993 co-operative decree stipulated that some percentage of co-operative society surplus should be kept aside for committee members in a body of elected members in co-operative society who handles the affairs and the day to day running of co-operative business enterprise. The importance of management in any organization is axiomatic. The success or failure of an organization dependent to a great extent on quality of the management committee.

Therefore officer and management of co-operative 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 co-operative education and management cooperation development in Imo state must be tenaciously pursued.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Generally, history of co-operative education in the development countries of the world reveals that the main cause of rickety. Foundation of co-operative is lack of the importance of co-operative education. Lack of the  role and importance of co-operative education induces disloyalty of members, high incidence of over due and unpaid loans, low attendance at meeting, ignorance of members proposals, poor members relations, bad management, low productivity resulting in little or no surplus, poor public image, inability to change with the times and other harmful results.

Lack of education/training and business in experienced limits, the effectiveness of managers, president, secretaries, treasures and other management committee members. Quite often, some together as members pools and importance of co-operative education to equip them for an effective education to equip them for an effective task. Some co-operative societies due to their small size, low membership find it difficult to raise fund sufficient to organized or sponsored special training programmed for their management of co-operative development in Imo state, the role and importance of co-operative education programmed could be taught through seminars, conferences or relevant courses institution of high learning.