LESSON ONE

INTRODUCTION TO EDUCATION, TRAINING AND CO-OPERATIVE EDUCATION

& TRAINING
Meaning of education
A very basic definition of education is that, it is the acquisition of knowledge, skills values and
attitudes that make a person function normally and effectively in his/her society and by extension
in the professional calling. Hence, education is aimed at fitting an individual to his/her society in
relation to the various responsibilities or roles which that person is expected to perform by his or
her society. The understanding behind this concept of education is that society is always in
transition such that the old members of society must eventually die or be phased out due to age
factor. As this happens, they must prepare the young generations to take over their responsibilities
and roles.

In modern societies, these roles and responsibilities are characterized by various professions or
disciplines. For example; medicine, teaching, legal profession, business professions, farming and
many others. Hence modern societies must prepare their young ones through education and
training programs to enable them fit in the various disciplines or professions.

There is no one comprehensive definition of education but every education expert attempts to
define the term ‘education’ in his/her as unique way. For instance, Nsubuga (1977) defined
education as “what happens to us from the day we were born to the day we die”. He explained that
we are all being educated even though badly at times regardless of whether we want or not. This
implies we get education from the circumstances in which we live and from the things that
surround us daily. From the smallest incident to the biggest that happens to us. Some of it is good
for society, but some of it is bad.

Thus, education is acquired by an individual throughout his/her lifetime- the fundamental factor
being the individual understanding of his/her environment and how to adapt and survive in that
environment. Hence education must be seen as a process of growth and development taking place
as a result of the interaction of an individual with his or her environment; a process both physical
and social beginning at birth and lasting as long as life itself; a process in which social heritage
as a part of social environment becomes a tool to be used towards the development of the best
and most intelligent persons- the men and women who will promote human welfare . That is the
role of education processes as philosophers and educational reformers conceived it.

Historically, all communities have a way of educating their youth mainly as a means of preparing
them to take over responsibilities from the elderly. Accordingly the education process is broad. It
encompasses both traditional informal systems of education and the contemporary formal systems
of education.

The Eight Goals of Education in Kenya

The eight goals of education in Kenya according to the Republic of Kenya (2012) are that,
education must:

(i) Foster nationalism, patriotism and promote national unity

(ii) Promote the socio-economic, technological and industrial skills for the country’s
development
(iii) Promote individual development and self-fulfillment
(iv) Promote sound moral and religious values
(v) Promote social equality and responsibility
(vi) Promote respect for and development of Kenya’s rich and varied cultures
(vii) Promote international consciousness and foster positive attitudes towards other nations
(viii) Promote positive attitudes towards good health and environmental protection.

The Implications of the Goals to Stakeholders’ Expectations in Education

At a glance, these goals help us to appreciate the following as prime stakeholders of education in
Kenya:
 Education must help us to value our nationhood, become patriotic citizens who work for
and support all government efforts aimed at promoting national unity and prosperity of
the Kenyan citizens.

 Education must significantly contribute to national development goals in Kenya by

developing and disseminating knowledge and skills of socio-economic, technological and
industrial nature.

 Education must significantly contribute to the happiness of Kenyan citizens by

empowering them for self- development and self – fulfillment in their personal lives

 Education must inculcate among Kenyan citizens moral and sound religious values that
encourage ethical behavior for proper functioning of society

 Education must help us to work for the attainment of social equality and accept our
responsibilities for proper functioning of society at varied levels
  Education must help us to recognize and appreciate the multi – ethnic cultures in Kenya
and blend them up for the common good of the nation

 Education must help us to understand and appreciate that our country is not an island, but
rather a partner among many global states and therefore we are significantly impacted
and influenced by global trends

 Education must help us to value our continued good healthy as a precious factor in our
productivity and therefore work to mitigate the spread of infectious diseases, keep our
healthy in check always, and promote safe and healthy physical and natural
environments.

The above goals which are very broad and general will guide us to keep evaluating why we value
education so much and zealously safeguard it

Meaning of training
Training is considered as a key tool for enhancing job related performance and organizational
effectiveness. Its main purpose is to equip an individual with skills and competences that enables
him/her to function effectively in a given area of expertise e.g. co-operative management.

Distinction between training and education

A distinction between education and training can be made as below:

Training Education
1. It is more concerned with the past and It is much more concerned with the future
present of an individual – the need to acquire of an individual acquisition of knowledge
knowledge and skills for immediate and skills for future application.
application.
2. It is highly specific and structured. Not usually targeted towards specific
behaviors i.e. it has broad aims / goals.

3. It is easy to monitor and assess transfer of it is difficult to monitor how the learning
learning acquired is being used by the individual

4.Training has less emphasis on ideology and It is firmly rooted in the culture of the
social values since it emphasizes society hence one of its key aims is to
development of competencies inculcate socially accepted values in an
individual
5. A training group usually comes together The group is more enduring and there is
for a specific purpose and disperses soon sustained interaction over a long period
after the training program has ended of time.
What then is Co-operative Education and Training (CET)?

CET can be defined as ‘the form of education and training undertaken for purposes of ensuring
effective development and operational efficiency of co-operative enterprises’. It is targeted to
members, committee, and staff and to some extent the public at large. Its main purpose is to impart
valuable knowledge, skills, values and attitudes required for co-operative growth and development
in society, given that co-operative enterprises and their worldwide movement are popular socio-
economic development institutions. Co-operative education may be viewed as a process by which
we affect the relationship between the members and the co-operative organization, in a way that
supports and advances the success of the co-operative endeavor. It is a set of activities, actions and
programmes designed to provide beneficial knowledge and promote positive attitudes toward co-
operatives and use of a co-operative approach to solve economic, business and social problems.

As Mshiu (1984) notes “co-operative activities like any other human endeavor thrives through
efficient performance and good human interaction. This is best achieved through an inbuilt, well
organized continuous system of education and training. Education enlightens people, changes their
attitudes and brings about awareness for a richer and more meaningful existence. It stimulates the
ability to judge, assess, analyze and provoke ideas and positive thought.” More specifically in the
case of co-operative enterprises, how effectively they can be developed, structured and managed
to deliver services and products that satisfy customer needs and values.

Training provides skills that enable people to perform with the desired efficiency. Education and
training thus provides us with the ability to cope with life and counter the hostile forces of nature.
Due to its critical importance and beneficial role, the founders of the co-operative movement
included education and training (E&T) in their original co-operative principles. In the revised
version of co-operative principles, E& T is the 5th principle. CET was at the very beginning seen
as an essential condition for successful co-operative performance hence a foundational pillar of
co-operative development.

Co-operative responsibility for education and training

Co-operative organizations must take responsibility of catering for E & T needs of their members,
their elected officials / leaders and employees as an integral part of their services and on the same
basis as their other business activities (Mshiu 1984). This is because:

 Co-operatives are economic as well as social institutions, hence E& T falls under the social
aspects.
 Efficiency in the economic performance of a co-operative requires members who are
properly enlightened and leaders and employees who are well equipped with appropriate
leadership, managerial and technical skills.

Thus, incorporating E& T in co-operative activities will make the co-operatives to realize their
economic aspirations more efficiently and effectively.

It can be stressed that education and training are a prerequisite for the economic success of a co-
operative. Consequently, co-operatives have the inescapable responsibility of educating their
members, leaders and employees. In this respect, CET should not only impart knowledge and skills
on co-operatives; but also address the various educational needs of the individual member, i.e.
economic, social and cultural. This will enable the individual to be drawn into the mainstream of
meaningful community life as an active participant rather than a passive by – stander (spectator)
vulnerable to manipulation, exploitation and humiliation.

Need for education committee in a co-operative

Co-operatives should have special committees responsible for E & T activity. Usually this is a sub
committee of the management committee. This committee will ensure that;
 Co-operative management is involved in planning and implementation of educational
programs.
 Member’s educational needs and interests are effectively presented and met.
 Decision making on education and training matters are shared by both staff and
management committee
 There is adequate allocation of resources to E & T activities
 Educational programs reflect existing educational needs of the co-operative
 Competent education officers are appointed to manage educational activities
 Educational programs are implemented
 Co-operative leaders are physically engaged in educational work
 E & T activities are constantly monitored and evaluated
 Funds allocated to educational programs are properly utilized

Need for E& T policy in a Co-operative

ICA recommends a deliberate E & T policy for developing co-operative human resources. This
is because “E & T” are vital elements in HRD (human resource development) and are given high
priority in the co-operative movement. HRD through E & T is one of the prerequisites for
organizational development and is consequently a must for the co-operative organization. The
following E & T programs are recommended:

 co-operative pre-service training

 in-service training
 on the job training
 in-house training
 Field attachment ( ICA 1990).

Laidlaw (1980) observed that there has been a tendency for co-operatives to ignore or neglect
education. As a result, education expenditures in co-operatives have not kept pace with co-
operative business growth. This is true for all co-operatives as well as state sponsored co-operative
institutions.

References
ICA 1990 – Modern policies: A model for co-operatives organizations
Moshi: LCA regional office
Laidlaw A.F (1980) co-operatives in the year 2000, Geneva ICA /CEMAS

Mshiu (1984). Organization and management of field education. A manual for co-operative field
workers on planning organization and management of co-operative field education and training
programs Geneva – CEMAS/ ICA.