The ICA-AP Malaysia Business Office (ICA-AP MBO) and ANGKASA jointly organized the International Webinar on School Cooperatives in Malaysia on 17 November 2021. It aimed to share the models of school cooperatives in Malaysia with the member cooperatives in the Asia Pacific region and ASEAN counterpart. The webinar was attended by more than 450 participants from 14 countries – Canada, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Malaysia, Myanmar, Nepal, Palestine, Philippines, Singapore, Sri Lanka, and Vanuatu.
The webinar started with a video presentation of a Malaysian school cooperative’s activities. This was followed by the opening speech of Mr. Balasubramanian Iyer, ICA-AP Regional Director and Dato 'Dr. Abdul Fattah Haji Abdullah, ANGKASA and ACO President, gave the welcoming remarks.
The webinar was supported by the Ministry of Education, Malaysia (MOE), Secondary Education Division, Council of Trust for the People (MARA) and Malaysia Co-operative Societies Commission (SKM). Representatives from these government agencies - the Assistant Director of the Sports, Co-curriculum and Arts Division (KPM), Encik Hafiz Ridhuan Md Daud and the Chief Assistant Director (Entrepreneurship) of the Secondary Education Division (MARA), Encik Ainor Faiz Shuib presented slides on the ‘Government Support for School Cooperatives in Malaysia'.
Haji Nasir Khan Yahaya, Group Chief Executive Officer, ANGKASA moderated the discussion and Dato 'Haji Kamarudin Ismail, ANGKASA Board Member and ICA Global Board Member, presented a paper on the history of School Cooperatives, their achievements and updates on the latest developments of school cooperatives in Malaysia.
Four school cooperatives, Koperasi SMK Kota Berhad (School Retail Cooperative), Koperasi MRSM Kepala Batas Berhad Penang (School Cafeteria Cooperative), Koperasi Kolej Vokasional Tanah Merah Berhad Kelantan (School Kiosk Cooperative) and Koperasi SMK Pasir Gudang Johor Berhad (Inter School Tourism Cooperative) highlighted their activities in different areas of business – Retail, Cafeteria, Kiosk and Tourism.
A total of 11 papers were presented in the webinar and participants enthusiastically participated in the discussions. Overall, the webinar was a great success. It is hoped that the school cooperatives will be a platform to produce future cooperators by providing training and early exposure to students in entrepreneurship.
