PM supports cooperative education

PM supports cooperative education Written By:PMPS,    Posted: Fri, Aug 31, 2012

Odinga said cooperative education will always play an integral part in fostering regional growth Prime Minister Raila Odinga Friday emphasized the importance of cooperative education saying through   education and sports the youth can obtain quality education to them to engage in globalised economy. He said that cooperative education will always play an integral part in fostering regional growth and promoting future skills suitable for integration adding it was an essential driving force for sustainable, secure, inclusive innovative and balanced growth of the region. He said, "As a region we must see ourselves as part of  the wider world. We therefore need to provide our youth with quality education that enables them to engage in globalised economy." Odinga was speaking Friday at Lenana School when he inaugurated the East African Sports festival. The festival which has drawn schools from other countries in the region is sponsored by the Raila Odinga Centre, Airtel, and Coca-Cola among others. Noting that in a globalised world competition has made it necessary for workers to have higher levels of high-quality education and competencies, the PM said this called for change of nature of education being offered in schools. "It is no longer business as usual. We have to focus on priority areas like science, technology, innovation and mathematics alongside vocational education and training," he added. He called on education providers, businesses, researchers and other stakeholders in the region to identify the best practices and ensure proper learning of science and technology  and applying this learning to real world  issues such as preservation of the environment, reducing damage due to disasters and achieving green and sustainable growth. Once again the PM emphasized the importance of discipline in schools saying the ability for students to follow instructions and create an atmosphere that allows them to maximize on their time in schools is critical. Noting that 72% of the East African population was below 35 years, the PM cautioned that this youthful population could be a curse if not empowered to become useful members of the society.                "Imparting skills and knowledge to these youth is the way forward." he said. Odinga revisited the just concluded Olympic games in London, saying there was need to diversify the sports that future Kenyan teams will take part  in to improve on the country's medals winnings,  adding that sports talent was abound in the country  in other disciplines like boxing, swimming, and other field events. Speaking at the function, Uganda's High Commissioner Angelina Wabakhabulo  outlined the importance of such regional tournaments saying they acted as bridges towards regional integration. She expressed optimism that the event will be rotated throughout the East African countries to further cement regional cooperation.