IPOH: A total of 258 school cooperatives have been registered in Perak so far, with a total membership of 36,917 people, says Salbiah Mohamed.
The state Women, Family, Social Welfare, Cooperative and Entrepreneur Development Committee chairman said the school cooperatives recorded a total revenue of RM26.54mil last year.
"This shows that school cooperatives are also contributing to the economic growth in the state," she told a media conference after the launch of the state-level Young Entrepreneurs Strive for Success (YESS) programme here Thursday (Sept 21).
Meanwhile, Salbiah said school cooperatives need to use social media networks as an effective marketing and promotional strategy to sell their products.
"I see the products produced by the school students as good, innovative products, such as the production of compost fertiliser for agricultural use from discarded items and it can actually be marketed in shops selling various farming equipment.
"In addition, school cooperatives can also seek assistance in terms of marketing from various existing entrepreneurial agencies,” she said.
Meanwhile, she said the organisation of YESS, which aims to give exposure to students in the field of entrepreneurship, should be expanded to all districts in the state.
She said the exposure to students under the YESS competition should not only be highlighted to potential school cooperatives but also expose and teach them about the field of entrepreneurship.
In the competition, SMK Aminuddin Baki Chemor Bhd won the Best Project Award and took home RM3,000 cash, a trophy and a certificate of participation, which qualifies it to participate in the YESS convention at the national level in December.
A total of seven schools in the state took part in the competition organised by the Malaysia Cooperative Societies Commission of Perak in collaboration with the Education Ministry. - Bernama
