Abstract
The purpose of this study is to examine and evaluate “The Effect of Illiteracy on Cooperative Organization in Mbaitolu Local Government Area of Imo State.” The research work covers all the registered Cooperative Societies in the area. Two sources of data were used namely: The Primary and the Secondary data. Questionnaires were also used as research instruments to supplement information from the books and journals. Research questions were constructed to get feed back of the problems faced by the cooperative societies in the Local Government Area. This work is divided into five chapters. The Background of the study, the Statement of Problems, Scope and Limitation of the study, Objectives of the study, Research Questions were treated in this work. Others include Significance of study and Limitation of the study and Definition of terms.
In Chapter Two, Literature review on past-related works will be discussed. In chapter three, the research is designed and methodology was discussed, including population of the study, sample size, sampling techniques, method of data collection, which will help give the result. In chapter four, presentation of data, analysis and interpretation of data was discussed. Finally, chapter five deals with the summary of the findings. In the course of the study, the researcher aimed at assessing how illiteracy affects the performance of cooperative societies in the area, from the information given, the problem that seem to hinders cooperative business in the local government area are as follows: Lack of funds, lack of government support, inadequate cooperative education of members and lack of social /infrastructural facilities. The study also proffered some recommendations to improve the performance of cooperative societies in the local government area.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Title page i
Approval page ii
Dedication iii
Acknowledgement iv
Abstract vi
Table of contents vii
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 Introduction 1
Background of the study 1
Statement of the problem 6
Objective of the study 7
Research question 9
Statement of hypothesis 9
Significance of the study 10
Scope of the study 12
Limitation of the study 12
Definition of terms 13
CHAPTER TWO
Literature Review 14
2.1 Meaning and Concepts of Illiteracy 15
2.2 Problems of Illiteracy on the economy of Imo state 16
2.3 The Effects of Illiteracy 18
2.4 Meaning and Concept of Cooperative 22
Education and Training
Importance of Cooperative Education and Training Among cooperative members in the society 26
Problems that Militate Against Effective Cooperative Education and Training 28
Issues Calling for Cooperative Education 31
2.9 Summary and Conclusion 36
References 37
CHAPTER THREE
- Research Methodology 38
3.1 Introduction 38
3.2 Research design 38
3.3 Sources/method of data collection 39
3.4 Population and sample size 40
3.5 Sample Techniques 41
3.6 validity and Reliability of measuring instrument 44
3.7 Method of Data Analysis 45
CHAPTER FOUR
- Data Presentation and Analysis 46
4.1 Introduction 46
4.2 Data Presentation 46
4.3 Analysis of data 49
4.4 Test of Hypothesis 61
4.5 Interpretation of data 70
CHAPTER FIVE
- Summary of Findings, Conclusion and Recommendation 71
5.1 Introduction 71
- Summary of Findings 71
- Conclusion 74
5.4 Recommendation 76
Bibliography 79
Appendix 81
CHAPTER ONE
- INTRODUCTION
This chapter tries to let us know all about illiteracy, the problems and the scope of study
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Education is central to development. It empowers people, strengthens nations and it is key to the attainment of the millennium development goals. Already, the world’s largest external financier of education, the world bank, is today more committed than ever to helping countries develop holistic education system aimed both at achieving education for all (EFA) and building dynamic knowledge societies that are keys completing global market through education for the knowledge of economy.
Illiteracy, in order words has been interpreted as the inability to read or write being illiterate can have a big effect on people’s lives. There are several problems that arise with illiterate people functioning in society. First, the costs of illiteracy are great burdens on large government as well as local areas. Secondly, there is the question of how people can survive in the literate world without being illiterate themselves. Thirdly, motivation for adult to become literate fluctuated in the past. This study centers on the effect of illiteracy on cooperative organization. The saying is true that when a man is not informed, he is deformed.
The failure of many cooperative in developing countries like Nigeria can be partly explained by the marked difference between their origin and that of agricultural cooperate movement in the industrialized countries, while the cooperative in the developed countries were formed from the principles of small membership. The root of the word “Cooperative” is a Latin verb “Operate” meaning to work and prefix “Co” meaning together along with people.
Also according to the Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary, the word Cooperative means working together to achieve a common purpose. Cooperation and cooperative society have been variously conceived of, and has been defined by different scholars and practitioners all over the world.
According to the directorate for Social Mobilization (MAMSER) cooperative is defined “as an association of person’s who have voluntarily joined a group to achieve a particular objectives, through the formation of democratically controlled organization to make equitable contributions to the capital required and accepting a fair share of risk and benefits of the undertaking in which members actively participate”.
People come together to form a cooperative society, because they cannot achieve their aims individually. These persons, who come to form the cooperative, occasionally have the same social and economic problems and having the interest of being a member of the cooperative society. A typical example of cooperative is the “ISUSU” or “ESUSU” type of association, where different individuals contribute a certain amount of money, which is sometimes done weekly, or monthly base on the agreement of the members, when the money contributed accumulates, it will be given to any member of the association who is in need of money. This is an on going process and it is rational till all of them have received their own share, it is rotational in nature.
The definition of cooperative as stated earlier has been defined by many scholars and authors, but the most generally accepted is that of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) at its 1995 congress held in Manchester England. The Manchester congress defined cooperatives as “an autonomous association of persons United voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly, owned and democratically controlled enterprise.
In Nigeria today some states and local governments encourage cooperative education so as to eradicate illiteracy in cooperative organizations by organizing seminars, workshops etc. The high level of illiteracy is one major problem of cooperative management, in developed countries, the level of illiteracy is very low, compared to less developed countries, where illiteracy is at its paramount i.e. the population of these country are mostly illiterates or barely educated.
Mbaitolu Local Government Area is one of the local government areas that make up Imo State. It has 10 registered cooperative societies whose membership compositions are made up of both males and females. The various types of cooperative found in the local government are farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative Societies (MCS). Builders Cooperative Societies, Insurance Cooperative Societies, Artisans Cooperative Societies and Cooperative Palm Produce Societies (CPMS etc.
