As part of activities to celebrate the International Year of Cooperatives, the National Co-operative College launched, this morning, at its seat in Terre Rouge, an essay competition for secondary school students of Grades 10 and 12, and a project writing competition for tertiary institutions. These initiatives aim at raising awareness of young people on the role, contributions and strong points of cooperatives as a sustainable business model while encouraging students to actively engage in cooperative development.
The Permanent Secretary at the Cooperatives Division of the Ministry of Industry, SME and Cooperatives, Mr Jean Daniel Philippe Labonne; the Director of the National Co-operative College, Mr Sanjeev Coonjobeeharry; and other stakeholders were also present at the event.
A half-day workshop focused on national essay writing and inter-tertiary institution project competitions was also organised as part of the launch event, bringing together students, educators, and cooperative experts. During the workshop, attendees were introduced to the fundamental roles of cooperative development in fostering growth in Mauritius, the role of audit in ensuring financial integrity and cooperative sustainability, the key insights governing the essay writing competition, and the guidelines and expectations for the project competition.
In his remarks for the occasion, the Permanent Secretary pointed out that the competitions would enable students to learn more about the cooperative model, its characteristics, its impact and to ponder on the ways and means for cooperatives to have a more sustainable role in the future. He looked forward to welcoming innovative ideas and proposals from youngsters, as well as to the setting up of cooperative societies by youngsters in new and innovative fields. "Proposals emanating from the competition will no doubt help shape the future of the cooperative sector in Mauritius," averred Mr Labonne.
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Moreover, the Permanent Secretary encouraged eligible students to take part in the competitions, as it presented a unique platform for them to develop their research skills by not limiting themselves to the local cooperative context but extending their exploration to how cooperatives function worldwide. "This will certainly help broaden your horizon and have a thorough understanding of cooperatives and their contribution," stated Mr Labonne.
The essay competition for secondary school students will focus on: 'The ways that cooperative values and principles help to make the world better', and 'The role of cooperatives in shaping a sustainable future'.
For the inter-tertiary institution project competition, topics will include cooperatives and sustainable development; Youth and innovation in cooperatives; Technology and digital transformation in cooperatives; Women in cooperatives; Resilience of cooperatives in times of crisis; and Green and eco-friendly cooperatives.
It is recalled that the United Nations had declared 2025 as the International Year of Cooperatives, on the theme 'Cooperatives Build a Better World'. In that context, the Ministry of Industry, SME and Cooperatives had released a calendar of activities that would run throughout the year, designed to raise awareness about the value and importance of cooperatives, as well as to boost the sector.
