Programme Planning

Definition: Programme planning is a procedure of working with the people in an effort to recognize unsatisfactory situations, needs or problems, and to determine possible solutions. This is a conscious effort to meet the needs, interests and wants of the people for whom the programme is intended.

The word programme refers to

Proclamation

is the total educational job being done in a particular setting. a list of events

Prospectus

a plan of procedure

a logical sequence of operations to be performed in solving a problem

a course of action prepared

A principle may be defined as a statement of policy to guide decisions and actions in a consistent manner. Principles are required in order to develop a plan for programme planning that truly reveals the future needs of the public. The principles of extension programme planning are

Principles of Extension Programme Planning

1. Extension programme planning is based on an analysis of the facts in a situation Any extension programme planning is based on collection and critical analysis of the facts in a situation. It is important to consider the conditions that exist at the initiation of the programme in a particular area. While planning, certain factors may be taken into consideration such as the land, the homes and communities, crops, the organizations, the institutions and agencies, economic trends, social structure, economic status of the people, their habits, traditions and culture of people, knowledge of everything including the people and their situation in which the job is to be done.

Fig. 5.2: Collection of Facts through Questionnaire The results of past plans and experiences need to be studied and results used for determining the future needs. The facts of a situation may be obtained from surveys, scientific sampling procedures, the census and economic and social trend studies, focus group discussions etc and this requires a critical analysis and careful thought by extension agents, specialists, leaders, farm people and all other working together. 2. Extension programme planning selects problems based on needs and interests of people All the problems cannot be solved at one time. Sound programme building selects problems based on peoples needs, and the problems are those which are most urgent, are of widest concern, and have a priority. Choice of problems must be from an analysis of the facts i.e. regarding their felt and unfelt needs. To be effective, extension work must begin with the interests of families. The needs of most urgent concern and widespread interest should be given first priority. Brunner(1945) said that an extension programme must meet the felt needs of the people. Leagans(1961) recommended that the extension workers adopt the subject matter and teaching procedure to the educational level of the people, their needs, interests and their resources. Peoples needs are the basis for developing meaningful programmes. Concept of Need Leagans (1961) defined peoples needs as the differences between what is, what could be, and what ought to be.

What is: indicates the present state of affairs, the existing situation. This involves collection of facts about the people, their attitudes, knowledge, level of living, physical factors like soils, crops, livestock and levels of production etc at the present time. What Could Be: This is an ideal situation, which in many cases may remain unattainable by the people. What Ought To Be: It is the attainable situation i.e. the realistic goal which the people select with or without outside help. Need, therefore implies a gap between the existing situation, and the desirable situation. The nature and extent of the gap indicates significance of the problem.

Existing Situation (what is)

Need (Gap)

Desirable Situation (what ought to be)

Needs may be classified into two categories Felt Need: consciously recognized need i.e. the need of which people are aware of eg. electricity, school, drinking water, hospital etc. Unfelt Need: Unrecognized need i.e. the need of which people are not aware of at present. People, may however be made aware of unfelt needs through appropriate motivational techniques e.g. girl education, women empowerment etc. 3. Extension programme planning determines definite objectives and solutions which offer satisfaction In order to hold interest, working objectives and solutions must be set which are within reach and will give satisfaction on achievement. The objectives must be periodically revised in view of the progress made and people satisfaction. Level of satisfaction of the people indicates the extent of the success of the programme. People must see how they or their communities are going to benefit from the proposed solution. 4. Extension programme planning has permanence with flexibility Any good programme must be permanent and forward looking. Permanence refers to anticipating years of related and well organized effort with a long-term planning. But experiences have shown that particular items need to be changed to meet unforeseen circumstances and hence the plan needs some flexibility. Without flexibility, the programme may not meet the needs of the people. A programme should be prepared well in advance of its execution, but not too far ahead of time. Thus an extension programme must be kept flexible to meet the changing needs & interests of the people. 5. Extension programme planning has balance with emphasis

A good programme must be comprehensive enough and should deal with all age groups, creeds and races at all levels and community, block, state, national and international problems. In extension programme planning, a few of the most important problems should be chosen for emphasis, especially problems related weaker sections of the society must be given priority. The problems should have a proper balance regarding distribution of time and effort throughout the year. Hence too many things should not be carried out simultaneously to divide the workers attention. 6. Extension programme planning has a definite plan of work A good programme needs careful planning for action. A plan of work is an outline of procedure to enable efficient execution of the entire programme. It is the answer to what, where, why, when and how the job will be done. In executing the programme plans, different leaders and groups may work on various phases, i.e. women in the community may work on one segment, men on a second segment and youth members on a third. Unless the plan of work is drawn up, the programme remains a theoretical exercise. Hence the plan of action must include. People to be reached Goals, dates, places Teaching procedures to be followed Duties, training and recognition of volunteer leaders Role of extension personnel Role played by other agencies Plans for measuring results 7. Extension programme planning is an educational process Extension programme planning helps in the development of the people themselves as it helps to identify and solve their problems. The process of programme planning is in itself an excellent teaching device as both extension workers and people devote sufficient time and effort to develop programme. The people who are involved in planning an extension programme may participate in local surveys and neighbourhood observations. This provides an opportunity for them to learn more about their own community problems on a factual basis and increases their interest. The extension worker also teaches the local leaders for their knowledge gain, skills acquisition and help in changing their attitudes to best serve the people. Essentially programme planning helps in learning process i.e. learning and finding facts, analyzing situations, recognizing problems, stating objectives and thinking of possible solutions. 8. Extension programme planning is a continuous process Extension programme planning is a continuous process as it is an educational process and education is reviewed on a continuous bais, hence, it is never finished. Sutton (1961) said that extension in a changing society must adjust and plan for the future to serve the needs of people. He set forth five steps which might be useful in making necessary adjustments.

 Be close to the people Be flexible and ready to grasp new problems as these arise. Work with people in seeking practical solutions to their problems Keep acquainted with technological and social change Close the gap between research discovery and practical application 9. Extension programme planning is a coordinating process It coordinates the efforts of all interested leaders, groups and agencies and considers the use of resources. Systematic planning must allow planning to be coordinated horizontally as well as vertically. With other supporting institutions and the organizations (both governmental and non-governmental) will make the execution easy and complete. It has been observed that staff of KVKs, DRDA, NGOs etc. are working for similar objectives thus coordination with these can provide better results. 10. Extension programme planning involves local people and their institutions For the success of any extension programme, it is very important to involve local people and their institutions. People become interested and give better support when they are themselves involved in the planning process i.e. programme formulation to programme implementation.

Fig. 5.3: Local Health Worker Involved in Programme Implementation 11. Extension programme planning provides for evaluation of results Evaluation is important in extension programme planning in order to make important decisions aimed at achieving the stated objectives and to judge the progress of the programme. According to Mathews (1955), extension programme planning and evaluation go together. Kelsey & Hearne (1967) said that all principles of programme building are related to evaluation. Effective evaluation depends on clearly defined objectives, knowing which people are to be reached and having records of the results in terms which show changes in the action of people. On the basis of the findings of evaluation, the programme should be suitably modified to facilitate reaching the objectives within the stipulated period of time. Results are the basis for improvement in the future.

Steps in Programme Planning

Step 1 Collection, analysis and evaluation of facts Step 9 Reconsiderati on and revision of programme

Step 2 Determinatio n of needs or objectives

Step 8 Checking and evaluation

Step 3 Identification of problems

Step 7 Execution of plan Step 4 Finding solutions to problems Step 6 Plan of Work Step 5 Selecting problems of priority

Evaluating the programme

Evaluation of the ongoing programme from time to time, provides a basis for making changes in teaching methods and other extension procedures being used in the programme. The evaluation of a programme executed or under execution has to be done with reference to the objectives set for the programme. The aspects which need a considerable evaluation, in an on-going programme include: 1. Number of meetings held of cooperative societies and village leaders. 2. Number of people who attended the meetings and number of times the same person attended the meetings. 3. Number of implements bought and number of times they have been used to accomplish the objectives. 4. Spontaneity of action taken by the villagers i.e. the number of practices adopted by the villagers without frequent pressure from the gram sevak and which have become a moral routine of the villagers. Advantages of evaluation while execution 1. Evaluation on these above mentioned aspects will give an indication of the extent to which the villagers have gone successfully the education and training process and made changes. 2. Systematic evaluation also provides information about the effectiveness of the various methods used, which will help the villagers and extension workers to improve their present methods and convince them in the use of these methods in solving their problems. 3. Evaluation also provides a source of satisfaction both to the villagers and the extension workers because evaluation provides for a sense of achievement.