Assignment Code: MAE-004/TMA/2023

Course Code: MAE-004

Assignment Name: Extension Education and Development

Year: 2023

Verification Status: Verified by Professor

Answer the following questions in about 500 words each.

a) What is extension? What are the components of extension? What are the steps involved in extension process?

Ans) The word "extension" comes from the Latin words "tensio," which means "to stretch," and "ex," which means "out." The word "extension" means "to stretch out." Extension is basically a way to make education last longer. Its goal is to change the ways people think and act. Extension is a dynamic idea, which means that different people have different ideas about what it means. So, "extension" can't be defined in a way that everyone agrees on, but it can be thought of as a concept and process that is always changing.

Components of Extension

Extension Education: It is mainly a need-based, local resource-based, problem-solving system that is linked to research and education. The extension work is related to research in terms of new technology, processes, and products. Most of the time, higher education institutions like research institutes, universities, and "Apex-level Training and Extension Organizations" are in charge of extension education.

Extension Service: Development means extension service. Extension service is a development initiative. Extension service is a location-specific, input-intensive, service-oriented, field-level professional activity that transfers new technologies or innovations and advises people on better ways to do things and communicates development constraints to research institutes, development organisations, and policymakers as feedback for participatory-technology development. Extension service connects researchers, developers, and people. Extension service collaborates with other development departments and input agencies to maximise their influence.

Extension Work: People are helped by extension work through both education and service. Through extension work, people are encouraged to make changes that make production and marketing more efficient, help protect natural resources, improve people's health, and make family and community life more satisfying. Extension work is at the bottom of the hierarchy, but it is used in many different ways. It is also very location-dependent and often open to criticism from the outside. The point of extension work is to teach people how to help themselves.

Process of Extension

1. Analysing the situation: This requires a lot of information about every part of the situation where the work is to be done. People's interests, needs, education, social norms, farming methods, bodies of water, etc. need to be known. Participatory rural appraisal or rapid rural appraisal can be used to get these kinds of details. This information helps make a good development plan to solve the problems that have been found.

2. Setting the Objectives or Goals to be Accomplished: The people who will benefit from development programmes should help set and choose a small number of goals. These goals should clearly state the expected changes in people's behaviour as well as the economic or social results that are wanted.

3. Teaching: It is the process of setting up situations that make people aware of what they need to learn, pique their interest, and make them want to make a change. In other words, it is the process of getting people to take action for their own development.

4. Evaluating the Teaching: Evaluation is the process of figuring out how well the goals have been met. Plans for evaluation should be made as early as possible in the work plans. There should be a difference between records of what was done and the original goals that were set.

5. Reconsidering: In this step, you look back at what you've done and how it turned out to find a new situation. If this new situation shows that more work needs to be done, the whole process can start over with new or changed goals.

b) Explain the process of Programme Planning with suitable examples.

Ans) The programme planning process is as follows:

1. Collection, Analysis, and Evaluation of Data: Program design begins with data collection and analysis on the target population, their requirements, and preferences. Surveys, focus groups, and community assessments are used for this step. Surveys and assessments can collect data on illness prevalence, health behaviours, and health outcomes to improve a community's health.

2. Determination of Needs and Objectives: Next, determine the program's needs and goals using step one's data. This entails establishing the program's goals and difficulties. If step one data shows high rates of obesity and diabetes in the neighbourhood, the programme may promote healthy food and exercise to lower these rates.

3. Definition of Problems: This step defines programme objectives' unique challenges. This involves splitting goals into smaller, achievable pieces and recognising specific challenges. If the program's goal is to encourage healthy eating, difficulties may include a lack of availability to good foods, awareness of healthy eating practises, and motivation to improve eating patterns.

4. Finding Solutions to Problems: Once the problems are defined, the next step is to find solutions to address them. This involves brainstorming and identifying potential strategies and interventions that can be used to address the identified problems. For example, to address the lack of access to healthy foods, the programme may include interventions such as community gardens or mobile farmers' markets.

5. Selecting Problems to be Tackled with Priority: In this step, the problems identified in step three are prioritized based on their importance and impact on the overall objectives of the programme. For example, if the lack of access to healthy foods is identified as the most significant problem, it may be prioritized for immediate attention.

6. Annual Plan of Work: Next, create a detailed strategy including actions, timelines, and resources to meet the program's goals. This annual plan should be adaptable to changing priorities and new concerns. The healthy eating program's annual plan may include nutrition education workshops, community garden installations, and farmer's market events.

7. Carrying out the Plan: Once the plan of work is developed, the next step is to implement it. This involves carrying out the activities outlined in the plan, managing the resources required, and ensuring that the programme is meeting its objectives. For example, the programme manager may oversee the implementation of the nutrition education workshops, coordinate with community partners to install community gardens, and promote the farmer's market events to the target population.

8. Continuous Checking and Evaluation of Results: Program planning requires ongoing assessment. It entails tracking the program's progress, analysing its results, and making adjustments to ensure success. This step ensures the programme accomplishes its aims and identifies improvements. Monitoring results requires evaluation procedures. Surveys, interviews, and observation gather programme data. Data analysis indicates programme adjustments. The programme is evaluated during and after. Summative evaluation evaluates programme effectiveness, while formative evaluation suggests improvements. Evaluations help improve the programme. If the software fails, its implementation, content, or distribution can be altered.

9. Review of Progress and Projection of Plans: Program planning concludes with a review and projection. This step evaluates programme impact on target audience. Learn and improve the programme. Programme managers can improve by reviewing progress and planning. Based on evaluation results, the programme manager might offer programme improvements. Evaluation data can help the programme manager plan and improve. Create a new cycle plan using evaluation results. If the programme increases workshop attendance, management may expand it. If the programme does not fulfil goals, the manager may cancel or change it.

c) Critically analyse the role of Manpower Planning and Personnel Management in extension and development.

Ans) Manpower planning and personnel management play critical roles in the extension and development of an organization. Both are interrelated functions that aim to create an effective workforce that can contribute to the organization's growth and development. In this essay, we will critically analyse the role of manpower planning and personnel management in extension and development. Manpower planning is the process of forecasting an organization's future human resource needs and developing strategies to meet those needs. It involves analysing the current and future workforce requirements of an organization, determining the number and types of employees needed, and identifying the necessary skills, knowledge, and competencies required for the job. The goal of manpower planning is to ensure that an organization has the right number of employees with the right skills at the right time.

Personnel management, on the other hand, involves managing the day-to-day activities of the workforce, such as recruitment, training, performance evaluation, compensation, and benefits. The aim of personnel management is to ensure that employees are motivated, engaged, and productive, and their needs and aspirations are met. In the context of extension and development, both manpower planning and personnel management play crucial roles. Extension and development require an organization to have a highly skilled and motivated workforce that can adapt to changing circumstances and meet new challenges. Manpower planning helps an organization to identify the skills and competencies required for extension and development, and to develop training and development programs to upskill and reskill the workforce.

For instance, suppose an organization is planning to expand its operations to a new geographic region. In that case, it needs to assess the skills and competencies required for the new location and develop a plan to recruit and train employees with those skills. Manpower planning helps the organization to determine the number and types of employees needed for the new location, and personnel management helps to recruit, train, and manage those employees effectively.

Similarly, when an organization is planning to introduce a new product or service, it needs to assess the skills and competencies required for the new offering and develop a plan to train the existing workforce or recruit new employees with those skills. Manpower planning helps the organization to identify the required skills and competencies, and personnel management helps to train and develop the workforce to meet those requirements.

Another critical role of manpower planning and personnel management in extension and development is managing employee retention and turnover. High employee turnover can be costly for an organization and can hinder its growth and development. Manpower planning helps to identify the factors that contribute to high employee turnover, such as inadequate compensation, poor working conditions, lack of career growth opportunities, and develop strategies to address them.

Personnel management plays a critical role in implementing those strategies and creating a work environment that motivates employees to stay with the organization. For example, an organization may offer attractive compensation packages, provide opportunities for career growth and development, and create a positive work culture to retain employees and reduce turnover.

In conclusion, manpower planning and personnel management are critical functions that contribute to an organization's extension and development. Manpower planning helps an organization to identify its workforce requirements and develop strategies to meet those requirements, while personnel management ensures that the workforce is motivated, engaged, and productive. Together, these functions help an organization to create a skilled and motivated workforce that can adapt to changing circumstances and meet new challenges, enabling the organization to achieve its growth and development objectives.