3.c) The organization of intensive training
It has been experienced that many development Programmes
tend to stagnate because of lack of technical skill and knowledge
at village level. In order to overcome this bottleneck, it
was assumed that neither short courses nor increased extension
activities would suffice, but only a continuous process of
training of the influential Part of the peasantry. Therefore,
a sort of Farm leader school was established. The managers
and model farmers of the village cooperatives were requested
to assemble once a week for intensive traininq. Over the years,
they thus received a continuous theoretical as well as practical
training in the modern techniques of agriculture and were
supposed to convey this knowledge to their fellow farmers
in the course of speeches held at the weekly night meeting
of the village cooperatives. The teaching is done by the available
staff of the departments at Thana level. These departmental
staff members had to change their conception of their job.
Instead of being mere administrators, they had to think of
themselves as teachers in the First place.
The continuous process of training the organizers of the
villages, i.e., the model Farmers and the cooperative managers,
by weekly meetings is supplemented by cooperative inspectors
who are the technical representatives of the centre in charge
of a number of villages. They are trained technicians who
assist the organizers in their work but also ensure a proper
performance. This combination of training and control exerts
a continuous pressure an the villagers and increases the impact
to a considerable degree.
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