Educational Planning
Meaning,Nature and Objectives
What is planning?
Planning includes the possibility of better performance on all jobs. There
is a saying that if there is a will there is a way. It signifies the will of an
individual comes into picture after thinking which can be done through planning
in mental level.
Planning is essential for development of every nation and according to which
changes would have been brought in social, political, economic, cultural and
educational sphere in a systematic and orderly manner. Simply speaking planning
means to think before acting, and to act according to facts, not, conjectures
or speculation.
So, what is Educational planning?
As we all know, our formal
education is an organized one. We must have trained teachers to teach.
Buildings and many facilities have to be put up in order to have educational
institutions function effectively. Our educational system must be arranged at
every stage in such a way that it meets the needs of both the individual and
the nation. This process of intelligently trying to organize education so as to
respond to the needs of its recipients is what can termed educational planning.
Planning in education is an
extremely important activity as it forms the basis of all programmes of
quantitative and qualitative improvement in education. Education planning is to
explore the best possible means of making the greatest to use of available
resources, leading to the optimal realization of the educational aims and
objectives both individual and social.
To meet these problems, educational
planning becomes a necessity and planning competence becomes mandatory. It is
unavoidable for bringing about a desirable change in the educational
organization for promoting the organizational health-its effectiveness and
functional efficiency. UNESCO and the World Bank become early promoters of a
functional educational planning mechanism as a condition of external
assistance.
Definitions:
“Planning is to design some action to be done before hand.”
—Oxford English Dictionary
“Planning is regarded as the process
of setting out in advance a pattern of action to bring about overall national
policies by the closest possible articulation of means and ends.”
—Philips
Significance of Educational Planning:
1. To make every programme of an educational institution or organisation
grand success.
2. Proper educational planning saves time, effort and money as planning in
every field is a time-saving, an effort-saving and a money-saving activity.
3. Educational planning is a sound method of solving educational problems
by avoiding the trial and error method of doing things.
4. Educational planning is essential for the best utilization of available
resources.
5. Educational planning checks wastage and failure and contributes to the
smoothness, ease and efficiency of the administrative process in the field of
education.
6. Through proper planning in education, education can be the best means by
which society will preserve and develop its future value system, way of life of
an individual, knowledge, skills and applications, and culture of the country.
7. Through proper educational planning, the means and ends of the society
can be properly interacted through educational system. It implies that the
educational system utilizes a large proportion of the country’s educated
talents and a major part of public expenditure.
8. Educational planning is highly essential for preparing a blueprint or
plan of action for every programme of an educational institution or organisation.
9. Planning in education is necessary for making one’s educational journey
goal-oriented and purposeful.
10. It is essential to maintain, sustain and enhance the thinking process
of an individual, institution or organisation.
11. Planning in education is necessary to highlight the universal aims of
education required for every nation for its development in every respect.
12. To bring total development of a nation in time, in which educational
development is one among its various aspects.
Nature of Educational Planning:
i.
Cooperation:
Modern educational planning emphasizes
involvement of representatives of most of the concerned sectors of the society
in the process of planning.
ii.
Remedial
Measure:
Identifying cause of the
educational problems and suggesting relevant solution is the main objective of
educational planning. It is remedial and guidance- oriented.
iii.
Choice of
Best Alternative:
Modern educational planning is a
logical systematic and scientific process different from the elementary kinds
of procedure utilized in the past of bringing about changes in the systems of
education.
iv.
Team
Work:
A team of experts, responsible
people and those who are to implement the plan should determine the goals and
appropriate ways of attaining them. Modern educational planning emphasizes that
only the top administrator or the government should be involved in planning.
Planning should be a responsibility of ail people concerned with the desired
change.
v.
Social
and Economic Goals:
The expected goals of the society
and needs of children and young pupils in the schools and colleges should be
the broad frame of reference. Modern educational planning emphasizes that the
goals of a democratic society should be social and economic concerned with the
welfare and progress of all citizens rather than the selfish goals of some
special interest groups.
vi.
Scientific
Changes:
Modern educational planning
carefully and objectively collects data, interprets and analyses
interrelationships between present and future needs. It also interprets and
analysis inter-relatedness of the various components of the social and
educational system.
vii.
Anticipation:
Modern educational planning
requires developments and needs change in future, must ahead of time so as
proper facilities, supporting media and required resources for implementing the
planned change may be secured.
viii.
Forecasting:
Educational Planning is
describing or defining or determining events, conditions and needs of some
future point in times. It implies forecasting of important factors in education
such as number and types of students and expansion of facilities needed for
them.
ix.
Interpretation:
It should also called
for interpretation of future data and it’s translation into competencies or
operational capabilities demanded to maintains effectiveness under the
conditions anticipated.
x.
Goals and Objectives:
It is a means of
generating relevant present and future goals and objectives for the
organization.
xi.
Decision-Making:
It is the preparation
or pre-courses in the decision-making process. It helps in determining the
optimal decisions or choice rendered. While educational administration is
mostly decision making, planning in education is only the other side of it.
xii.
Operations Optimization:
Educational Planning is
performance improvement or operation optimization. It’s for the enhancement of
existing conditions rather than for those that exists in the uncertain future.
It is to guide the actions of the operations.
xiii.
Problems Prevention:
It is a kind of
contingency anticipation or problem-prevention. It should minimize the magnitude
of an educational problem likely to be encountered at some future point in
time. It should spell out the procedures to be followed if some crisis or
contingencies arise.
xiv.
Management Change:
Educational Planning is
a part of organizational renewal. MBO, PERT and various other forecasting
techniques are part of the process of educational planning. It provides a
mechanism, a model or a tool for achieving specific objectives of an
organization.
xv.
Complexity Resolution:
Educational Planning is
complexity resolution, a process for co-ordination and control. It is
interpreted as a means of coping with complexity or co-ordination of facets of
such projects.
Objectives
of Educational Planning:
i. To ensures
success of the institution: It takes into consideration the important
issues, conditions, constraints and factors in education. Its focus is on
future objectives, vision and goals. It is proactive in nature in that it
emphasizes perception and ability to apply theory and profit from it in advance
of action.
ii. To explore the possibilities of alternative uses and
optimum utilization: To explore the possibilities of alternative uses and
optimum utilization of limited resources. The scarcity of financial and other
non-material resources poses a challenge to education.
iii. To be economic: Effective and efficient planning
saves resources, manpower, time and finance... That’s why it is recommended in
the field of education.
iv. Attained objectives of education: Through
proper planning the predetermined objectives of education can be achieved.
v Keep pace with social development: Overall
(social, cultural, economic) development of the students is possible with
perfect and systematic planning in education. Curriculum is framed according to
the need and inerest of the students.
vi Coordinate different educational activity: Different
educational activity is coordinated with suitable planning from Pre-primary to
Primary, Primary to Secondary, Higher Secondary to College Education etc for
the development of both students and teacher along with teaching-learning
process.
vii. To determine the priorities in the educational sector
so that scarce resources can be allocated optimally.
viii To reorient the educational system and bring about
functional integration among different levels of education.
ix. To bring about equalisation of educational opportunity
by expanding facilities for women’s education especially in rural areas.
