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Training Needs and Human Resource
Development for Rural Settlements
Azizurrahman
arahman@devalt.org
Development
of rural settlements has been one of the primary objectives of the
planned development in India. The dimensions and problems of settlement
planning, in addition to the element of housing, also include the
provision of basic services like potable water, sanitation and energy.
Further, settlement planning is inextricably linked to the income
generation activities and affordability of the occupants.
In 1998, the
National Housing and Habitat Policy was laid down on the table of both
Houses of the Parliament. This included the following recommendations
for the rural housing sector:
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Development of design of
houses and layout of human settlements, with due regard to the local
conditions, economic activities of the households and other
socio-cultural factors. |
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Research in development
of buildings, based on local resources and promotion of their
production and use. |
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Strengthening of the
supply and delivery system of essential building materials and
components not easily available locally. |
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Development and
up-gradation of programmes to promote house construction on
self-help basis. |
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Research and development
of appropriate technology and its propagation. |
The Process
In the rural areas, the
context of housing differs from that in urban areas. Housing in the
rural sector has been primarily a self-help activity for the majority of
households. The role of institutions, both in terms of technological and
financial interventions, is still very marginal. The institutions find
it difficult to reach the great majority of rural people because of the
unorganized nature of most rural settlements. The need for human
resource development has become a dire demand of the day. The process of
human resource development should be taken up with the following
objectives:
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To provide a set of
public administration professionals and other workers who would act
as an interface between the research institutions and local
agencies. |
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To provide information
access to the rural populace so that they can take full advantage of
government aided programmes and other Research and Development
institutions. |
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To create employment
opportunities for the local populace in the development process of
rural settlements. |
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To create mass awareness
so that the local community plays an active role in both planning
and implementation of the development process. |
In addition
to that, new concepts are required to be introduced and innovations
evolved to tackle a variety of problems, largely in the context of local
situations. Human resource development could be developed by making
intervention in three specific areas such as:
l
Knowledge
l Skill and
l
Attitude
One of basic
tasks of development of human resource is the identification of the
target audience, because settlement development in rural areas involves
a large section of the population directly. This includes people
involved in building material processing and a large work force of
masons, labourers etc. It also includes people from the related craft
sector, officials (DRDA, Zila Panchayats etc.) and professionals like
architects engineers, anthropologists and social scientists. These
people could be classified as follows:
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Training is required for
professionals like civil engineers, architects, social scientists
etc., engaged in rural settlements’ development and management at
different levels. This training is needed by the professionals for: |
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i) |
developing their
competence and capabilities by providing in-service training; and |
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ii) |
keeping them well
abreast of the latest innovations in building material and
technologies, environmental issues, resource management etc. |
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Public Administrator
too, are required to be oriented in various dimensions of human
settlements in order to equip them to appreciate and tackle emerging
problems like the energy crisis or depleting natural resources etc. |
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Finally, the rural folk
should be trained to : |
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i) |
be made aware of new
dimensions of human settlements, development and management. |
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ii) |
be imparted education to
utilize facilities properly and create community action so as to
create congenial living conditions. |
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The training should be
envisaged keeping the following objectives in mind. In fact, the
training should cover: |
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Information
dissemination |
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Skill upgradation and
income generation |
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Providing a platform or
forum for interaction |
Types of
Training
Depending
upon the requirements, different types of training may be conducted.
These are:
Preparatory
Courses:
These courses provide
elementary knowledge to the participants, they only introduce relevant
issues, depending upon the individual’s aptitude and initiative.
Advanced
Courses:
These are in continuation of the above courses. The participants in
these courses are expected to get an in-depth understanding of the
subject of their choice.
Orientation
Courses: In
this category of courses, participants are exposed to the current
scenario and are provided a chance for interdisciplinary interaction in
order to make current concerns and issues a part of their work strategy.
Refresher
Course :
These courses are
structured with an objective to provide an update on relevant
information, technique etc and meant for participants who are already
working intensively in their respective subjects.
For
organising these courses, the level and background of participants and
the objectives of the courses are the two basic parameters to be taken
into consideration prior to designing the course, its duration, content
and selection of faculty etc.
Training
needs in Human Resource Development
Training to
acquire new knowledge is a matter of abiding by values. Training of
personnel engaged in human settlements’ development is a matter of great
consequence and significance. Analytical studies, investigations, and
research are on-going requirements to device a new solution for the
problems confronting us in creating sustainable rural settlements.
Training facilitates the dissemination of information related to new
innovations, inventions, and appropriate technologies.
Skill Sets
In any
construction activity, the skills could be divided mainly into:
l
Skills directly
related to construction activity
l
Skills related to
managerial aspects
Construction
Activity Related Skills
Although, there exist a
large number of skilled workers related to different construction
activities in the rural areas, most of the time their skills are either
outdated or redundant in today’s context. There is, therefore, a great
need to organize training programmes for imparting skills to
construction related workers in different technical trades. Such
progrmmes are devised keeping in view the specific requirements of the
construction workers, which include:
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Motivation and aptitude
for acquiring skills; |
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On-the-job training; |
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Stress on audio visual
media; |
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Better working and
living facilities; and |
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Encouragement and
employment opportunities for trained workers. |
Managerial
Aspects Related Skills
A variety of problems and
bottlenecks are encountered by policy makers and implementers in
evolving and implementing the programmes pertaining to development of
human settlements. This is particularly so in the developing countries
where a new situation has to be tackled within the constraints of
resources.
Need for
Attitudinal Change
Because of its very informal
nature, the role actors are mixed in rural housing. Government has
assumed many functions that should be performed by the private sector.
Voluntary agencies have taken on the responsibility that they should
belong to the Government. The private sector does not take much interest
as it does not fulfill their financial viability norms. Amidst the
confusion, the common villagers wait, in an ever growing state of
despair, for someone to come and build houses for them and provide the
necessary service.
To overcome
this confusion, it is important to change the very attitude of the
people working in the settlement development process of settlements in
rural areas. People are taken as a liability, but they could be
integrated in the housing process.
The desired
effect could not be achieved as long as the end user, i.e. the people,
is taken into confidence and is made an integral part of the mainstream.
Generally, participation of people is limited in the implementation
process. This is usually through contributions in cash, kind and labour
in road or building works. Since people are not involved in the planning
and decision–making process, they tend to feel alienated, have very
little commitment towards the implementation and resent demands made on
them for contribution.
It is only
possible to change their attitude by:
l
Providing people access to information
l
Bringing the planning and processes to the local level
This could be
achieved by adopting intensive programmes for disseminating information
with the help of appropriate tools and techniques of information
dissemination.
The quality
of human resource in the rural areas is a significant factor which can
not be overlooked. A comprehensive approach towards improving the human
capital would create a positive ripple effect and upgrade the overall
living conditions of people in rural areas.
q
Reference : Rural Housing
in India, published by the Ministry of Rural Development –G.O.I.
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