PARTICIPATORY APPROACH OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS (NGOs) TO RURAL DEVELOPMENT
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Date
2005-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY & ANTHROPOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF PESHAWAR PAKISTAN
Abstract
The study entitled Participatory Approach of NGOs to Rural Development was
carried out on non- formal education, one of the sectors of the rural development. The
Human development Foundation (HDF), Mardan was selected as study unit. It has been
working on this activity through its implementing agent Tameer-e- Millat Foundation
(TMF). Four major actors are involved in different capacities in the exercise of activity,
which include the Community, the Development Organizations, the Parent Teacher
Associations and the staff of HDF/TMF. The composite sample size of the four study
elements was 280 from the total 26 selected schools both for boys and girls. The break up
of the sample size is made as 130 from the community, 52 from the Development
Organizations, 78 from the Parent Teacher Associations and 20 from the staff of
HDF/TMEF.The major theme of the study remained participatory approach and people’s
participation was seen in the phases of planning, decision-making, implementation,
monitoring and evaluation through the study matrix (Development Participation Model).
The study findings are clearly indicative that the people of the target area fully
participated in various activities of the education programme like planning, designing,
implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. They got opportunity to express their
views, criticize any component of activity and put forward suggestion of improvement in
the meetings of the Development Organizations (DOs), the Parent Teacher Associations
(PTAs) and even in the Advisory Board. Such direct and voluntary participation ensured
increase in the enrolment rate, readjustment of dropout and left out cases, and
improvement in the quality of education. It is noteworthy that community gave an
affirmative response by sending their children both male and female to NGO based
schools, and even girls outpaced boys in case of enrolment. The community moved
forward up to the level of its best in providing material objects like building, electricity,
safe drinking water and other things as needed beside its moral and intellectual support to
the project personnel, which show the zeal and spirit of local people in the attainment of
education for their children.