Extension Education:
Origin and Meaning
- The word ‘Extension’ is derived from the Latin roots:
- ‘Ex’ = Out
- ‘Tensio’ = Stretching
➤ Meaning: “Stretching out education beyond formal institutions.”
- Extension Education is a form of education extended to people, especially in rural areas, beyond formal educational institutions.
- Education is an integral part of extension.
- The term ‘Extension’ was first used in the USA, while ‘Extension Education’ was first coined in the UK.
- Objective of university extension: To provide educational opportunities to common people – (Swanson and Claar, 1984).
Types of Education (Coombs and Ahmed, 1974)
Type | Definition | Example |
Formal Education | Highly institutionalized, graded, and structured system from school to university. | School, College, University |
Non-Formal Education | Organized educational activities outside formal settings for specific groups. | Agricultural Extension |
Informal Education | Lifelong learning from everyday experience at home, work, or social environment. | Observational Learning |
Differences: Formal Education vs Extension Education
Aspect | Formal Education | Extension Education |
Approach | Starts with theory → then practical | Starts with practical → then theory |
Focus | Students study subjects | Farmers study problems |
Authority | Rests with teacher | Rests with farmer |
Curriculum | Fixed syllabus, pre-planned | No fixed syllabus, flexible & need-based |
Examination | Exams held, degrees awarded | No exams, no degrees |
Participation | Compulsory | Voluntary |
Knowledge flow | Teacher → Student | Two-way: Teacher ↔ Farmer |
Teaching method | Only by instructors | Includes local leaders |
Direction | Vertical teaching | Horizontal (peer-based) |
Learner group | Homogeneous (similar background) | Heterogeneous (diverse) |
Flexibility | Rigid, rule-bound | Flexible, need-based |
Programme | Centrally designed | Locally developed with people’s participation |
Theory vs Practice | More theoretical | More practical, for immediate application |
Location | Within classroom/institution | Outside, in the field/village |
Definition and Purpose
- Extension Education is an out-of-school system of education in which adults and young people learn by doing.
- It is a two-way educational process—aimed at bringing desirable changes in the knowledge, attitudes, skills, and practices (KASP) of people, especially farmers.
- Objective: To help people help themselves by equipping them with the knowledge and motivation for self-development.
- Definition “Extension education is an educational process to provide knowledge to the rural people about the improved practices in a convincing manner and to help them to take decisions within their specific local conditions.”
🔹 Role of Agricultural Extension
- Bridges the gap between: Agricultural research institutions and Farming communities
- Achieved by establishing appropriate teaching mechanisms at various administrative levels (village, block, district, state).
🔹 Extension as Education
- Extension is a form of education, and its main goal is: To change the attitudes, behavior, and practices of the people.
- Unlike formal education, it is based on real-life problems, not textbook theory.
🔹 Need for Extension (Supe, 1987)
It is not possible for all farmers to visit research stations and obtain direct information. Hence, there is a need for an agency to:
- Interpret research findings in farmer-friendly language
- Carry farmers’ problems back to research for scientific solutions
- This critical linking role is played by the extension agency.
Nature of Extension Education
- Extension education is an applied behavioral science.
- Aims to change knowledge, attitude, skill, and behavior (KASB) of rural people.
- It is mainly a Non-Formal Education, but sometimes also includes elements of Formal Education.
- If both options (Formal and Non-Formal) are given in the exam → Mark Both
If only one is asked, then choose → Non-Formal Education
