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)

Coombs and Ahmed (1974) classified education into three main types:

1. Formal Education

• Definition: A highly institutionalized, chronologically graded, and hierarchically structured system.
• Features:
  • Has a fixed curriculum and syllabus.
  • Conducted in schools, colleges, and universities.
  • Leads to certification or degrees.
• Example: School, College, University.

2. Non-Formal Education

• Definition: Any organized and systematic educational activity carried outside the framework of the formal system.
• Features:
  • Flexible and need-based.
  • Targeted for specific groups (youth, farmers, women, workers, etc.).
  • No rigid curriculum or examination.
• Example: Agricultural Extension, Adult Education Programmes, Skill Training.

3. Informal Education

• Definition: A lifelong learning process by which individuals acquire knowledge, skills, and attitudes from daily experiences.
• Features:
  • Not organized or structured.
  • Occurs naturally through family, peers, society, media, and workplace.
  • No syllabus, institution, or certification.
• Example: Learning from home, work, mass media, and observational learning.

Differences: Formal Education vs Extension Education

1. Approach; Formal: Begins with theory → then practical. Extension: Begins with practical → then theory.
2. Focus; Formal: Students study subjects. Extension: Farmers study problems.
3. Authority; Formal: Teacher-centered – authority rests with the teacher. Extension: Farmer-centered – authority rests with the farmer/learner.
4. Curriculum; Formal: Fixed syllabus, pre-planned and approved by authorities. Extension: No fixed syllabus, flexible and need-based.
5. Examination; Formal: Regular exams; degrees/certificates awarded. Extension: No exams, no degrees awarded.
6. Participation; Formal: Compulsory for students enrolled. Extension: Voluntary, based on interest.
7. Knowledge Flow; Formal: One-way (Teacher → Student). Extension: Two-way (Teacher ↔ Farmer).
8. Teaching Method; Formal: Done only by teachers/instructors. Extension: Includes local leaders, progressive farmers, and extension agents.
9. Direction; Formal: Vertical teaching (top-down). Extension: Horizontal teaching (peer-based).
10. Learner Group; Formal: Homogeneous – similar age, background, education level. Extension: Heterogeneous – diverse ages, experiences, education levels.
11. Flexibility; Formal: Rigid and rule-bound. Extension: Flexible, adjusted to local needs.
12. Programme; Formal: Centrally designed by universities/boards. Extension: Locally developed with people’s participation.
13. Theory vs Practice; Formal: More theoretical and academic. Extension: More practical, for immediate application.
14. Location; Formal: Conducted in classrooms/schools/universities. Extension: Conducted in villages, fields, and community settings.

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