University of Massachusetts Amherst ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 1-1-1986 Training needs of village-level leaders for participatory rural development : focus on Sri Lanka. D. Stanley Gajanayake University of Massachusetts Amherst Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1 Recommended Citation Gajanayake, D. Stanley, "Training needs of village-level leaders for participatory rural development : focus on Sri Lanka." (1986). Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014. 2019. https://scholarworks.umass.edu/dissertations_1/2019 This Open Access Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. It has been accepted for inclusion in Doctoral Dissertations 1896 - February 2014 by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@UMass Amherst. For more information, please contact [email protected]. TRAINING NEEDS OF VILLAGE-LEVEL LEADERS FOR PARTICIPATORY RURAL DEVELOPMENT: FOCUS ON SRI LANKA A Dissertation Presented By D. Stanley D. Gajanayake Submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Massachusetts in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION September 1986 Education D. Stanley D. Gajanayake 1986 All Rights Reserved TRAINING NEEDS OF VILLAGE-LEVEL LEADERS FOR PARTICIPATORY RURAL DEVELOPMENT: FOCUS ON SRI LANKA A Dissertation Presented By D. Stanley D.Gajanayake Approved as to style and content by: Dr. H Dr. David Kinsey, Member Dr. Mark H. Feinstein, Member School of Education in ACKNOWLEDGEMENT I am deeply indebted to many individuals who have helped me m preparing this study. Although the list is too long to record here, several names deserve special emphasis for the manner in which they assisted me. I am grateful, first of all, to Professor Horace Reed, the Chairperson of my dissertation committee, for not only offering me constructive criticisms and continuous guidance, but also for his sensitivity and keen insight which were crucial at several junctures in my doctoral program. David Kinsey and Mark H. Feinstein, other members of the dissertation committee, gave careful attention to the draft and made many helpful suggestions for its improvement. Their unique and valuable contributions are sincerely appreciated. I wish to express my thanks to the Center for International Education, Center for Organizational and Community Development, and Horace Mann Bond Center for Equal Education, for providing me with financial support through assistantships/employment, which enabled me to complete my doctoral program. I am also grateful to the people of Indonesia, Korea, Thailand and Ghana, as it was through the funds made available from the projects connected with these countries, that the Center for International Education was able to provide me with financial assistance. IV The support I received from Dr. A. T. Ariyaratne, President of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement in Sri Lanka, made this a most stimulating and rewarding experience, and I highly appreciate the opportunity. The valuable assistance received from many other mem- bers of the Sarvodaya Movement is also gratefully acknowledged. I highly appreciate the help rendered by Liese Kauffman, Kathy Flanagan, and Michael Basile in editing my work. Special thanks go to my wife Jaya, for her warmth, and her invaluable support, and more importantly, for masterfully handling the complexities of the field research and assuming important research responsibilities in Sri Lanka. Finally, very personal thanks go to my loving children, Nishantha and Nishani, whose patience and under- standing helped me to a great extent in successfully completing this work. v ABSTRACT Training Needs of Village— Level Leaders for Participatory Rural Development: Focus on Sri Lanka September 1986 Stanley Gajanayake, B.A. University of Peradeniya Dip. Ed., University of Peradeniya M.A., University of Peradeniya M.Ed., University of Massachusetts Ed., D., University of Massachusetts Directed by: Professor Horace Reed People's participation at the grassroots level in development is a major concern of policy-makers, development planners, research workers and practitioners in the field of rural development. The ability and the willingness of the rural people to involve themselves actively in the development process depends on their level of motiva- tion. The village-level leaders can play a central role in the process of motivating and igniting the enthusiasm of the people at the village- level. Strengthening the capabilities of the village-level workers in this respect is one of the crucial challenges faced by practitioners in the field of rural development. vi The primary purpose of this study is to identify, prioritize and operationalize the training needs of the village-level workers performing m their role effectively as facilitators in involving rural masses in the development process. The design of the study combines a critical survey of literature, a case study, a needs assessment and an operationalizing process of prioritized needs. The survey of literature incorporates a critical appraisal of concepts of rural development and of people's participa- tion. It also highlights the crucial role of village-level leaders in eliciting people's participation, drawing upon examples from selec- ted development models. The case study inquires into the role of village-level leaders of the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement in Sri Lanka, a unique example of a participatory rural development effort in the developing world and also evaluates the nature of its training efforts. The needs assessment explores the training needs of the village-level leaders of the Movement. The prioritization process highlights the major training needs, and the operationalization process breaks down prioritized needs into more clear dimensions. At the con- clusion of the study these major dimensions emerging from the prior- itized training needs have been analysed and synthesized to present a general framework for the formulation of training programs for village-level leaders. While the study is focused specifically on the Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement of Sri Lanka, the broad framework may be relevant to training programs for other developing countries. vii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT 1V ABSTRACT VI LIST OF APPENDICES . xii CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION l Statement of the Problem p Purpose of the Study 5 Significance of the Study 7 Organization of the Literature Review 9 Design of the Study 10 Methodology of Field Investigation 12 Definition of Terms 15 Delimitations 16 Assumptions 16 II. RURAL DEVELOPMENT: ITS THEORETICAL CONTEXT 18 Introduction 18 A Priority Task 19 What is Rural Development 20 Rural Development Defined 20 Target Population 22 Focus of Rural Development 23 Rural Development - The Changing Paradigm 25 Transfer of Technology 27 Resource Based Approach 28 Community Based Approaches 29 Community Development 29 Animation Rurale 31 Alliance for Progress 32 Achievements and Failures 32 An Alternative Viewpoint 34 Neo-Colonial Dependence Model 35 False Paradigm Model 36 Path out of Dependency 37 New International Economic Order 38 Internal Structural Changes 39 Self-Reliant Development 40 A New Conceptualization of Development 42 Human Needs Viewpoint 43 A Third World Perspective 43 Summary and Conclusion 45 viii III. PEOPLE’S PARTICIPATION IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT 48 Rationale for Popular Participation 49 Significance of Popular Participation 50 Meaning of Participation 54 Dimensions 56 The "What" Dimension of Participation 56 The "Who" Dimension of Participation 57 The "How" Dimension of Participation 58 Context of Rural Development Participation 59 Style of Development 60 Development "Models" * 61 Planning * "Models" at Local Level 62 Decentralization 63 Participation in Practice 64 Two Case Studies 66 Tanzania 66 People's Republic of China 67 Summary and Conclusion 69 IV. SARVODAYA SHRAMADANA MOVEMENT: A SRI LANKAN EXPERIENCE IN PARTICIPATORY RURAL DEVELOPMENT . 72 Introduction 72 The Sarvodaya Shramadana Movement 72 Definition 75 History of the Movement 75 Goals and Objectives 76 Ideology and Values 77 Influences and Parallels in the West 81 Holistic Approach to Development 82 Major Orientations of the Development Strategy ... 86 Basic Needs 87 Ten Basic Needs 87 From Village Level Up 88 Self-Help 90 Self-Reliance 91 People's Participation 93 Rationale for Popular Participation 94 Sarvodaya Process: People's Participation and Village Awakening 96 Identification and Exploration 97 Consciousness Raising and Creating Psychological Infrastructure: Shramadana Camp Stage .... 99 Organizational Infrastructure 102 Training and Orientation 103 Surveying 103 Formulation of Plans 104 IX Evaluation 106 Parallels with the Community Development Process in the West 106 Sarvodaya in Action .... 108 Assessment of People's Participation Sarvodaya . 111 and the Political and Social Context of Sri Lanka 113 Introduction 113 Political Party System 114 Sarvodaya and Politics 116 Sarvodaya and Government 118 Ethnic Problem 120 Indian Tamils 121 Sarvodaya and Minorities 123 Caste System and Sarvodaya 124 Women and Sarvodaya 127 Significance of Village-Level Leaders - The Facilitators of the Participatory Process . 118 ROLE AND ISSUES OF VILLAGE-LEVEL LEADERS FOR PARTICIPATORY RURAL DEVELOPMENT . 131 Research on Leadership 132 Village-Level Leadership 134 Leadership and Community Power Structure . 136 Role of Village-Level Leaders 138 Extension Approach 140 Training Approach 141 Self-Help