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Unit 7: Planning: Process and Means

anticipate conditions, directions, and challenges at some future points in the time for the purpose Notes
of enhancing the readiness of the personnel and organization to perform more effectively and
to attain relevant objectives by optional means.” This definition contains four important
characteristics of planning (a) future orientation, (b) goal orientation, (c) related to performance
enhancement and (d) goal achievement by optimal means. Most people prefer to describe or
define planning ‘to make plans’. They emphasize the plans as the product of planning. If a plan
has been prepared it means that they have done planning. However, planning means more
than the development of plans. It is a process resulting into a product. But plan and the process
of preparing the plan are future-oriented. Planning seeks to gain some control over future
developments.

7.3 Principles of Educational Planning

The following principles of educational planning are formulated :
(1) Educational planning must be one aspect of general national planning.
(2) Research is based planning based on system analysis.
(3) Planning must be a continues process.
(4) Planning should find a definite place in educational organization.
(5) Planning should take into consideration resources and establish conditions of work.
(6) Planning must be realistic and practical.
(7) Planning must involve active and continuing participation of all interested individuals and
groups.
(8) The content and scope of planning should be determined by the needs of the individuals and
groups to be served.
(9) Planning should utilize the services of specialists without allowing them to dominate.
(10) Planning should provide opportunity for all persons and groups to understand and appreciate
the plans.
(11) Planning should provide for continuous evaluation.
(12) Planning should have opportunity for modification for further action.

Wood Despatch (1854) : The first effort on planning in the field of education was
made as long back as 1854, when a memorable Despatch of Sir Charles Wood,
president of the board of control to the governor-general council was issued. This
despatch constituted a beginning of planned education in India.

7.4 Process of Educational Planning

Planning can be defined as “a process of taking decisions for future actions in order to achieve pre-
determined objectives by optimum utilization of available resources in a limited time frame”. Thus
a pre-condition for planning is the existence of certain objectives which need to be achieved and
constraints in this respect are time and resources. Here resources include all the three types of
resources namely physical (or material), financial and human resources. It is said that we plan
because we have limited resources and we have to achieve our objectives within the constraint of
these limited resources.
The term “planning” is very frequently used in daily life and every person without exception does
some planning at individual level when one has to accomplish some task. Households plan for

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