National Development: Meaning and Problems

Meaning of National Development:

The term national development is very comprehensive. It includes all aspects of the life of an
individual and the nation. It is holistic in approach. It is a process of reconstruction and
development in various dimensions of a nation and development of individuals.

It includes full-growth and expansion of industries, agriculture, education, social, religious and
cultural institutions. Moreover, national development implies development of a nation as a
whole. It can be best defined as the all-round and balanced development of different aspects and
facets of the nation viz. political, economic, social, cultural, scientific and material.

According to John Vaizey, noted economist: “National development is the total effect of all
citizen forces and addition to the stock of physical, human resources, knowledge and skill.”

United Nations Decade Report defines it as, “National development is growth plus change.
Change in turn is social and cultural as well as economic and qualitative as well as quantitative”.

Broadly, development of the nation encapsulates such parameters as:

i. Development through a planned national economy,

ii. Increase in agricultural production through application of modern technical know-how,
iii. harnessing industrial production,
iv. Development of human resource,
v. Application of science and technology in production sector,
vi. provision of mass education and
vii. Provision of various facilities to meet the needs and aspirations of disadvantaged,
deprived and poorest of the poor segments of population.

Problems of National Development:

These are the some of the problems of national development:

I. Slow economic growth in terms of G.N.P. and standard of living.

II. Large scale unemployment and under-employment.
 III. Large pool of illiteracy.
IV. Rapid growth of population.
V. Slow process of modernisation.
VI. Problem of evolving a democratic, socialistic and secular order.
VII. Incidence of poverty and poor standard of living.
VIII. Useless and low quality products of institutions of higher learning.

The Use of Radio in the Development-Communication

3.1 Nature and Purpose of Radio for Development

3.2 Basic Radio Approaches

3.3 Common Radio Formats

3.4 Basic Elements of Radio Production

3.5 Basic Principles of Radio Scripting

3.6 How to Evaluate a Radio Programme

Introduction

Radio is a medium widely used in development. It can cover wide areas reaching a large number
of people at a relatively low cost. In this section, the term radio includes

1. the common notion of radio broadcasting, from a central station to a certain area. In the
development context it is often referred to as rural radio;

2. community radio, audio programmes produced locally or by another centre and broadcast to
the whole community through loudspeakers set in the village; and

3. the use of audiocassettes, both for use in the community or for producing and recording local
programs on crucial issues, both for inside and outside purposes.

3.1 Nature and Purpose of Radio for Development

The nature of radio is such that it can be used easily, i.e., listened to, while doing other things.
Even the poorest countries can afford to establish radio stations and produce radio programmes.
Radio receivers are also quite cheap and can be afforded by many people. Batteries sometimes
can be a problem as they might be expensive and/or difficult to find in certain areas. With the
progressive introduction and improvement of the wind-up radio technology, this problem should
be greatly reduced.

The role of radio is generally defined as to inform, educate and entertain. In development,
however, radio can be multi-faceted as, among other things, it can serve to pass messages,
improve the capability of calling upon and organising groups and organisations, enlarge the
forum for social dialogue, provide effective capacity building of the community, raise awareness
and knowledge of community issues, bring the people's voice to the higher level of their political
structure and mobilise the community to tackle issues of collective interest.

Radio production requirements and formats can be adapted to specific use and objectives. Radio
can fulfill a number of versatile functions, according to the FAO (1998: 11). Radio is:

1. an important mechanism for rapid diffusion of development information in a diversity of

languages and to widespread, often remote geographical areas;

2. a channel for interactive communication, for dialogue and debate on the major issues of
rural development;

3. a platform for democratic and pluralistic expression of the opinions, needs and
aspirations of rural communities;

4. a tool for cultural expression and entertainment, and a means of collecting, preserving
and enhancing the oral and musical heritage of rural communities;

5. a medium to collect local information on social issues, which is essential for defining,
planning and implementing development efforts;

6. a means of raising public awareness and motivation; and

7. a tool which, combined with other media, can be used for training and the transfer and
exchange of knowledge and technologies.
3.2 Basic Radio Approaches

Radio in the development context can be broadly divided into three categories, each of which
requires a different approach:

 Educational Radio,

 Documentary and Cultural Radio; and

 Participatory Radio.

i. Educational Radio: scope is that of providing knowledge and instructions on specific

issues. It can be used for formal education, as in Nicaragua where UNESCO assisted to
establish a radio network to teach mathematics to pupils in primary schools, or to
provide informal instructions for practical purposes, as used in a number of countries,
especially in the agricultural field. These kinds of programmes are usually written and
prepared by subject specialists after having investigated and assessed the issue in
question. Distance education is another area where radio has played an important role. It
has provided the possibility of progressing with the studies to people in remote areas,
reducing limiting factors such as the time (programmes are usually broadcast more than
once, and can be recorded) and the place (you can listen to them from your house or any
other place provided you have a radio instead of going to school). Radio can also be used
effectively as a support medium in educational campaigns on issues of collective
relevance.

ii. Documentary and Cultural Radio: intends to report and provide testimonials on aspects
of community life. This is done to draw the attention of the community to specific issues,
problems and solutions. Journalistic investigations also fall in this approach. Journalists,
social researchers and communication practitioners are the ones that usually produce this
type of programme, often adopting a participant observation approach in order to
document the issues accurately and objectively. These programs can be addressed to
other communities having similar problems, as well as to the management of
development organisations or to policy-makers.
iii. Participatory Radio: implies the use of radio for the people and by the people. Even if in
the previous two instances some degree of people's involvement is required, it is only
with this kind of radio, also sometimes known as community radio, that full participation
is experienced. The issues to be discussed and presented in the programme are decided
by the community with the assistance of a radio producer. Zimbabwe, since 1988, has
witnessed a unique media project that emphasises the two-way communication potential
of radio as opposed to its traditional mass medium approach of addressing passive
listeners.

3.3 Common Radio Formats

i. Lecture or Straight Talk: This is used for presentation of something or passing on

knowledge on certain issues. It should be used only for a short time (max. 15 minutes),
as it can be quite boring and flat.

ii. Interviews/Discussions: This is different from the previous one. This format requires
more than a single person and opinion to be aired. It can be an interview with a member
of the community as well as the recording of a group discussion about an issue of
concern. The fact that it involves more than one person already makes it more interesting
to follow. As seen previously, this approach can be used to generate a two-way flow of
information as in participatory radio.

iii. Drama: This can be the simple translation of existing drama into a radio format or the
more creative dramatisation of issues identified by the community. Drama can generate a
high degree of interest and keep the attention of the listeners alive for a long time. ‘One
day at a time’ is an example of this programme.

iv. Music: This format is particularly effective in communities with a tradition of popular
music, dancing and singing. The themes of songs are usually used to raise certain issues
or promote certain practices.

v. Jingles/Slogans: These are usually part of a bigger programme. However, they can be
used as an approach in itself. Learn from advertisements where sometimes a simple
slogan or a jingle is flashed at you just to remind you of a certain product. The same can
be done in the development context.
Assignment: List and explain three different radio formats