various educational programmes.
The three approaches discussed above could not be said to be perfect. Each of the approaches has its strengths and weaknesses, but they however provide some basis for educational planning. The choice of approach to be adopted depends on the nature of problem educational planning has been requested to solve. It is important to mention that one or two of the approaches or a synthesis of the three may be employed depending on the prevailing situation of the nation’s economy. What is of paramount importance is that adequate and reliable data should be made available. This is because it is on the basis of data analysis that projections and predictions can be made.
economic and political needs and they are the motivating factors for Government’s investments and interest in educational development. They guide educational planning. They could be as broad as education for the development of effective citizens, fostering individuality, providing understanding or as specific as bringing about literacy and son on.
3. Curriculum: The school buildings, students enrollment, the number and type of teachers and the level of financing as well as the nature of management, all depend upon the nature of the curriculum. Thus, educational planning does not only take into consideration the existing curriculum but also follows logically its planning, development and evaluation as all these stages have considerable impact on educational planning.
4. Physical Facilities: These must be taken into consideration in the context of proposed curriculum or educational programme and at what level i.e. whether it is primary, secondary grammar or technical/vocational or tertiary institutions. At the primary school level, emphasis is laid on classroom spaces whereas at secondary education level, consideration is given to libraries, laboratories as much as classrooms. At tertiary education level, the building becomes complex as a result of various requirements to meet the diversified curricular activities in such areas as humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, medical sciences, engineering and agriculture.
5. Staffing: This is an important parameter in educational planning. As soon as the curricula are considered, attention is shifted to selection and training of teachers with relevant skills for the implementation of the planned educational programme.
Teachers are recruited and trained for all levels particularly for the first and second levels of education. The number and level of the teachers to be-recruited and/or trained depend on various variables such as the expected enrollment, teacher-pupil ratio as contained in the education law or the work load per teacher per the type of subject to be taught, the methodology to be used, the type of teaching aids etc. The quality of education is a function of the type of teachers recruited. This explains
why staffing is an important parameter in educational planning.
6. Students: These constitute the nerve centre of the educational system because their size determines the size of the staffing, the level of funding and in some cases the size of the building. In the content of social demand approach to educational planning, enrolment is the prime mover of all the other components in the social system. In countries where there is population explosion, students’ enrolments are high and resources for education are corresponding large, in that case, planning helps to determine the level of national resources to be allocated to education if the social, political and economic development of such countries are not to be stagnant.
7. Funding: This is very crucial because it determines the quality and quantity of education to be provided. The level of funding determines the quality of building, type of resources for education and the quality of the teaching staff. The success of the implementation of educational planning is dependent on the level of funding of the school system. There are usually issues to be resolved in educational funding such as who pays, how much, what subsidies, grants, levies etc. The disbursement of money realized from various sources and the accountability of the money are other important issues to be considered in educational planning. No educational system can function without funds.
8. Manuals: The supply of educational materials such as books, science equipment, teaching aids such as audio-visual are important in education. The level of supply is dependent on the level of funding. The method of distribution has to be determined so as to ensure equity and that the materials reach their destination.
9. Information: In most cases, many people are unaware of Government educational policies and programmes because of lack of information. In order to enlist the support of the public in education sector, public enlightenment is necessary. The public need to be informed in time and adequately for their understanding and support for educational policies.
10. Management: This is an important parameter in educational planning as it affects
the implementation of plans. Poor management of educational system often leads to the collapse of educational programmes. It is, therefore, imperative that the management of educational system be properly spelt out and experienced educational administrators appointed to administer or manage the nation’s education. Management in this context encompasses curriculum development, school buildings, students’ admissions, financial disbursement, teacher placement and orientation, supply of educational materials and the day to day affairs of the schools. Management, therefore, constitutes an important aspect of educational planning.
11. Evaluation: This is a parameter in educational planning which deals with the feedback on the performance of planned educational system. It monitors the system’s inputs and outputs as specified in the plan. This is aimed at detecting if deviations occur, and if they occur, they should be rectified immediately. The evaluation of plan implementation of education system’s performance is necessary for the healthy growth and survival of educational system.