Human Resource Development

"Physical infrastructures that men build can crumble and decay. But when we build-up the capacity in people, it lasts for generations, and helps to speeden the development process..."

Mr. Krishna Pd. Jaishi
DDC Chairman, Achham

Local-level development efforts in Nepal have always been overshadowed by macro-level and sectoral-oriented development initiatives. The gap that therefore exists in the understanding at the central level about the actual local needs have frustrated many charismatic intellectuals and decision-makers, as well as the local people who aspire to develop in a self-reliant way.

There is, nevertheless, a clear understanding that the horizontal coordination of decisions related to local development is as important as vertical coordination; and that development must be ultimately people-oriented for ownership, meaningfulness and sustainability. What is needed now is a better understanding amongst local authorities, line agencies, and the beneficiary local institutions, so that all development stake holders share the control of, and responsibility for development.

Human Resource Development has gained increasing application as a goal, and as a process in the developmental field. As a goal it is equated with the development of human capacity and upliftment of human aspirations. In terms of process, HRD involves activities related to education, training, empowerment, awareness raising, skills enhancement, team building, community mobilisation and development, organisation development, entrepreneurship development, sensitisation and conscientisation, human resources planning and policies.

The emerging concept of HRD puts people at the centre of development, because development is not only by people, it is also for people. Thus human development, instead of stressing on the formation of human capital for development, emphasises on enlarging people’s choices in order to improve their quality of life. PDDP’s activities have been geared towards these goals of improving the standard of human life. The Programme has been laying stress on the development of human capabilities such as improved health, education, knowledge and skills and at the same time, enhancing their capacity to tap on acquired capabilities in order to improve their quality of life.

It was the realisation of the vital role played by the development of human resource in the Programme, that PDDP established an HRD Unit in its central office in early 1998. The Unit aims to "establish a decentralised human resource development management system & enhancement of skill competencies and professionalism in the Programme." The Unit is currently working on improving organisational performance through team building and upgrading the skills and capacities of the staff. The Unit, through its various activities, aims at improving the professional capacity of the district staff to perform tasks, and their receptivity towards organisational mission.

Following up on its goal of decentralising human resource development management system, the Programme then urged the DDCs to establish a Human Resource Development Unit (HRDU) within the DDC’s institutional structure. Although the 1992 DDC Act mandates the DDC to act as the focal point for overall development of the district, the Act has not specifically allocated HRD roles to the DDC, and neither has it considered the DDC’s human resource requirement in this regard. The Act assumes that the DDC should have adequate human resource capability to meet the requirements of planning processes during the preparation of the District Development Plan.

HRD Planning, from an institutional perspective and the mechanism for follow-up and monitoring processes are non-existent in the districts. Neither the DDCs, nor other development actors in the district (including government agencies) are required to plan their HRD needs to perform the required district planning and service delivery functions. Each of these actors, including the DDC, run various HRD programmes, such as training, exposure visits and workshops. But these activities are performed on an ad-hoc basis, and without any concern for linking such input with the performance of the trainee. Thus such interventions, although they may enhance the competence of an individual, do not benefit the institutions.

Realising the need for the DDC as a governance unit to provide leadership and guidelines to VDCs, LAs, NGOs and communities for planning processes, the Programme stresses on the need for the DDCs to be equipped with professional competence to run programs to meet their institutional goals. Since 1995 PDDP has been supporting the DDCs to build up their human resource competence through the provision of Program Officers, an information base in the district, and the services of a District Development Advisor trained in Participatory Development.

To fully institutionalise the HRDU within the DDCs, the Programme urged the DDCs to prepare HRD guidelines for their districts taking in consideration the development needs of the district. These would then assist the DDCs in internalising their vision, mission, goals and objectives and help them in their task of preparing periodic — short, medium and long-term— action plans. These plans would then again be backed with HRD policies and strategies. The fully functional HRDU would have a monitoring and evaluation process too, to further refine its strategies. The HRDU besides providing specialised services, would also be the propagator of HRD philosophy and approaches. These DDCs can thus mobilise VDCs to follow similar strategies and approaches. The Programme believes that this should lessen the work-load of the DDCs, who can then focus on further improving their capabilities. In order to make the whole exercise a sustainable one, the DDCs have been trying to develop sustainable institutional linkages with other training institutions , and on establishing and nurturing linkages with other HRD centres/consultants, so that they can provide their services wherever needed and that HRDUs start generating resources.

Following UNDP’s global directives of gender mainstreaming as an important and integral dimension of sustainable human development, UNDP/Nepal too recognises gender equity as an essential development issue. Accordingly UNDP, consciously reflecting the government’s Ninth Plan, has initiated an intense process of mainstreaming gender equity issues into its policies, programme and projects since 1997. The establishment of a gender focal point in each of its projects has enabled them to review and support all the essential activities required for mainstreaming gender into their respective programmes.

PDDP too has been integrating gender equity issues in the overall programme activities. This has not only resulted in creating a gender-friendly environment in the workplace, but has also greatly inspired and influenced the spirit of the programme at various levels of programme implementation. However, there is still a lot left to be done to change the sterotypical ‘gender’ thinking processes of both rural as well urban men and women in order to create an environment that will urge women at all levels to participate even more in the decision-making processes that affect their lives and surroundings. A lot still needs to be done to change the gender stereotyping of both males and females and for men and women to learn to respect each other’s differences.

Using the concept of SHD, PDDP has an integrated package used to orient professionals, Programme staff, DDCs, VDCs, government agencies, NGOs, political parties and private sector organisations on participatory development. Using local experts and in-house resource persons, PDDP’s training team has been able to provide training on its own. It has also begun to deploy its trainers to orient the staff of other UNDP projects on participatory governance and social mobilisation.

At the settlement level, under VDP, the Programme offers opportunities for training programmes meant to develop a cadre of village specialists and individual entrepreneurs, and thereby enhancing the skills as well as the self reliance of the villagers. These training are of two types.. general orientations, and specialised skill enhancement. Besides, the Chairpersons and Managers of the Community Organisations are also provided training on Management & Leadership, Accounting & Book-keeping, and are taken on exposure tours to observe other social mobilisation activities around the country. Functional Users’ groups formed for the implementation of PPI are also provided training on project implemetation, planning and monitoring. (see VDP Chapter for more on such training)

The newly developed HRDU at the DDC will now provide continuity to PDDP’s HRD input at the district level and below. These Centres have started providing training on Participatory Development Planning, Gender Mainstreaming, Refresher courses on Social Mobilisation etc.. The DDC and DDCO officials are provided orientation on participatory development & governance through seminars and interactions at the Central level. The DDC, DDCO and VDC officials are also offered opportunity to observe various self-help initiatives around the country through exposure tours. The DDC Officials then offer orientation on participatory development planning process to the representatives of the district line agencies, NGOs and other district-based institutions through intra-, inter-district networking meetings.

PDDP enhances the calibre of the Programme Officers of the DDC by training them on Planning Tools & Techniques. The DDC staff are provided training on data collection and data updating, and are also familiarised with GIS software and the computerised accounting package, as well as training on Development Communications. The short-listed candidates for VDP’s support staff—the social mobilisers and the saving/credit facilitator are provided extensive training on social mobilisation. These SO staff are also trained on handling Functional Groups.

To orient the central-level policy makers on the participatory development process and on PDDP’s experiences in the field, PDDP organises interaction programmes like National Seminars and Consultative Sessions. The Programme collaborates with national training academies and institutions to impart knowledge and skills to government officials. It is developing Training/Orientation Manuals in Nepali on VDP.

Orientation and conscientisation of development stake-holders at various levels, as well as foreign donors, about PDDP and participatory development efforts is also done through information dissemination. This is done through the distribution of PDDP’s, publications, through the Resource Centre, and through write-ups in the media.

The NPC GIS Facility has been conducting on-the-job training to the NPCS GIS Section staff so as to enhance the annual plans and performance.

Through training and workshops, PDDP keeps its staff abreast of the trends of sustainable local development and related technology. The Programme also conducts exposure tours for the field level staff.

The Programme has offered catalytic support to the DDCs to establish HRDUs. This token support has been utilised to buy basic training equipment and logistic support for the HRDU. The HRDUs have also been assisted in the preparation of NGO profiles and also in the training of trainers.

By the end of 1999, 19 of the DDCs under the Programme had already established HRDUs and had also come up with HRD Guidelines. (also see more on HRDU) Many HRDUs have thus charted out their policies, published brochures listing the training facilities.

The DDCs have also been allocating resources for the establishment of HRDUs as well as recruiting HRD Officer apart from other technical staff. Reports from Rupandehi DDC, for example, say that the HRDU has been formalised with the provision for two staff-a gazetted officer and non-gazetted first class level staff. The DDC also reports that the HRD Unit would organise training programmes for the elected women representatives of the VDCs in constituency nos. 1,2,3 and 5 for which the DDC had allocated Rs. 155,000.

Several DDCs have constructed, or pledged to construct training halls for HRDU. The Ninth District Council of Banke decided to equip the HRDU with training material and necessary equipment. HRDU Banke has already provided an orientation on Local Self-Governance Act 2055 as well as two trainings on Animal Husbandry and Social Mobilisation. The revenue collected as overhead charges from the training was spent in purchasing furniture for the HRDU. Likewise Nawalparasi District Council also allotted Rs. 5 lakhs for the construction of a Multipurpose Training Centre and Conference Hall at the DDC. The DDC has requested MLD for administrative budget for the HRDU. Similarly, Syangja DDC, with the view of enhancing the capacities/skills of the rural people to access, improve and sustain service delivery, has also decided to construct a training hall for the HRDU. The DDC has allocated Rs. 3.5 lakhs for the purpose, and is mobilising resources to furnish the premises.

Village Development Programme through Social Mobilisation Process for extending additional VDCs in the districts: The HRD Unit in PDDP conducted a series of 8 training sessions in 4 phases to 250 prospective VDP support staff- deputy team leaders, social mobilisers, saving & credit facilitators and overseers - from 12 districts. There were 92 female candidates at these training. The trainees came from the original six PDDP/NORAD districts - Baitadi, Dang, Kavre, Nuwakot, Parbat, Rupandehi - where VDP was being expanded into an additional 10 VDCs each; from the four second-phase NORAD supported districts - Achham, Banke, Kapilbastu, Kaski - where VDP was expanded into an additional 5 VDCs each; and Syangja & Pyuthan where VDP was being implemented in five VDCs each.

These series of 8-day training on Social Mobilisation imparted the participants with the conceptual and operational aspects of social mobilisation and also included field trips to VDP VDCs as well.

PDDP, with the expert input of the Nepal Press Institute (NPI), organised a series of two 3-day training workshops for the Information POs and the R/DDAs of PDDP districts. The training programme provided the participants with the basics of development journalism and desktop publishing so as to orient the participants on the concept of communications, the importance of development communications/rural communications, the selection & packaging of information, as well as the art of writing and presentation of materials for publication.

A series of 3-day Gender Orientation have so far been provided by PDDP through DidiBahini for 139 support organisation (SO) staff, 42 of them female-social mobilisers, saving-credit facilitators, overseers and accountants-from 17 PDDP supported districts. The orientation mainly focused on sensitising the support staff at a personal level as well as at the organisational level. The Programme feels that it is only when these "frontline warriors" of VDP internalise the concept of gender, equity and equality, that they can be prepared to implement these concepts into programme activities in the field. The Programme has also designed follow-up programmes for these staff in order to equip them to help spread the message of a gender-sensitive society at the grassroots.

A 6-day training on LTF Accounting & Reporting was organised in November at Pokhara for 24 LTFB Accountants of 17 PDDP districts as well as participants from CAP-21 project and LGP districts. The training was organised by PDDP and UNDP. Mr. Biswas Gauchan, UNDP’s Chartered Accountant was the Resource Person in the training along with PDDP’s Administration Assistant Mr. Udaya Pradhan. During the training the participants learnt the techniques of systematic account keeping as well as financial reporting so as to make the LTFB accounting system more streamlined, transparent and uniform.

A series of two 6-day refresher training on Planning Tools and Techniques were provided for a total of 51 Programme Officers, 8 Planning Officers and Planners from PDDP Districts and also from Gulmi (GARDEP) and Kalikot. The training held in September and November in Kathmandu and Nepalgunj respectively, oriented the participants on the use of such tools and techniques for more effective sectoral analyses to enhance the DDCs’ planning efforts.

Through experience sharing and discussions on the opportunities and challenges facing local development efforts, the participants sought ways in which the DDC’s planning linkages with local line agencies could be enhanced through the application of the planning tools and techniques that the POs and the Planning Officers acquired. The training sought to make the participants versant with planning tools that be can be utilised in preparing various sectoral and spatial maps of their districts. (also see more on POs and Planning Tools & Techniques) Now that the Local Self-Governance Act is a reality, these kinds of maps will be useful in producing resource maps of the districts and villages.

With the establishment of the "Research & Training Unit" at the ADDCN with support from PDDP, the Unit has conducted a number of training focusing on conducting "Strategic Planning" exercises in the DDCs. ADDCN has conducted Strategic Planning Workshops in PDDP and non-PDDP districts. These training involve all the stakeholders of local development in the districts (LAs, NGOs, political parties representatives etc.) to come together to think for the common vision and goal for district development. The workshops have been highly appreciated as they are the first of their kind in the country. These strategic plans will next be linked up with the districts’ periodic plans as mandated by the Local Self-Governance Act 2055.

A 5-day workshop on "District Participatory Strategic Planning" was organised by NECOS with the assistance of ADDCN, MS-Nepal and Rupandehi DDC, and the technical support of Alliance Nepal. The workshop that extended from Feb 25 - Mar 1 was organised so as to generate ideas and visions for the preparation of long-term policy and 5-year plan for the equitable and sustainable development of Rupandehi. A task force was formed under the chairmanship of the DDC Chairman Mr. Chhetrapati Malla and the DDC has already initiated work for the preparation of the long-term strategic plans.

A five-day training on rural-urban facilitation was provided to the Deputy Manager and the facilitators of Rural Urban Partnership Programme, RUPP, from Vyas, Hetauda, and Chitwan municipalities by Chitwan LTF with assistance from PDDP HRD Unit. Similarly a 5-day training on village development through social mobilisation was organised by the HRD Unit of the DDC and LTFB/Banke for the Support Organisation staff of RUPP. Likewise, the LTFB of Kavre organised a training programme on social mobilisation for the LGP’s Support Organisation staff of Sindhuli and Parsa.

The HRD Unit of Nuwakot DDC coordinated a one-day exploratory workshop on Women’s Participation in Good Governance at the DDC Office in Bidur and the VDC Office in Salme, organised by Human Resource Development Centre (HURDEC). The objective of the workshop attended by representatives of the DDC, NGOs, INGOs and political parties, was to explore the potential of women as heads of organisations and opportunities to increase women’s participation in development activities and process. HURDEC paid a coordination fee to the HRD Unit.

Support from the Far West Region at the Lumle Agricultural Research Station as part of their study tour
The team from Pakistan being briefed on PDDP's objectives and activities in Kathmandu		Dailekh DDC officials interacting with their counterparts at Rupandehi DDC as part of their study tour

All the social mobilisers of VDP VDCs of Kavre were provided a 1-day orientation workshop on propagating bio-gas in the district.

The workshop was organised jointly by DDC Kavre, PDDP, REDP, NGO Coordination Committee, Women Development Office and the Bio-gas Support Programme.

Under the joint collaboration of DDC Nawalparasi, the Decentralisation Advisory Support Unit (DASU)/DANIDA and the Local Development Training Academy (LDTA) a 9-day training for trainers on "Local Governance and Planning" was organised for 18 local district personnel (DPs). The training provided the local elected officials with knowledge about their roles and responsibilities, identification of need-based projects and proper utilisation of local resources. After the training these DPs then worked as facilitators for eight 9-day training programmes to the VDC officials of 43 VDCs. Eighteen VDCs have already benefited from such a training programme earlier and Action Aid will be conducting the training soon in the remaining 12.

A 12-member team from Pakistan, including two Deputy High Commissioners, were provided orientation on participatory development, on PDDP’s objectives, and activities by NPCS, MLD and UNDP authorities. The study-tour participants were also taken on a study tour of Kavre & Kaski districts. Besides being briefed by the DDC Chairmen about the DDCs’ activities and PDDP’s progress, the teams also went on a field visit to VDP VDCs to observe field level activities.

DDC and VDC representatives from Darchula, Ilam, Panchthar, Parsa, Sindhupalchowk, Siraha, Taplejung, & Udayapur districts visited selected PDDP districts and their VDP VDCs to be oriented on participatory development approach and to observe village development activities.

Exposure Visits of the Local Authorities of PDDP Districts: DDC, VDC and DDCOs officials from PDDP districts were provided with the opportunity to learn about the social mobilisation interventions carried out by various projects and institutions in different part of the country. The main objective of these exposure tours was for the DDC and VDC officials, including the Chairmen, Vice Chairmen, Secretaries and members to get acquainted with successful social mobilisation and community development initiatives of the government, NGOs and INGOs in different parts of the country.

Exposure Visits CO Authorities: VDC authorities, CO Chairpersons, Managers, CO members aswell as members of the LTFB Support Staff participated in exposure tours organised by VDP in other VDP VDCs or programmes undertaking social mobilisation activities elsewhere in the country.

Now that the Local Self-Governance Act and its accompanying regulations have devolved authority and responsibility to the local authorities, it is now up to them to chart out their own development routes. The DDCs and VDCs now will have to set out their long-term visions and goals and formulate their periodic plans and strategies accordingly. The most important infrastructure for ushering in development is the development of human resources. With literate, aware, socially mobilised and skilled manpower, the road to development will be more easy.

It is now up to the local authorities to pick up the yoke and shoulder the responsibility of district and village development. They have to finalise their development visions, and determine where they want to take the district and then mobilise resources, identify experts, and start preparing skilled manpower. It is as important to plan for human resource development as it is for physical /spatial planning.

All the training offered by the Programme have helped to foster linkages between the various planning tiers in the country. The Programme is trying to spread awareness about gender and equity so as to help further mainstream gender into overall development efforts. Through exposure and study tours, not only are support staff in the districts and local authorities being oriented on the best practices of local development, but also high-ranking dignitaries from foreign lands are also coming to see and learn from Nepal’s experience with decentralised participatory development.

PDDP’s publications at the centre and the DDCs’ publications in the districts have helped to spread the message of participatory development planning and social mobilisation among local development workes as well as to the donors in Nepal and abroad. The local/rural communication efforts have helped to enhance the flow of information within the districts, and have played a vital role in making development activities more transparent and accountable.

	Trainees grapple with 'handicap' during Gender orientation
	Programme Officers at work during refresher training on Planing & Techniques ...
	... and the training on LTF Accounting & Reporting

	Training on Accounting & Financial Management Package
	Participants of the Training on Social Mobilisation from RUPP organised by Banke LTFB/HRDU
	Participants from LGP districts at the Social Mobilisation training busy preparing a 24-hour gender work cycle