(09) In order to achieve an increase in fish production, FRI has taken up a number of research projects for solution of practical problems, for developments of new techniques, and for adaptation of existing technologies. To channel the research findings to its users, an effective training plan is a must, indicating how a comprehensive training programme can be implemented as quickly and as effectively as possible. Such a training plan has to be developed on the basis of training objectives.
(10) The general objectives for training at FRI are as follows:
Long-term objectives:
to increase fish production in the country to meet domestic needs as well as export demands;
Short-term or immediate objectives:
(11) The more specific objectives can be described as follows:
(12) To achieve the general and specific objectives mentionad above, the following training programmes should be conducted (see Table 1):
Table 1 - Scheme of types of training at FRI.
| A. | Training by staff (Regular training for users of research output). | A1. | Extension Workers Training Programme (EWTP); (2 – 3 weeks duration; 1 – 2 times/year). |
| A2. | Policy Makers Training Programme (PMTP); (3 – 5 days duration; once/year). | ||
| A3. | Fisheries Scientists Conference (FSC); (3 days duration; once/year). | ||
| A4. | Refreshers Training Programme (RTP); (1 – 2 weeks duration; once/year). | ||
| A5. | Farmers Demonstration & Training Programme (FDTP); (in future). | ||
| A6. | Assistant Fisheries Officers Training Programme (AFOTP); (in future). | ||
| A7. | Field Assistants Training Programme (FATP); (in future). | ||
| B. | Training of staff (Special training of FRI-officers and staff). | B1. | Trainers Training Programme (TTP); (7 – 10 days duration; irregularly). |
| B2. | Long-term Degree Programme (LDP); (more than one year duration; in the country and abroad). | ||
| B3. | Short-term Overseas Training Programme (SOTP); (1 – 3 month duration). |
(13) This programme will be designed initially to offer in-service training to upazila fisheries officers (UFO), farm managers (FM), and district fisheries officers (DFO), to increase effective dissemination of improved technology to the farmers. The EWTP's will be conducted regularly at all Research Stations of FRI (1 – 2 times per year) for batches of 20–25 participants.
In course of time similar training programmes could be taken up for assistant fisheries officers (AFO), field assistants (FA), and fish farmers, using already trained extension officers as (additional) trainers.
(14) This is also a regular programme, to be conducted at the FRI Headquarters, Mymensingh, once a year for 3–5 days. The participants will be officers from Government ministries and DOF, at or above the level of Deputy Director, dealing with fisheries administration, planning, policy making, and management. The aim of the training is to keep the policy makers aware of recent findings, in the fisheries sector, particularly in research, that can have an influence on their decisions. The same type of training might be considered for higher employees of banks and other potenstial investors in fisheries and/or aquaculture.
(15) A 3-day seminar/conference of the FRI researchers and other fisheries scientists of the country may be held, preferably at BARC, Dhaka, once a year, to exchange technical know-how, to improve professional relationships between various institutions, and to improve and update teachings in the educational institutions.
(16) This may be either a regular, or a special type of training, to be conducted after performance evaluation of the ex-trainees (extension workers). The course will be held once a year, at a convenient time and venue, to upgrade and update knowledge and skills of extension officers. After performance and impact evaluation, the workers having poor performance would be called for refreshers training.
Simultaneously, results of previous training courses can be evaluated. This will provide feed-back to the trainers, and help to identify any area where the approach to training (or the underlying research) has to be modified.
(17) This training is to be conducted by international experts (with international donor funding) for senior fisheries specialists (trainers) of FRI and other organizations of the country. An extensive 7–10 days programme will be sufficient for most topics. TTP's are to be held to improve the specific and specialistic knowledge of the trainers, so that they are able to conduct FRI's research and training programmes more effectively.
(18) Both in-country and overseas training for M. Sc. and Ph. D. degrees, for the junior and mid-level technical staff of FRI to form a strong core of scientific personnel.
(19) Short-term (1 – 3 months) specialization training abroad, mainly for high- and mid-level personnel. (N.B.: A programme for both short- and long-term training of FRI-staff has already been drafted (TA-report No. 2 in this series) and is being implemented under (mainly) IDA-funding).
(20) Training programmes for the DOF assistant fisheries officers (AFO) and field assistants (FA) may be taken up in the next phase, after the UFO training targets are reached. The programmes will basically be similar to EWTP. Thereabove, demonstration and training activities for farmers should be taken up as soon as research and demonstration activities in the Stations are in full operation.
(21) FRI-stations are expected to invite lots of visitors (farmers, researchers, extension workers, students, teachers) to popularize their activities. Arrangements should be made to guide those visitors. The training facilities used for the programmes mentioned above are proposed to be made also available for these visitors. This would imply, that FRI-stations will have the need of a special Public Relation officer in their training and information divisions. This officer can be hold responsible for the logistics of all trainees and visitors.
(22) The Faculty of Fisheries, BAU, the Institute of Marine Sciences, CU, and the Departments of Zoology, DU, CU and RU, offer basic fisheries courses, viz. ichthyology, aquaculture, biology, ecology, limnology, pathology and parasitology, behaviour, physiology, taxonomy, population dynamics, statistics, oceanography, technology and microbiology, and subsidiary courses in botany, chemistry and zoology. As a result, broad-based knowledge of fisheries subjects is available with the staff of these institutions. Members of this staffwith adequate experience in the field and in designated research programmes should, therefore, be selected for training in specific fields.
(23) The course contents will be designed in accordance with the research works conducted in the FRI Research Stations, and with the needs of the extension workers. The programme will be a two-way traffic. The extension workers will acquire the latest technical knowledge offered in the training programme, while, at the same time, they have the opportunity to communicate to the trainers their (the farmer's) problems and/or constraints for possible solutions.
The training should be based on a problem-solving rationale, in which current problems are identified and the necessary solutions disseminated and discussed. But, in order to achieve all training objectives, motivational and informative subjects should be added to the technical subjects, like the role of fisheries in the national economy, the national fisheries policy, and the role of fisheries research, researchers, planners and administrators.
(24) As the four presently existing (or for the near future planned) Stations of FRI have different research programmes, there will be four different types of course contents, as follows:
At FARS the curricula will contain the following subjects:
At RFRS the subjects of the curricula will be:
At BFRS courses will comprise aspects of the following subjects:
At MFRS the curricula will contain aspects of:
(25) An FRI Training Manual, containing details of course contents and designs should be prepared by the documentation specialist, planned to be employed in 1986 under the FAO/UNDP technical assistance scheme. He will have to take care that emphasis in the curricula be placed more on practical work (80 %) than on theoretical lectures.
(26) The courses for policy makers should be designed on the basis of the following subjects and with emphasis on informative lectures:
(27) Themes for the FSC's will be identified on the basis of the latest important research findings in the different stations, or on the basis of topics that receive important public attention.
(28) The refreshers courses will be designed mainly after assessment of the needs (as described in section 16) and in accordance with the latest research developments.
(29) Curricula for TTP will be selected on the basis of advanced methodologies developed elsewhere, that are expected to be of vital importance for the national trainers/researchers, in order to guarantee optimal training outputs.
(30) Training fields for LDP and SOTP will be selected in such a way that they meet the research needs of FRI. Proposals have been presented in the Fisheries Research Masterplan (TA-report No. 2).
(31) In the light of the earlier defined objectives of the training programmes, and in order to reach maximum advantage for the trainees out of the technical know-how offered, the programmes may be built up on the following principles:
(32) The choice of an appropriate training method is a vital aspect of the training development. Once the curriculum is prepared, suitable methodologies will be developed with respect to all individual lecture sessions in each type of training. Training methodologies will include classroom lectures, group discussions, slide (and other audio-visual) presentations, book reviews, activation of participants, etc.
(33) Although theoretical instruction will have to be given in all the courses, especially EWTP and RTP will be heavily oriented towards practical work. About 80 % of the time schedule of these courses will be devoted to laboratory and/or field work. Special atention will be paid to those subjects (e.g. in aquaculture production) that are suited for immediate application. In the other training courses (viz. PMTP, FSC, and TTP) theory lectures will take a comparatively larger part of the time schedule.
The lecture-cum-discussion type of classes will be supplemented with handouts, slides, transparencies and charts. Training manuals will be made for the trainers to assist them in conducting the courses effectively. Field trips and demonstrations of the on going research work will also reinforce the training.
(34) In accordance with the course contents and objectives, the estimated duration of each training has been determined. The EWTP is technical in nature and therefore set for a period of 2–3 weeks. On the other hand, the PMTP is primarily directed to classroom lectures and discussions (with short field visits) and the training period can therefore be limited to 3–5 days. FSC will be a seminar-type programme, that should not last for more than 2–3 days. The RTP is obviously a technical programme, but very intensive and of a more limited nature than a EWTP; its duration will be from 1–2 weeks. The TTP will be a special type of advanced training to improve trainers capabilities and also to develop training manuals and documents. The average training period is expected to be 7–10 days. The duration of LDP's and SOTP's has been presented in TA-report No. 2.
The frequency of the various courses is discussed already in section 2.2, but can be adapted when need arises.
(35) The curricula should be based on training schedules of 6 days in a week (Saturday - Thursday) and 7 hours in a day (from 8 a.m. to 12 noon, and from 2–5 p.m.). Detailed contributions of practical/field work versus lessons will be designed in accordance with the possibilities offered by progress in the experimental and demonstration work in the Research Stations, as well as with the training objectives. Strong emphaais on practical work will be maintained for EWTP and RTP: the ratio of theory to practical classes may range from 1 : 1 to 1 : 4. The trainees will also be required to participate in actual production programmes and, if possible, practical field assignments will be given.
(36) Table 2 provides a proposal for the training courses in the near future. The training schedule for EWTP's is suggested to start in February 1987 on the basis of the research findings in 1986, and so on.
Two EWTP's are proposed for FARS, since here manpower and research facilities are more developed already, and since the number of UFO's working in freshwater areas is higher than that in brackishwater, marine or riverine areas. On the basis of the evaluation of the EWTP's of 1987, the RTP's may be started from October 1988.
Table 2 - Proposal for a training schedule for the near future
| TRAINING | VENUE | NR | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |||
| EWTP | FARS | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| EWTP | RFRS,BFRS,MFRS | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| PMTP | HQ | 1 | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FSC | BARC | 1 | - | - | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| RTP | stations (rotating) | 1 | - | - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| TTP | HQ | 1 | - | - | - | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
(37) DOF has 460 sanctioned posts for upazila fisheries officers (UFO), of which 397 posts have already been filled up (June 1986). There are also 64 district fisheries officers (DFO) and 4 deputy directors (DD) in charge of 4 divisions. The primary target for EWTP will be to train the UFO in different stations in different phases.
The PMTP participants will include approximately 20 staff of DOF, 8 of the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock, and 12 of the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development (officials of the level of deputy director and above).
FSC can be attended by all of the more than 130 fisheries scientists presently present in Bangladesh. The number of participants for RTP's will be less than 397; an individual course should not contain more than 20 participants.
(38) Selection of trainees for the different courses and for the different venues will be made through needs assessment. About 75 UFO's are now working in coastal areas of the country and the rest is engaged in freshwater and riverine fisheries extension. After proper assessment of training needs in those areas, trainees will be selected for a particular programme in a particular station. For example, freshwater pond culture and management, breeding, hatchery management, fish health care, etc. courses will be taught at FARS, and persons confronted with these subjects will be selected for such programmes. Similarly, extension workers in the brackishwater shrimp production areas will be trained at BFRS, etc. All trainees should be university graduates and will have to be nominated by their employer.
(39) Considering mid- and senior-level specialists as trainer, a potential of more than 40 candidates is available in the country: See Table 12 and Annex A. Selection of the trainers will be based on the course objectives and subjects; the trainers will have to deliver their detailed interpretation of curricula of a course to the FRI-management well before the start of a course.
(40) The FRI-Headquarters will conduct most of the training programmes (often in co-operation with FARS), like EWTP's, RTP's, PMTP's, and TTP's. The other Research Stations will conduct EWTP's and RTP's in their subject areas. The venue for FSC should preferable be at BARC.
(41) The physical facilities presently available for training at FRI-Headquarters and the 4 Research Stations have been assessed; the results are summarized below.
(42) The situation of the facilities is as follows:
(43) The training facilities of the Graduate Training Institute (GTI) of BAU could be utilized until the requisite facilities of FRI are created. With GTI's lecture room and dormitory facilities in combination with FRI's laboratories, library and demonstration farm facilities, training programmes could be initially started from February 1987, as per schedule.
(44) The Riverine Fisheries Research Station, Chandpur, offers three laboratory rooms with a total capacity of 50 persons, and a library with 3000 books, 8000 issues of journals, 6000 periodicals, and 100 charts. Furthermore, the existing facilities of the Fisheries Training Institute (FTI) of DOF, at the next door, could be used. The running facilities of FTI are:
(45) Site selection work for BFRS is in progress in the Khulna/Satkhira area; in the construction plans training facilities will be included. For the time being, however, training courses can make use of FAO's Bay of Bengal Project (BOBP) Shrimp Culture Demonstration Farm in Satkhira, with the following facilities:
BOBP has recently conducted a 3-phase training programme on this farm, focussing on production management, culture techniques, and harvesting of shrimp.
(46) The Japanese equiped Marine Biological Laboratory of DOF at Cox's Bazar is now housing a part of the UNDP Marine Fisheries Research, Management and Development Project, but is proposed to become the MFRS of FRI. It has the following physical facilities for training purposes:
(47) To start training programmes according to the schedule presented in Table 2 (from February 1987), adequate physical facilities will have to be created prior to that.
(48) In the Headquarters at Mymensingh construction of a class room at one of the earlier suggested places (or at a new location) and of a large library room in the vacant space of the present library (or in any other suitable location) should start immediately. If free staff quarters (presently under renovation by Danida) are not available, a hostel for 40 trainees should be constructed in due time.
Furniture for the auditorium, the library and the dormitory has to be procured timely; delivery time can easily exceed 3 months. Audio-visual equipment like projectors, a video system, and other visual aids and a sound installation have to be ordered.
Provisions will have to be created for two lecture-cum-group discussion rooms, laboratory practical work and stores, and renovation and enlargement of the present resthouse upto international standards with modern facilities will have to be carried out.
(49) In order to implement a full training programme at RFRS, a lecture room/laboratory (with furniture) and extra dormitory facilities for another 15 trainees have to be created. At least 10 microscopes and a slide projector will have to be procured.
(50) Training facilities in BFRS will be created together with the total set up of the station. To start training programmes with the existing facilities at Satkhira, arrangements will have to be made for one extra laboratory of 15 persons working capacity, a library with books, journals, and charts related to brackishwater research and training, and temporary (hired) accomodation. Microscopes (20) and audio-visual equipment will be needed.
(51) MFRS, Cox' Bazar, has in principle good facilities, but rearrangement and renovation of some of the facilities are necessary. Extra space for a library may be created at the second floor, which is under construction. Purchase of books and other literature is very much needed.
(52) FRI should include adequate budget allocation in its ADP for the creation of the extra training facilities mentioned above, and start procurement of equipment and other training materials and expedients as soon as possible.
(53) To manage FRI's multidisciplinary training programmes is a challengeing task. To conduct the programmes efficiently, FRI's Co-ordination Division will have to be strengthened: it should preferably be headed by a CSO, who will have the overall responsibility for the following units:
It is suggested to rename the Co-ordination Division as “Training and Information Division (TID)”. An organogramme for this Division is proposed in Table 3.
Table 3 - Organogramme for FRI's Training and Information Division
(54) The Training and Extension Unit at the Headquarters is required to:
The responsibilities of the other units of TID are worked out in later sections of this report.
(54) The Director of FRI will initially select the training subjects and work out training plans, in consultation with the CSO's. Thereafter he will direct TID to execute the plans, in co-operation with the DD's of the Stations. The T&E Unit, of which the responsibilities are stated above, will work out the logistics and organization, and it will maintain contacts. Moreover, it will implement the training programmes at the Headquarters. A flowchart of the complete FRI training operation is presented in Table 4.
(55) The posts mentioned earlier in this report, and already sanctioned in the PP, will have to be filled up immediately to start working on management and logistics. Creation of the new posts mentioned in this report (such as CSO-TID) should be taken up with the Ministry as soon as possible. Appointment of the normal technical staff of FRI is also a prerequisite, as they will participate in the programmes as trainers or technicians, in addition to their designated FRI-tasks. The FRI-management should take up training assistance in the job descriptions of all officers and staff.
(56) Funds will be available from GOB, IDA, Danida, IDRC, USAID, and from FRI's income (fish sales) to meet expenses for the training programmes.
As the training facilities in the Headquarters as well as in the Stations will also be used for other purposes, the calculation of the costs of training per training (or trainee) per day is difficult to accomplish, especially since the training staff will have other functions even during the training periods. However, it is important that there is a separate budget for training, with adequate allocation, that has received prior approval from the proper authorities.
Table 4 - Flowchart for FRI training programmes
The following expenses should be reflected in the cost estimates:
(57) Estimated expenditures for conducting the five short-term non-degree training programmes of FRI are presented in Annex B. A total budget allocation of TK 34,10,000.- (for 1987 Tk 10,86,000.-, for 1988 Tk 11,21,000.- and for 1989 Tk 12,03,000.-) in local currency is proposed to be kept in the TFYP to conduct FRI's training programmes.
(58) An essential element of the training plan is to evaluate the performance of trainees, as well as the training programmes themselves. To determine the overall effectiveness of training it is also necessary to evaluate the trainers and the training materials. And last but not least, it must be assessed whether training inputs have achieved professional improvements.
The performance of the trainees shall be judged by a system of continuous evaluation. They will first be evaluated while undergoing training (by pre-and post-tests) to judge improvement in knowledge and skills. The second evaluation should be done at least one year after completion of the training programme, by assessing performances of the trainees in their jobs. This evaluation will indicate the need for refreshers training and for possible modification of the training approach. This second evaluation should be carried out in close co-operation with the direct superiors of the trainees concerned.
Evaluation of the trainers, training materials, and contents and set ups of the training programmes should be done by way of enquiries amongst the trainees, and by projection of the results against the original training objectives.
