Efficacy of Online Training of the Elected Representatives of Local Rural Government: A Focus Group Study

Authors

  • Debarshi Mukherjee Business Management in the Department of Commerce & Business Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9039-0329
  • Subhayan Chakraborty Department of Business Management, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar, Tripura, 799022, India https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2710-9113
  • Lokesh Kumar Jena Department of Business Management, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar, Tripura, 799022, India https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1146-6044
  • Khandakar Kamrul Hasan Department of Business Management, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar, Tripura, 799022, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2462-1165
  • Ranjit Debnath Department of Business Management, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar, Tripura, 799022, India https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7586-9857
  • Sudakshina Mitra Department of Business Management, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar, Tripura, 799022, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2023.1.415.432

Keywords:

Elected Members, Rural Local Government, Perception, Online Training, Focus Group Discussion

Abstract

Aim. Before COVID-19, training institutions rarely used eLearning to improve Elected Representatives' (ERs) skills in rural development who come from vernacular social and academic backgrounds. Online education has numerous upsides, but there is always some controversy about whether or not every learner will benefit from the same approach. The study was conducted in Tripura, a North-Eastern state of India, examine the efficacy of online training among the ERs responsible for extending the rural local government services to the common people.

Methods. This study utilised the qualitative technique of focus group discussion to acquire a comprehensive grasp of the positive and negative opinions of ERs regarding their experiences with online training. Samples were collected from all the districts and all three tiers of rural government.

Results. The study is a pioneering work to evaluate views of ERs on e-learning. Lack of technical support, boredom in training sessions, and lack of allowances for internet use, transportation to headquarters for training, and refreshments contributed the trainees' negative experiences. Further, training materials were poorly presented and failed to convey the intended message.

Conclusions. This study will enable trainers, administrators, and policymakers to reengineer their andragogic structures of future grassroots online training programmes for higher efficacy. ERs dislike e-learning, and government regulations that favour classroom instruction worsen this issue. Policy initiatives to reconcile demand and supply, such as high-quality capacity building for Rural Local Bodies (RLBs) ERs with vernacular academics, are needed to achieve practical results.

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Author Biographies

  • Debarshi Mukherjee, Business Management in the Department of Commerce & Business Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India

    Prof. (Dr.) Debarshi Mukherjee is an alumnus of Visva Bharati, Santiniketan, and Banasthali Vidyapith, Rajasthan. He is a Professor in the Department of Commerce & Business Studies, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi (A NAAC accredited A++ Central University). He is a former Professor and Head (for the 2nd consecutive term) of the Department of Business Management, Tripura University (A Central University), and also the founding Head (i/c) of the Department of Tourism Administration. He has established the state’s first business incubator fully funded by the Ministry of MSME, Govt. of India. He is the State Coordinator of the AICTE-sponsored Student Induction Programme for Tripura. He has been nominated as a Mentor by AICTE for newly inducted teachers of technical education and also as an expert for AICTE’s NEAT 2.0 initiative. Having specialized in the information systems domain, his research interest lies in developing blended learning models and ICT intervention in tertiary education ensuring learning continuity. Besides teaching and academic administration, he has worked extensively in curricula design and Innovative Andragogy Development over the last two decades. His endeavor in research has earned him over 100 publications to his credit. He has worked on many funded projects sponsored by NABARD, and ICSSR besides offering consultancy services for clients like Manipal Global Education Services. He has delivered over 100 invited talks and chaired technical sessions at many conclaves like IIT BHU, MSME Institute Agartala, Mirwais Neeka University Afghanistan, Department of Tourism, Govt. of Tripura, and Agartala Govt. Medical College Agartala. Four doctoral students have earned their degrees under his guidance, while six are pursuing, including one international student. He has conducted leadership and motivational sessions with the management students and teachers at various institutions, including AICTE and MHRD sponsored Faculty Development Programmes and Refresher Courses. He has also deliberated in the different radio & television shows in Tripura, Bangladesh and USA. He also writes regularly for newspapers and news portals on contemporary issues.
    He has also been nominated as a Drafting Committee Member to prepare the Vision Document 2047 for the Govt. of Tripura. He is currently advising the Directorate of Skill Development, Govt, of Tripura to develop skill-based training modules for the promotion of tourism in the state.
    He has recently published a book on MGNREGS, and an edited volume titled PURVOTTARAN – THE RISE OF NORTH EAST: Paradigms of Development in the VUCA World was published by Bloomsbury, and both the forewords were written by the Hon’ble Chief Minister, Govt. of Tripura.

  • Subhayan Chakraborty, Department of Business Management, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar, Tripura, 799022, India

    He is the Research Scholar of the Department of Business Management, Tripura University, and completed MBA (Finance & Entrepreneurship Development) in 2012 (Gold Medal) from the same institute. Professionally he is a Government Officer posted at Panchayat Raj Training Institute, Agartala, and works closely in Capacity Building and Training of Elected Representatives and Functionaries of Rural India. His preferred area of research is Learning Continuity and measuring Learning Gain. He has work experience of around ten years in the field of Teaching, Training, and Administration and was also a former faculty of the Department of Business Management, Tripura University, and Faculty of Management Studies, ICFAI University. He is a Certified Master Trainer of the National Institute of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, Hyderabad, Government of India.

  • Lokesh Kumar Jena, Department of Business Management, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar, Tripura, 799022, India

    He is the Research Scholar of the Department of Business Management, Tripura University, and completed his MBA (Agri-Business Management) in 2019 from Sambalpur University, Odisha, India. His preferred area of research is Logistics and Supply chain Management. He qualified National Eligibility Test (NET)-2020 in Management.

  • Khandakar Kamrul Hasan, Department of Business Management, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar, Tripura, 799022, India

    He is a PhD research scholar in the Department of Business Management at Tripura University (A Central University), India.

  • Ranjit Debnath, Department of Business Management, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar, Tripura, 799022, India

    He is a PhD research scholar from the Department of Business Management at Tripura University (A Central University), India,

  • Sudakshina Mitra, Department of Business Management, Tripura University, Suryamaninagar, Tripura, 799022, India

    She is a PhD research scholar from the Department of Business Management at Tripura University (A Central University), ndia.

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Published

2023-06-20

Issue

Vol. 14 No. 1 (2023): Journal of Education Culture and Society

Section

DYNAMICS

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Copyright (c) 2023 Debarshi Mukherjee, Subhayan Chakraborty, Lokesh Kumar Jena, Khandakar Kamrul Hasan, Ranjit Debnath, Sudakshina Mitra

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How to Cite

Mukherjee, D., Chakraborty, S., Jena, L. K., Hasan, K. K., Debnath, R., & Mitra, S. (2023). Efficacy of Online Training of the Elected Representatives of Local Rural Government: A Focus Group Study. Journal of Education Culture and Society, 14(1), 415-432. https://doi.org/10.15503/jecs2023.1.415.432