Causative variables and suggestions for the retention of students in extension education and communication management

Extension Education and communication management is one of the pillars of home/community science education that was designed to extend the approach of home/community science knowledge and allied discipline to the families and communities with professional excellence. With the advancement in education sector, there is a declining enrolment rate in home/community sciences. Hence, the present research was carried out purposively with the college students and teachers/ professors selected from home/community science colleges/departments from six universities of five states. The information pertaining to the causative variables behind student drop outs and suggestions for student attraction and retention was gathered from 166 students and 51 teachers respectively. According to students and faculties, no linkage with the NGOs and the media organizations, ineffective extension competencies of faculty membersand extension strategies, lack of practical based approach in the courses and focus on traditional curriculum and lack of infrastructure facilities/computer labs/ editing software were the major causes of student drop-out from the concerned subject and decline in its enrolment rates. Further, students and faculty membersalso suggested to put forward the inter-linkages with the NGOs/local bodies/ universities /government organizations, participatory collaborations with the government schemes on rural development, integration of new extension related courses in the curriculum and reforming the traditional curricula of the pedagogical studies and inclusion of formal training for computer/ video-recording software and animation in the departments for retention of students in the course. It was clear from the study that there needs to be reconsideration and transformation in the extension department to attract the students towards it as it is the multidisciplinary subject with the emphasis on skill enhancement in developmental planning and communication through a balanced combination of academic and training inputs.