Consultation and non-commitment : planning with the people in Botswana

In 1976 a start was made with the setting up of a system of district planning based on consultation with the people at the village level. The intention was to replace a system of purely "top-down" planning with a system including strong elements of "bottom-up" planning. The present report describes the changes that took place between 1976 and 1980. It focusses on the integration at the district level of information from the consultation into the planning process. The linking of planning with consultation as a basis for the wider development of nonformal education in Botswana is also considered. In Botswana, the district planning system has developed a social services infrastructure focus and within these boundaries the district planning system does work. But it does not work when it comes to tackling Botswana's main problems - the increasing rural impoverishment and lack of productive employment for most Botswana