PrashantNews
A group of students and faculty members from Department of Social Work, SB college, Kottayam in Kerala on Friday visited Doon University and interacted with Vice Chancellor (VC) Prof Surekha Dangwal, faculty members and students.
The two the institutions are going to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate in diverse areas of academic activities.
Prof Dangwal said the Department of Social work is committed to prepare professional force of social workers to respond to existing and emerging social, developmental and environmental situations and the needs of the Himalayan regions and Uttarakhand in particular and the country in general.
“With a focus on improving lives and livelihoods of communities, the social work curriculum is designed to strengthen theoretical and practical-evidence-based understanding of the complex dynamics of social, cultural, economic and ecological lives of communities,” Prof Dangwal said welcoming the visiting delegation from the southern state.
In his interactive session with the students and teachers, Dean of School of Social Sciences Professor R P Mamgain underlined the need for interdisciplinary approaches to comprehend and address the social and developmental aspects of the Himalayan region. “Only one subject such as economics or sociology is not enough to provide us enough academic tools to analyse the issues that need a combined and interdisciplinary approach involving disciplines such as Economics, Psychology, Social work, Education, Development Studies, Social Anthropology and even Geography and Geology,” Prof Mamgain said.
Dr. Jolly K. James from SB college, Kottayam said that it is very important to have collaborations between various institutions for learning from each other’s experiences and specific situations. “Kerala has a different topography, geology, climate and social fabric as compare to the Himalayan state of Uttarakhand. Therefore, our two institutions should enhance our understanding of each other’s regions and thus contribute more efficiently in the field of social work,” Dr James said.
Prof Harsh Dobhal, HoD In-charge of the Department of Social Work gave a briefing about the University and the Department of Social Work and Uttarakhand’s social and cultural heritage.
“Our Social work programme is an amalgamation of psychology, Social Work, communication, statistics, counselling, research, and Sociology. Since we are state university and committed to generate knowledge and skills towards the specific regional needs, we have customised this course to address the social, environmental and cultural issues of our state,” he said.
Prof Dobhal said that the need for social work is growing in the world, which is more divided than before, which is more war-prone, disaster-prone, climate crisis prone and humanitarian intervention is a critical component in these situations. That is why there is a growing need for trained social workers to work with the community or to achieve sustainable development goals.
Dr Manvendra Barthwal of Department of Social Anthropology apprised the students of cultural heritage of the state and the historical linkages between the state of Kerala and Uttarakhand. He particularly mentioned Kerala connections with holy shrine of Badrinath.
Dr Hemant Tigga of Social Work Department gave a detailed presentation about M.A. in Social Work course curriculum. He has introduced the syllabus in detail and invited the students and faculty to the university in future. The students of the S.B. College gave a Power Point presentation about their social and cultural significance of their state, their college and the Social Work programme and their experiences of visiting various locations and institutions in Uttarakhand.