Berhampur,9/10 (zillakhabar) : “The purpose of the education system is to develop good human being capable of rational thought and action, possessing compassion and empathy, courage and resilience, scientific temper, and creative imagination, with sound ethical moorings and values. It aims at producing engaged, productive, and contributing citizens for building an equitable, inclusive, and plural society as envisaged by our Constitution”. Community engagement and social responsibility in higher education are emerging as new fields of professional competence internationally. Engaging with the community offers an opportunity to understand the real-life issues and to be able to resolve those issues with the subject expertise of that Higher Education Institution (HEI).
At Berhampur University, the HRDC-Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Centre (MMTTC, recognized by the UGC) is geared to prepare a cadre of master trainers in CBPR so as to facilitate experiential learning for students in its PG Departments and affiliated colleges. This week-long (09-14 October, 2023) residential training has been designed in the way that the participants experience a balanced mix of theory and field exposure. Participants will get a first- hand experience of practicing CBPR methods during the field visits. The learning objectives of this FDP are to:
- Understand UGC framework of “Fostering Social Responsibility & Community Engagement in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs)”.
- Understand the principles & methodology of Community-based Participatory Research.
- Strengthen competencies in use of various methods of CBPR through field practice.
This program is being coordinated by the Department of Environmental Studies, Berhampur University. The inaugural session of the Programme witnessed the august presence of Honourable Vice Chancellor of Berhampur University, Prof. Geetanjali Dash; The Chairman, P.G Council of Berhampur University, Prof. S.K. Baral; Shri Jagdananda representing CYSD , Shri Binoy Acharya representing UNNATI, Ahmedabad, and Dr B Anjan Kumar Prusty, HOD , Dept. of Environmental Studies, Berhampur University on the dias; and Dr. Pragya Choube, representing UNESCO Chair at PRIA, New Delhi and Prof. Malay Kumar Mishra, Adjunct Professor, Environmental Studies, off the dias. The meeting had the virtual presence of Dr Diksha Rajput, Deputy Secretary, UGC, New Delhi and Dr. Rajesh Tandon, President PRIA & Co-chair of the UNESCO Chair on Community Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education. Prof. Dash emphasized the need for faculty members reorienting their plans by connecting with community. She assured conduct of such Master Training Programmes by the Malaviya Mission Teacher Training Centre (MMTTC), of the University and facilitating the faculty members from different colleges under its jurisdiction and beyond to be the Master Trainers to offer the required 02 credit course on CBPR as per guidelines of the UGC.