Doon University & SB College Kerala to sign MoU
By OUR STAFF REPORTER
Dehradun, 13 Dec: A group of students and faculty members from Department of Social Work, SB College, Kottayam, today visited Doon University, interacted with the Vice Chancellor, faculty members and students. Both the institutions are going to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to collaborate in diverse areas of academic activities.
Doon University Vice Chancellor Surekha Dangwal said the Department of Social work is committed to preparing a professional force of social workers to respond to existing and emerging social, developmental and environmental situations, 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,” Professor Dangwal said while welcoming the visiting delegation from the southern state.
In his interactive session with the students and teachers, Dean, School of Social Sciences, Professor RP 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,” Professor 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 compared 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,” she said.
Professor 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, communication, statistics, counselling, research, and Sociology. Since we are a state university and committed to generating 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.
Professor Dobhal added that the need for social work is growing in the world, which is more divided than before, 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 to achieve sustainable development goals.
Professor HC Purohit, Dean, Students Welfare, proposed the vote of thanks to the visiting delegation.
Dr Manvendra Barthwal of Department of Social Anthropology apprised the students with the cultural heritage of the state and the historical linkages between the state of Kerala and Uttarakhand. He particularly mentioned Kerala connections with holy shrines of Badrinath and Kedarnath.
Dr Hemant Tigga of Social Work Department gave a detailed presentation on MA in Social Work course curriculum. He introduced the syllabus in detail and invited the students and faculty to the university in the future. The students of the SB College gave a Power Point presentation about the 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.
