Like to help people?

Ashish Joshi

It is common to find students wanting to get admission among the top management or engineering colleges of India. We rarely come across students passionate about taking up Social Work as a career choice. Social Work is no longer limited to the conventional definition of being involved in charity of welfare-oriented organisations though many institutions employing personnel with social work qualifications are involved in such activities. The work of a Social Worker can include providing managing assistance, helping in educational or healthcare programmes or providing assistance in welfare activities such as the protection of children and women.

Candidates passing from leading institutes of Social Sciences, India are often employed in public health institutes, psychiatric centres, counselling forums, reform centres and even anthropological or research-based organisations. Social workers can pursue counselling in specialised niches such as: Community Welfare, Adoption & Child Welfare, Family Services, Mental Health Services, Community Services and Environmental Conservation.

Here we provide a lowdown on five of the best institutes which provide a career in the social services sector.

Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS), Tuljapur was established in 1936 as the Sir Dorabji Tata Graduate School of Social Work. In 1944, the Sir Dorabji Tata Graduate School of Social Work was renamed as the Tata Institute of Social Sciences. In 1964, University Grants Commission (UGC), Government of India (GoI) recognised the Institute as a Deemed University, and fully funds its maintenance. TISS has worked for the promotion of sustainable, equitable and participatory development, social welfare and social justice through value-based professional education for social work and other human service professions and social research and dissemination of socially relevant knowledge.

BA Social Sciences Program: This three-year undergraduate liberal arts program will focus on the humanistic aspects of Social Sciences blended with logical reasoning of the natural sciences, with a combine emphasis on the faculties of imagination and creativity as well as of rigorous and critical thinking.

Website: http://www.campus.tiss.edu/programs

Address: Tata Institute of Social Sciences, II Floor, S.R Sankaran Block, AMR-APARD Campus, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad – 500030

Email: tissnyd@tiss.edu

Phone: 040-24017701, 040-24017702, 040-24017703

Vivekananda Kendra: Vivekananda Kendra is a Hindu spiritual organisation based on the principles preached by Swami Vivekananda. It was founded in January 1972 in Kanyakumari by Shri Ekanathji Ranade. Its current president is P. Parameswaran. The Kendra adopts a methodology unique to it by organising ‘Yoga varga’ (class), ‘Sanskar varga’, ‘Swadhyaya varga’ and training camps. The organisation conducts Yoga classes, seminars, and rural development activities.

Address: Vivekanandapuram, Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu 629702, India

Phone: +91 4652 247 012

Email: info@vkendra.org

Website: http://www.vivekanandakendra.org

 Madras School of Social Work:  Established in 1952 and located in Chennai, it is an autonomous institution, NAAC accredited and affiliated to University of Madras.  Madras School of Social Work was founded by Mary Clubwala Jadhav. The school is run under the aegis of the Society for Social Education and Research (SSER). The School is affiliated to the International Association of Schools of Social Work. The School is rated the third best Social Work College in India and first in South India.

It offers a Bachelors in Social Work (BSW) programme, which is a three- year program in social work with theory and field practice. The uniqueness of this program is that the students are exposed to intensive experimental learning and this gives an edge over other under-graduate courses. The main objective of the course is to impart education and training in professional social work and enhance the understanding of social issues through interdisciplinary perspective.

Website: http://www.mssw.in

Address: Madras School Of Social Work, No. 32, Casa Major Road, Egmore, Chennai – 600 008

Phone: 044-2819 5125, 044-2819 2711, 044-2819 4843.

College Email: mailtoprincipal@yahoo.co.in 

Seva Bharati: SEVA BHARATI works for the socio-economic and political empowerment of Adivasis, Dalits and economically weaker sections of Tumudibandh and Kotgarh blocks of Kandhamal district in particular and Orissa in general by utilising the locally available natural, human and livestock resources through organisation, education, service and movement.

Contact Person: Pramod Pattanaik (Secretary)

Dist:  Kandhamal

Orissa-762107

Landline:  +91-6840-211021 (Cell:-9437391572)

Email: sevabharti_bbsr@yahoo.co.in

Karve Institute of Social Service: Karve Institute of Social Service, Pune, was established in 1963. The institute is continuously striving to provide service to society and impart training to aspiring professionals and a variety of functionaries working with people. This college is accredited by N.A.A.C. at A Level.

Course Offered: Master Of Social Work

Category: Social Work

Degree: MSW

Mode: Full Time

Medium: Campus

 MSW is a 2 year course, minimum eligibility for which is a graduation in any discipline. Subjects studied under this degree are psychology, sociology, human behavior and growth, methodology and social work research.

Contact No: 020-6500 7565, 020-6500 7566

Email:kinss@pn3.vsnl.net.in

Website:                                                www.karve-institute.org

Address: Karve Institute of Social Service, 18, Hillside, Karvenagar, Pune, Maharashtra, India – 411 052     

Education should arrest the erosion of values in society— Pranab Mukherjee

Maharaja Agrasen Technical Education Society (MATES) ? starts the university in Solan

Report by Prof Inder Mohan Kapahy

“The Universities should take a lead in meeting the moral challenges of our times and ensure that the civilisational values of love for motherland, performance of duty, compassion for all, tolerance for pluralism, respect for women and elderly, truth and honesty in life, discipline and self-restraint in conduct and responsibility in action are fully entrenched in the young minds. Apart from imparting knowledge and developing skills, the educational institutions should find solution to arrest the erosion of values in the society,” said President Shri Pranab Mukherjee, while inaugurating the Maharaja Agrasen University at Solan in Himachal Pradesh on May 25.

Governor of the state Smt Urmila Singh, Chief Minister Shri Virbhadhra Singh, former Chief Minister Prof PK Dhumal, Technical Education Minister Shri GS Bali, Health Minister Shri Madan Mohan Mittal and many other Ministers, MLAs of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab graced the occasion. The function was also attended by many Vice Chancellors, Chief Secretary of Himachal Pradesh, Secretary of Higher Education HP, many other IAS and high ranking officers of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, Justice Mool Chand Garg (MP High Court) Justice NK Sanghi (Punjab & Haryana High Court) and Lt. Gen BS Sachar SMVSM (Hq. ARTRAC).

Shri Mukherjee complimented the vision, commitment and efforts of Maharaja Agrasen Technical Education Society in establishing the University. He lamented the fact that even though India has over 650 universities including deemed universities, over 33000 colleges, over 2.6 crore enrollment (likely to go up to 3.6 crore by the end of 12th Plan) in higher education, we are short of good quality academic institutions.

Earlier, Chancellor of Maharaja Agrasen University and Chairman of Maharaja Agrasen Technical Education Society (MATES) Dr Nand Kishore Garg welcomed President of India, Governor, Chief Minister, Ministers, MLAs, Judges, Senior Officers and other eminent dignitaries. He thanked the President for sparing his valuable time to inaugurate the University which is situated at the ‘Education Hub’ established by the Himachal Pradesh Government in the name of former Prime Minister Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee.