Institutes must train students by providing essential skills to contribute to society more effectively. Before acquiring the skillset that will allow for their effective social participation, they have to understand the processes and value of the society, says DR CHANDRA SEKHAR
Higher education plays a significant role in shaping human capital in India, coupled with The Ministry of Education's mission to create a higher education environment that fosters academic and institutional excellence. In the 21st century India, there is a need for institutions of higher education that are forward-looking both academically and societally. Society contains the conventional truths and dynamics of an evolving organism that is continually changing to maintain a degree of stability among its citizens.
It also argues that students, especially at higher education institutions, must comprise an integral part of the struggle for social improvement as they strive to become participating citizens in a democratic society. Social change results only when students take upon themselves the task of getting involved and making a difference.
Today's students are different in many ways from the students of the previous generation, as many articles on the Millennials have noted. They have access to the Internet, and social media tools veterans never imagined. In addition, they are far more broadly and deeply engaged in community service through student organisations, faith communities, service-learning courses, alternative breaks, and numerous other organised activities.
The college needs to facilitate high-quality learning experiences to know that critical reflection plays an essential role. Institutes must train students by providing essential skills to contribute to society more effectively. In college, learning is as diverse as the range of social experience in general, and the activities to are of a wide variety. They could offer the specialisation of appropriate choices in any particular social context having sociological implications. Specialisation choices will positively contribute to the ability of students to make appropriate choices in a particular social context.
The author recommends using a range of activities from discussion and Think-Pair-Share to concept mapping, debate, role-play to cultivate social moments where students dialogue, master vital cultural skills, and explore social realities. Uses of cases centred on violence, substance abuse, isolation, inequality and more empower the students to advance their understanding of social change to become more competent members of society.
For example, In India, many families have limited access to health care but are also dealing with discrimination, poverty and living in dangerous environments; the chance of contracting an illness increases drastically. With evidence-based social strategies, students can help bridge the healthcare gap and provide practical solutions to families in need.
Before acquiring the skillset that will allow for their effective social participation, they have to understand the processes and value of the society. They might be short of such mindfulness. Students might not know how to talk, how to think, what to do, what to value. However, student past social experience plays a significant role in their adaptability and later ability to deal with others. Few significant challenges comprise adaptability, self-awareness, which significantly influence their action and how they respond and interpret the meaning of the environment.
In conclusion, the author argues that colleges must develop partnerships with like-minded organisations, which conduct district-wide training on social dimensions. Social, family-focused interventions can help individuals identify abuse early on and prevent it from happening in the future. By adopting new policies that support income generation and decrease economic hardship, students more effectively guide/serve struggling families.
The writer is Assistant Professor in the Human Resource Management Area at FORE School of Management