Implementation of Guidelines on "Fostering Social Responsibility & Community Engagement in Higher Education Institutions in India 2.0

UGC letter regarding: Implementation of Guidelines on "Fostering Social Responsibility & Community Engagement in Higher Education Institutions in India 2.0

Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs) can play an important role to achieve the objectives of socioeconomic development of New India through their active community engagement.

This approach will also contribute to improve the quality of both teaching and research in HEIs as they will develop a better understanding of issues in the society. Therefore, it would in the fitness of things, if HEIs bring in social responsibility and community in their vision and mission itself. It is also important that institutional mechanisms are developed to adopt a holistic and functional approach to community engagement, encompassing all three functions of HEIs—teaching, research and service. UGC’s ambitious Quality Mandate launched in 2018 has focused on improving societal linkages of HEIs and enabling students to become socially productive.

UGC set up a Subject Expert Group on Educational Institutions’ Social Responsibility in 2018 under Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA), a flagship programme of the Government of India, which worked to develop a report on “Fostering Social Responsibility and Community Engagement in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in India”. The report has emphasised the importance of socially relevant courses that will make all students understand India’s rural society, Government’s rural development schemes and contribute to the betterment of the same.

Since the Government of India announced the National Education Policy (NEP) on 29th July 2020, this document has been revised to include key recommendations of NEP, as well as the deliberations of the Review Committee, Expert Group and feedback received from the stakeholders. I am happy to present a revised “Guidelines for Fostering Social Responsibility and Community Engagement in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in India” to the Vice-Chancellors, Directors, Principals, faculty members and students of the HEIs.

I would like to acknowledge the valuable contribution of the Chairperson of the Subject Expert Group (SEG), Dr. K. K. Aggarwal, Chairman, National Board of Accreditation (NBA) and all the SEG members in developing this document. I would also like to acknowledge the necessary support and relevant inputs provided by Prof. Rajnish Jain, Secretary, UGC and other UGC officials and Experts in formulating the revised guidelines. This document will give a fillip to UGC’s long-standing commitment to strengthen social responsibility and community engagement of Universities/Colleges in India.

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