According to the Mumbai University’s revised syllabus for the FYBA and BSc Foundation Course Paper 1 participation in a ‘social involvement programme’ is compulsory for all students.
Everyone does the programme throughout the academic year and each student has to clock a minimum of 60 hours of project work. The students do it due to compulsion and for the grade. The social involvement programme tries to guide the students to explore socio-economic reality. I feel that the approach of the programme really works. The students actually enjoy doing it. They forget that they are doing it as a part of their studies.
Students are given a wide choice. One can teach children living on the streets, read to the visually challenged, interact with senior citizens, protect the environment and many more options are available. I study at St. Xavier’s College which teams up with more than 120 organisations for this social involvement programme.
Initially when the course started, we found it monotonous, but later on we discovered how engrossing the work was. I’m a volunteer at an orphanage. I got a chance to have a closer view of their condition through this project. I have heard of various other experiences from my friends. Some of my friends who are volunteers at the Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged have developed a good rapport with the students.
Otherwise students are so engrossed in their academic life that no one actually does social involvement projects, besides social networking. As the project is a part of our studies everyone takes interest in it.
Salome Rosario
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