Demand for passing of National Council for Social Work Education Bill 2021
Professors attached to colleges of social work in the country have appealed for an immediate passing of the National Council for Social Work Education Bill 2021, to given recognition to professional social workers. The appeal was made at a national-level webinar organised by Social Work Student Foundation, India organised this morning.
Dr Jalinder Adsule, Principal, Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar College of Social Work, Morane, Dhule, a key speaker explained the need for the establishment of the Council for development of curriculum of social work education, the code of ethics, the fees for such education, the training of the teaching faculty and carry out research on a variety of topics related to social and legal issues in the society, among other issues.
Dr Adsule said that social workers have been conducting good research on a variety of subjects, but such research needs recognition so that the recommendations of the researchers are sent to the government for consideration.
According to him once the Bill is passed, social work will get recognition, just as professions like nursing, architecture and medicine are recognised by their respective councils.
Once formed, the Social Work Education Council will recognise those who have a bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work. He appealed to the social workers in the country to press for the passing of the Bill in the parliament.
Dr Ambadas Mohite, another speaker at the webinar pointed out that there are over 500 social work colleges in the country, but for social work to get recognition as a profession, University Grants Commission (UGC) insists on the establishment of a Social Work Council.
Dr Mohite stated that people think that the social workers are those with a sling bag. “There are social activists without qualifications, they also are doing good work, but the trained social workers, do not work as if they are obliging the people, but work towards inclusive development and to reach out to the marginalised people, to the last person in the social ladder, as explained by Mahatma Gandhi,” he added. They work for the betterment of the marginalised sections of the society, he said.
According to Dr Mohite, good social work is being done, but there is no recognition. The council will be able to give a status to the social work education and social work itself.
Sir Dorabji Tata Graduate School of Social Work, now known as Tata Institute of Social Work, was established in 1936, yet the UGC terms Master of Social Work (MSW) as a non-professional course.
The Proposed bill called as National Council for Social Work Education Bill (2021) aims to “enhance quality and ensure standards in social work education, including its linkages with practice, knowledge, and ethical conduct; and to create national registers of accredited social work education institutions and programmes”. The bill has been prepared with a working group of professional social workers at their own level. The bill has six chapters with 29 sections. As proposed in the bill, the Council will operate from New Delhi with six zonal Councils -- for North, West, Central, East, North East and South. The Council will lay down the procedure of registration of social work professionals.