Leh, June 29: Department of Social Work, EJM College Leh, University of Ladakh, in collaboration with the North Zone Campaign Committee for National Council for Social Work Education Bill, 2021 organised, a webinar on ‘National Council for Social Work Education Bill 2021, Insights and Way Forward’.  

The webinar was an effort to establish the National Council for Social Work Education. More than a hundred participants across India attended the webinar. It is the first of its kind of webinar conducted in Ladakh since it became a union territory. 

Principal, EJM College Leh, Dr Tashi Ldawa, presided over the webinar and gave the inaugural speech. He appreciated the role of the department of social work and the need to spread this profession across the country. He said despite one of the youngest courses in college, it is the most sought after course. 

* Click to Follow Voice of Ladakh on WhatsApp *

Professor Helen Joseph, alumni of Nirmala Niketan College of Social Work in Mumbai, provided insights into the National Council for Social Work Education Bill, 2021. Sharif Bhat, State Head, Save the Children, J&K, provided the field perspective regarding the bill. 

Dr Shewli Kumar, Associate Professor, TISS, stressed the need to spread the bill, enabling it to reach each nook and corner of the country. She highlighted the need to form the council to help improve the quality of social work education in India and achieving the objectives of the social work profession. Prominent social work luminaries and field experts across the country attended the webinar. 

Prof. Archana Dassi, Head of Department, Social Work, JMI, New Delhi; Prof. R P Diwedi from Kashi Vidya Peth, Banaras; Prof. Pratibha Jain Misra from Guru Gassi Dass University Chhattisgarh; Prof. Ashutosh Pradhan, Central University of Himachal Pradesh and Prof. Ghandhi Doss from Bangalore attended the webinar. Yangchan Dolma, Assistant Professor, EJM College Leh, moderated the webinar, whereas Bhat Iqball Majeed, Assistant Professor, Social Work, Central University of Jammu, was the discussant. 

The webinar brought forth the idea of forming the National Council for Social Work and its relevance in today’s time. The webinar mentioned that it is imperative to recognise social work as a professional course in continuation to the New Education Policy. As a result, the formation of a council becomes inevitable. The webinar urged all stakeholders to convince the parliamentarians and the current government to pass the National Council for Social Work Education Bill 2021 in the upcoming session of the Parliament.