Social Work as a profession has been attracting a lot of young people while making their career choices. Establishing a social work institution is crucial for training young professionals to address various social issues, promote peace and community development, advocating for human rights and strengthening numerous social services.
Social work profession became an academic subject in the early part of the last century, and the subject has been limited to comparatively few universities and institutes. The sudden spurt in the professional education scenario in India in the later part of the century gave a boost to social work education. In Northeast India, like the other professional courses, social work was introduced rather late. This region faces unique challenges including poverty, lack of access to basic healthcare and other social disparities. Social work institutions can play a crucial role in addressing these issues by providing education, training, and research to empower local communities. Some benefits of social work institution in Nagaland are as follows:
Addressing local social issues: Nagaland, like any other states in the Northeast, faces unique social challenges such as ethnic conflicts, poverty, unemployment, insurgency, healthcare facilities, lack of infrastructure and the list goes on. A social work institution can train professionals who can understand the local context and can effectively address these issues.
Capacity building: The social work institution in the state builds a pool of skilled professionals who can work towards community development, social justice, and human rights advocacy within the state. This can help in strengthening the social sector and addressing the needs of the local population.
Local expertise and cultural sensitivity: Social work institutions can train the local youths to have a better understanding of the local culture, traditions, and challenges faced by the people in the state. This local expertise and cultural sensitivity can enhance the effectiveness of social interventions and provide help to the communities.
Empowering local communities: It can empower local communities by training individuals from within the states to become social workers. This can lead to more community-led initiatives, greater participation in decision-making processes, increasing ownership of developmental programmed
Networking and collaboration: The institution can facilitate networking and collaborations with other institutions, organisations and stakeholders in the state and the region. This can lead to partnerships that enhance the impact of social work interventions and promote holistic development in the state.
Building resilience and social cohesion: With the diverse ethnic and cultural landscape of Nagaland social work education can help the young professional social workers in fostering social cohesion, promoting inter-community harmony and building resilience in the face of challenges.
The institutions can also serve as hubs for community engagement, promoting collaboration between various stakeholders for sustainable development. By addressing the specific needs of the region, social work studies can contribute to overall well-being and progress of the region, ultimately leading to a more inclusive and equitable society.
As mentioned above, looking at the varied social problems that the region in general and Nagaland specifically, the Diocese of Kohima started the first ever MSW institute in Nagaland in the year 2014 known as ‘North East Institute of Social Sciences and Research (NEISSR)’. The institute network with various NGOs, institutions and government departments, national and international agencies to promote academic and all round holistic development for the people. One can visit the official website for further details: https://neissr.ac.in/
Dr. Abel Ariina
Assistant Professor,
North East Institute of Social Sciences and Research (NEISSR)
Chümoukedima, Nagaland
