Integrating Social and Educational Responsibility: Concept, Model and Challenges

Abstract

Educational institutions have long been considered a prerogative of charity with an aim to illuminate the human being with the light of knowledge and a social responsibility for working toward developing a better society. In this era of social responsibility, contribution of educational institutions, beyond transaction, appears to be ignored. This chapter proposes an “Integrated Model for Educational Social Responsibility” and highlights need of giving due recognition to an important section of curriculum in education – The Community Work, named variously as co-curricular activity, extension work, volunteer work, social activity, etc. The chapter has presented a vision for comprehensively uniting the varied social charity efforts that are being put up by various entities in doing the similar kind of work.

The chapter discusses historical perspective on social responsibility, concept of corporate social responsibility and educational social responsibility (ESR), importance of ESR, need for corporate educational social responsibility (CESR), planning and strategizing CESR, process for developing CESR, areas of integration for CESR, approaches for integrating socially responsible curriculum, embedded model for ESR and finally the challenges of integration. The CESR model if envisioned in the right manner can go a long way in not only building a sustainable society but also in developing socially responsible people. There is a need of comprehensive efforts on the same footing where the organizations need to work in parallel rather than opposite to each other.

Citation

Sharma, D. (2020), "Integrating Social and Educational Responsibility: Concept, Model and Challenges", Sengupta, E., Blesinger, P. and Mahoney, C. (Ed.) International Perspectives on Policies, Practices & Pedagogies for Promoting Social Responsibility in Higher Education (Innovations in Higher Education Teaching and Learning, Vol. 32), Emerald Publishing Limited, Leeds, pp. 25-37. https://doi.org/10.1108/S2055-364120200000032003