Current News

Seminars and Conferences to be Organized during 2000–2001

Seminars

Under its programme of bringing together member institutions into research in and discussion on matters of social concern, the IASSI organized three national seminars during the financial year on the following themes:

1. State of Social Science Research in the country;

2. Technology and Society : Development Dimension;

3. Education related issues and Perspectives for 2020.

These seminars were organized, as in the last year, in collaboration with the selected member-institutions. The seminar on the first theme was held at IIM, Lucknow on 17 and 18 March, 2001; on the second at G.B.Pant Social Science Institute, Allahabad on February 12–13, 2001 and on the third at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai on 12 and 13 February, 2001. Many member-institutions nominated experts for attending these seminars.

National Dialogues

The IASSI has undertaken to organize four regional dialogues with the aim of working out how academic organizations could be drawn into researches on matters of grave social concern.

With command over expertise and information academic organizations, world over, have started involving themselves in activities leading to social development and welfare. The Land Grant Colleges, the Agricultural Universities, medical institutions and also technical institutions, through their industry-academia programmes, have taken pioneering roles in this regards. With this trend in view, this Association of Social Science related organizations has initiated this programme of dialogues for finding out how academic bodies could be drawn into activities which may help in resolving the problem of increasing and recurrent violence in all parts of the country, an aspect which is capable of tearing asunder the fabric of our civil life.

The dialogues aim at working out action programmes so that a thorough understanding of the phenomenon and its dynamics could be developed through cooperative efforts of the academic bodies involving research, information processing and analysis. Once such understanding is built up, and appropriate information is formed, IASSI will organize further dialogues with law and order authorities, NGO's working at the grass roots level and social policy makers for working out meaningful policies and programmes and also the types of institutions which should be developed for dealing with matters liable to end in violence.

The dialogues are being held in four zones:

Colloquium to prepare a Draft of National Social Science Policy for presentation to Government of India for consideration

The colloquium was organized on March 8,2001 as a part of the Social Science Movement being spearheaded by the Association. It is generally recognized in India that support for teaching and research in social science areas has not been reasonable. It is also recognized that considering the variety of problems affecting the society there is a great need for strengthening education and research effort in social science areas and that efforts in this context fully depends on public support and direction, which in this case is inadequate. The movement has been directed to finding ways for remedying the situation. The colloquium has been the first step in this context.

Similar problem was faced in the area of natural science and technology which was largely remedied after the Government came out with Science Policy Statement and Technology Policy Statement. These statements led to formation of appropriate organs and instruments for dealing with matters appropriately. Although, the problem of support in the areas of natural science and technology did not disappear completely matters improved considerably. Thus, as a part of this movement, the IASSI has undertaken to impress upon the Government the need for making a National Social Science Policy Statement.

The colloquium was organized with a view to crystallizing ideas and suggestions of all member institutions on what should be included in such a policy statement so that teaching and research in social science areas could appropriately benefit. Valuable suggestions have been obtained and it has been planned to organize further discussions at various places for concretizing the proposal to be presented to the Government.

First Annual General Body Meeting

The IASSI held its First General Body Meeting in the afternoon of March 8, 2001. The proceedings of the meeting will be appearing shortly in this web-page.

Election of the Executive Committee for 2000–2002

On the basis of approval received from member institutions to a proposal by four previous chairpersons of the IASSI to let the existing executive committee to function for one more term, i.e. for 2000–2002, the current Executive Committee has been formed by members constituting the previous one.

Top