How Do Rural Immersion Programmes Add Significant Value To A Management Curriculum?

Tamal Datta Chaudhuri Oct 19, 2019

One of the most critical components of quality education is the emphasis on essential skills which can help an individual recognize the underlying problems of the rural section of society, analyzing and studying the solutions and schemes introduced by the government for the same, fetching methods for their successful implementation, and being responsive to societal needs.

The universal objective of education is to have a better world, and it is also a privilege which only a specific section of the society has access to, so the integration of Rural Immersion Programmes management curriculums in PGDM programs envisions a stronger tomorrow with empowered individuals who recognize the importance of empowering other individuals and are capable of fulfilling the need for the same.

RIP is a distinctive initiative which was instituted to inform, educate, and sensitize managers and entrepreneurs in the making about the numerous schemes undertaken by the government. The students get a chance to visit the villages and accordingly study and examine their execution and effectiveness. This programme challenges the abilities of the students and gives them a potential opportunity to apply their classroom lessons in a real-time environment; through the exploration of rural markets, students identify the execution glitches and lack of opportunities to fill the gaps.

Rural Immersion Programmes must definitely be a part of all management curriculums whether it is a PGDM course or an MBA because the students passing out of these courses hold positions that have the responsibility and power to impact society significantly. Through a RIP, they receive insights into how tough and challenging this can frequently get, and they gain understanding and knowledge about the tools and methods necessary to take this worldly aim ahead.

There are a plethora of factors that make Rural Immersion Programmes a quintessential part of management education. One prominent factor is receiving a prospective chance to study different schemes like Food For Work Programme, Swacch Bharat Abhiyan, Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojna, etc. focusing on various issues of the society like famine, unemployment, cleanliness, education, infrastructure, transportation facilities and basic amenities, and a lot more. Through these schemes, individuals obtain vital knowledge about these problems. Another factor is how these programmes enable individuals to comprehend the operations of economic activity. By interacting with relevant authorities and visiting organisations like the Block Development Office, NGOs, Panchayats, etc. extensive knowledge about the functioning and processes is imparted to the students. They understand the entire procedure better.

To enliven this vision of ameliorating the rural life of the country for holistic development, it is imperative that the youth of the country is aware of the rural problems and the progress of development, this is where education plays a chief role. When the young minds of the country receive proper education about the rural life of the country, they augment skills which will help them brainstorm and come up with more effective solutions. Through the involvement of these Rural Immersion programmes in management programmes like PGDM and MBA, this aim comes to life.