Providing rural immersion programme to students

The Indian government has laid down several rural development schemes, and there are many entrepreneurs who have launched social startups to address rural community problems, the rural-urban divide is very wide. There is a dire need to foster sensitisation about rural population at tertiary level education, especially in management schools.

A vast majority of management schools traditionally focus on offering career-oriented courses and subjects to increase employability chances of their students when they enter the job market. The underlying assumption is that these students will kick-start their careers in urban cities. Hence, it isn’t surprising that management institutes hardly make any conscious effort to create awareness about the challenges of rural India and how students can leverage their education to bring social change at the grass-root level.

Realising this gap between education and rural sensitisation, a handful of management schools have come forward to incorporate the ‘Rural Immersion Programme’ in their curriculum. Under this programme, students visit villages, do tours of local industries, conduct door-to-door surveys, prepare case studies and hold focus group discussions. This enables them to witness the rural struggles up close and personal, interact with the rural community and gain a deeper understanding of social and economic dynamics in rural setups.

It is pertinent that other institutes follow suit with the following objectives:

Inculcate values of social commitment

Students need to be sensitised that the rural countrymen lead a completely different and underprivileged life than their urban peers. They need to understand that social change should begin at an individual level so that it can create a collective impact at the mass level. The rural immersion programme introduces them to rural realities at ground level and inspires them to take a pledge of social commitment.

Evaluate the effectiveness of government schemes

It is important to find out whether rural development schemes undertaken by the government of India have been executed effectively and whether they are yielding the desired results. The rural immersion programme provides a detailed outline of these schemes so that when students visit the villages, they can evaluate their implementation and impact.

Adopt social perspective in business products and solutions

Most organisations develop products and services, keeping urban target audience in the mind because that’s where all the money comes from. But, students who have been part of rural immersion programme can bring a social perspective to the profit mindset and ensure that the products and services have at least some degree of rural inclusiveness. In fact, students can even pursue careers in Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Generate entrepreneurship ideas

An increasing number of entrepreneurs are working towards the creation of favourable ecosystem for rural India by utilising their professional skills and technology. They are creating low-cost, innovative products, services and solutions to improve the lives of villagers. Management students aspiring to become social entrepreneurs can discover their business ideas through rural immersion programme.

Drive rural demand and consumption

The penetration of the internet, social media, mobile phones and e-commerce services has increased the digital adoption in rural India. The rural consumers now harbour aspirations of owning and consuming similar products accessible to urban residents. Hence, many organisations are seeking professionals who can understand rural consumption pattern and help them drive rural marketing initiatives. Management students who have participated in rural immersion programme make a perfect fit for such roles.

Collaborate with social catalysts

When students have a better understanding of rural life, culture and society coupled with their management education, they can provide valuable inputs on rural development. They can work closely with government, private organisations, NGOs, self-help groups and local village bodies to ideate and execute rural schemes.

The rural immersion programme is a unique initiative that management schools should include in their curriculum to prepare future business leaders and entrepreneurs to become socially responsible.

(The writer is with Calcutta Business School)