Shubham S. Kamble
Let us take a few minutes to reflect on those who work at ground level and are part of our community. Without any self-interest or thought, they devote their life, time, and efforts to the welfare of society, nurturing it through efficient work aimed at empowering every deprived person. We refer to them as social workers, or professional social workers. Today, we must recognize, appreciate, and encourage those social workers for their work and efforts.
As a professional social worker, I felt compelled to reconsider social workers’ current situation and the problems they face in their lives, careers, and other areas. In terms of career, there are numerous opportunities available in government, private, and non-profit organizations (NGOs), as well as some organizations that pay handsome salaries to social workers. But only if you have a degree from a reputable college, university, or institution. What about the unrecognized social work education institutes? The majority of Maharashtra’s professional social workers from unrecognized institutions work with various sectors and NGOs for a salary that barely covers their needs and expenses. Is this a failure of our government, society, or the organizations that rely on these funds? Is there a lack of funds? Or is no one interested in donating funds for projects that benefit the people?
We must improve the education system to provide social workers with a more in-depth and clear understanding of the field, people, and overall study of behavior. All institutions should strengthen and improve their teaching methods, fieldwork exposure in various sectors, regions, and objectives to better prepare trainee social workers to deal with and intervene in social problems in the future. In comparison to other institutes, TISS, APU, and DU are all well-known institutions that provide social work education. This education module must be implemented and practiced in other institutes in order to broaden the vision of the future society’s constructors. Students in rural areas who have only considered a few career paths should be educated about social work as a profession and the growing importance, need, and scope of the unique stream with unique concepts that fthat forges a strong connection between the soil and the roots.
However, it appears that, with the exception of recognized institutes, students who join various organizations work for very low wages, which, as previously stated, barely meet their needs. Those who work for society, as well as the poor and vulnerable, are affected by these kinds of problems. In contrast, the private and technical sectors offer well-paying employment, which is advantageous for them. However, have you ever thought that social problems of this nature need to be addressed? If so, then the needs of social workers must be met, allowing them to work efficiently and honestly. I’m talking about meeting needs, not greed. If the gardener is preoccupied with his own issues, forget about the garden.
The professional social worker is the one who follows principles and ethics. Ethics are at the core of social work. In 1977, the Social Work Educators Forum (SWEF) at TISS Mumbai created and published a code of ethics for professional social workers in India. It is based on human values and contemporary social realities, taking into consideration the intrinsic value of all human and nonhuman life. However, it is unfortunate that the Code of Ethics is not valued in India, and thus efforts to address ethical dilemmas that arise while practicing social work receive no support.
In India, associations such as the Association of School of Social Work in India (ASSWI) and the Indian Association of Trained Social Workers (IATSW) came into existence in the 1960s. There are numerous regional associations of social workers in India, but more efforts must be made at the national level to establish social work as a profession.
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Shubham S. Kamble is a student at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Tuljapur
