Practicing social outreach in higher education: Reflections from FICCI HES 2017

Abstract

This report, put together by the UNESCO Chair in Community-Based Research and Social Responsibility in Higher Education, reflects on a session held at FICCI HES 2017 on social outreach in Indian higher education. It opens by setting the charity-driven extension work universities have traditionally offered against a newer model centred on engagement across teaching, research, and service. Based on the FICCI Taskforce's knowledge paper and panel discussion, it picks up ideas from speakers including Rajesh Tandon, Andrea Vargiu, and 'Abd'Ala: education as a public good, the need for institutions to embed outreach into curricula rather than treat it as extracurricular, and the value of aligning local social outreach with global SDG targets. A closing section traces how Indian policy, from the 12th Five-Year Plan through UGC and NAAC frameworks, has gradually recognised community engagement as central to higher education quality and points to emerging university partnerships and the Knowledge for Change initiative as early examples of this shift in practice.