“There
is no stimulus like that which comes from the consciousness of knowing that
others believe in us”

Orison Swett Marden

If I had to share my personal experience about
a Post Graduate program in India, I will be left with only mixed experiences to
share with you. There are number of reasons for raising concern about
mushrooming management institutions. Largely, private sector initiatives which
further commercialize education and resonate with commonly shared comment about
Education becoming Business.

Having
said so when I joined EDI (Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India) in
2012 to manage the PGDM-DS a 2 year AICTE approved programme, I was left with
only one choice and that was to bring 33 years of EDI’s experience into one
single programme to reach to the bottom of the pyramid.

It is important to note that an institute that was given a
mandate to take entrepreneurship development in a movement format both within
India and outside, gave equal emphasis and focus to urban as well as rural
development. What made the institution move forward were its driving values of
innovation, experimentation, risk taking, inclusiveness, thinking out of the
box and the 4 D’s of Entrepreneurship namely Dream, Dedication, Discipline and
Determination.

The entrepreneurial canvas has been witnessing a strategic shift
which is evident in popularity of Social Entrepreneurship being considered to
mitigate social problem and market failures. Over the years the role of
civil society represented by NGOs is undergoing transformation and is gaining
more central role in national policy formation as well as program
implementation.

Further, the new amendment in the company law stipulating
companies to increase their spending on social development under CSR and as
stated above the new genre of social businesses based on innovative models are
emerging. However, the non-availability of human resource capable of seeing the
problems as opportunity and capacity to convert such opportunity into
sustainable social businesses seems to be limiting the pace of growth.

Given these challenges a need for more equipped professionals
with capacity to negotiate the environment and manage progress effectively is
emerging.

In order to meet these challenges that pose a developing country
like India, EDI India has designed an innovative PGDM program that aims at
building a cadre of new genre of Development Professionals with required
knowledge, competence, orientation and values.

The learner centric approach at EDI attempts to take a student
through knowledge of self, knowledge of society, knowledge of action and
knowledge of managing action.

Experiential learning model has emerged as a prodigious
facilitator of learning for PGDM-Development Studies students as they learn
life skills of pragmatic problem solving, being inventive in terms of designing
solutions, analytical reasoning, effective communication, leadership traits and
team sensibilities. The skills that EDI imparts enables students to gain
multi-sectoral competencies and gain rewarding careers in action around
sustainable and environment friendly solution, use of technology for
development, promoting financial inclusion and facilitating enterprises for
inclusive growth.

In conclusion PGDM-DS prepares students to imagine achieving
results in their life that they deeply desire and instill in them the faith
that any result that they want is possible even if they have no idea how to get
there!

Shalabh Mittal

Faculty
& PG Program Coordinator – PGDM-DS

(Post
Graduate Diploma in Management – Development Studies)

Thrust Area Coordinator – Centre for Social Entrepreneurship
& CSR