Distance Education Programmes Continuing Education

CERTIFICATE IN INTERNATIONAL
PERSPECTIVES IN PARTICIPATORY
RESEARCH AND EVALUATION

T his programme is a unique collaborative initiative of PCE in India and

Continuing Studies, University of Victoria located in British
Columbia, Canada. The programme aims at sharing insights developed
from both the Development Sector world and the academic world.
Practitioners from both India andCanada have designed this programme.

This programme is an introduction to the practice and theory of

community-based participatory research and evaluation from the global
perspective. The emphasis is on participatory research and evaluation,
c o m m u n i t y action and community
transformation. Examples are drawn from
international case studies. Issues of
partnership, degrees of participation, and UNITS
guidelines for practice are featured along with ? Introduction and
innovative ways of creating and representing History of
knowledge in a community-based context. Participatory
Completion of this programme will enable Research
learners to design and conduct participatory ? Conceptual
research and evaluate projects in their own Understanding of
communities. Participatory
Research
? Conceptual
Understanding of
Participatory
Evaluation
? Contemporary
Applications
? Participatory
Methodology
? Challenges and
Conclusions
"Its a unique and fruitful
endeavour and will definitely
benefit anyone who seeks to
gain something from it."
- Ex Student
UNITS
? Introduction to
occupational health
and safety
? Sector specific
occupational health
and safety issues
? Socio-economic
aspects of OHS
? Health Screening
Measures
? Basics of preventive
techniques
? OHS legislations in
India
? Participatory
Research in
Occupational Health.
CERTIFICATE IN
OCCUPATIONAL
HEALTH AND SAFETY
M anagement of health and safety in the
workplace is not only a legal and
moral obligation, it also makes good business
sense. Attention to safety and employee
welfare issues can yield valuable returns in
improving employee morale, reducing
absenteeism and maintaining productivity,
while cutting costs arising from accidents
and compensations thereof. Health and
safety is often regarded as being separate
from other workplace issues. As health and
safety laws often involve technical issues,
laypersons feel that only experts can deal
with such matters.

PRIA's learning and experiences of the last

"The learning materials two decades, however, defies this myth. We
provided the depth and real
life experiences to give essence believe most accidents happen because they
to the course." have not been prevented, thus safety is a key
- Ex Student issue. This Programme titled “Certificate in
Occupational Health and Safety' is designed
to provide learners with basic information,
resources, discussion questions and interactive opportunities that
motivate an understanding of Occupational Health and Safety. The
Programme is based on two decades of PRIA's involvement with the
issue. From its inception PRIA's work focused on capacity building and
demystifying the concepts and practices of the Occupational Health and
Safety. The methodology and case studies used in the programme are on
the one hand tested in the field set up and on the other enriched by PRIA's
networking with experts and practitioners. Seven units are offered as part
of the course.

Distance Education Programmes Continuing Education

Distance Education Programmes Continuing Education

CERTIFICATE IN
CIVIL SOCIETY BUILDING

R ecent years have witnessed dramatic changes in the social, political

and economic arrangements throughout the world. Collaboration
between state, private sector and civil society is increasingly being viewed
as a viable approach for solving complex social and economic problems.
The existing capacities of the civil society, specifically within developing
countries, however are inadequate to effectively meet the challenges of the
changing development context.

For bridging the gap, PCE is launching the programme titled “Certificate
in Civil Society Building” in a distance education mode for development
organizations and actors engaged with or
interested in working with Civil Society
Organizations (CSOs). It aims to build a basic
understanding of the concept of Civil Society
UNITS
and on strategies of strengthening it, in its ? Conceptual
pursuit of addressing issues of poverty, Understanding of
democratisation and sustainable human Civil Society
development. It will facilitate a critical ? Civil Society and
analysis of various debates and perspectives Other Actors
on the theme. Building on research and
? Civil Society and
discourse by PRIA and its partners' on the
Sustainable
theme and rich practice in the field, itwill draw
Development
together theory and practice on civil society,
through field case studies and practical ? Civil Society and
illustrations. Democracy building
? Strategies to
strengthen Civil
Society
? Applications - Global
Civil Society

"The faculty's enthusiasm and

knowledge about subject
matter while designing and
writing the course was
extremely impressive."
- Member Advisory Committee
UNITS
? Panchayati Raj
Governance
? Democratic Mandate
? Strengthening
Financial Capacities
of PRIs
? Local Development
Planning
Priorities, Process
and Outcomes
? Panchayati Raj
Institutions Equity,
Entitlement & Social
Justice
? Citizen Participation:
Process & Outcomes.
"The case study used in the
learning materials give the
true value of PRIA in
its efforts towards supporting
efforts of local governance
initiatives."
- Subject Matter Expert the trainer fraternity both from the
discipline of Panchayati Raj Governance. The programme essentially
incorporates the rich grassroot experiences of PRIAin strengthening PRIs.
Distance Education Programmes
CERTIFICATE IN
PANCHAYATI RAJ
INSTITUTIONS IN INDIA
(Local-self Governance)
T he 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act
1993 and the subsequent State
Conformity Acts have created a legal
opportunity for the pursuits of local self-
governance at the village level. The Act
envisaged vibrant Panchayati Raj Institutions
(PRIs), which were responsive to the needs
and aspirations of the local community, where
informed and inclusive participation of all
citizen, across caste, class and gender in the
planning and administration ensured
accountability of the system to the local
community. In actual practice, however many
impediments exist, which adversely affect the
functioning of PRIs. In this context
educational intervention with village
community, elected members and
Government f u n c t i o n a r i e s b e c o m e s
imperative. In this gigantic educational task,
Government and NGO sector as well as
development professionals are playing key
roles in initiating members to the multifaceted
Continuing Education
Distance Education Programmes Continuing Education

CERTIFICATE IN UNDERSTANDING
GENDER IN SOCIETY

I n 1975, the United Nations observed the International Women's Year for
the first time. Since then, there have been international dialogues on
women's rights, gender justice, discrimination and violence and equal
participation of women in all political, social and economic spheres of life.
From the first Women's Conference held in Mexico City in 1975 to
discussing themes of equality, development and peace to the 2001
Millennium Peace Prize to recognizing the efforts of women in preventing
and resolving conflict and war, there has been no looking back.
Governments, Non Governmental Organisations and the Civil Society have
initiated a process of learning that has involved deliberation, negotiation,
setting objectives, identifying obstacles and reviewing progressesmade.
The last decade in India, has seen some dramatic changes in terms of gender
equity and equality of opportunity for all. Landmark judgments such as the
reservation of 1/3rd seats for women in all three tiers of local level
governance, made possible by the 73rd and 74th ConstitutionalAmendment
Act 1993, and the passing of the Protection
Against Domestic Violence Act 2005 now
recognises the fact that women's rights are
inherent human rights. UNITS
However, there is an urgent need to explore
? Gender definitions
gender needs from every perspective. Issues and reality
that affect men and women both positively and ? Socialisation process
negatively need to be addressed in a and ideology
constructive manner. Relationships within ? Gender based
the home and the workplace need to be
violence;
examined from a gender perspective. A
process of review, deliberations and an ? Gender in institutions
analysis of the new roles that women today are ? Gender and health
playing despite being bound to old traditions ? Creating gender
and customs, needs to be initiated to
sensitive
renegotiate gender roles for both the sexes.
environments
Backed by PRIA's decade long commitment to
"With PRIA's vast
ensure a gender just society, first in its experience and subject matter
programmes towards women's empowerment expertise there is no doubt
to the present day programmes of that the course will prove
to be an eye opener to anyone
mainstreaming gender in institutions, this who wants to work upon
course seeks to drive home the essence of the issue as an individual
gender as equality of opportunities for all. or as part of an institution."
- Member Board of Studies
 Academic Programmes
Code /Course Fee
Certificate in International Perspectives Rs.6000/- Or
in Participatory Research and Evaluation 200 US $ for applicants outside India.

Certificate in Occupational Rs.5000/- Or

Health and Safety 150 US $ for applicants outside India.

Certificate in Civil Society Building Rs.5000/- Or

150 US $ for applicants outside India.

Certificate in Panchayati Raj Rs.5000/- Or

Institutions in India (Local Self Governance) 150 US $ for applicants outside India.

Certificate in Understanding Rs.5000/- Or

Gender in Society 150 US $ for applicants outside India.

ADMISSION PROCEDURE
Eligibility: All the above certificate programmes invite applications from the region of
South Asia. The minimum required qualification is Bachelor's degree in any subject.
Mode of Delivery: The Certificate programmes are offered in a distance mode, making
learning accessible through part time study outside working hours. Distance delivery
includes print materials, audio-visual CDs, guest faculty and immediate and engaged
communication through bulletin board.
Duration: Each certificate programme is of 3 months duration.
Medium of Instruction: English.
Credits and Evaluation: All the certificate programmes are awarded 8-credits and involve
240 hours of study. Evaluation will be based on written assignments in the form of reflection
papers, case study analysis and project work.
Payment of Fee: The fee is to be payed only through Demand Draft drawn in favour of
“ Society for Participatory Research in Asia”, payable at New Delhi.
REGISTRATION : Registration forms may be downloaded from the website or through
e-mail to education@pria.org to receive form.

FACULTY OF PRIA CONTINUING EDUCATION

Faculty members includes eminent social development intellectuals with international
research and teaching experience.
Dr. B.K.Sinha, Executive Director, CENCORD, Bihar.
Dr.Budd Hall, Faculty of Education, University of Victoria, Canada.
Ms.Catherine Etmanski, Pursuing Ph.D Faculty of Education, University of Victoria,
Canada.
Mr.Colin Ball, Former Director, The Commonwealth Foundation, Canada.
Prof. Darlene E.Clover, Faculty of Education, University of Victoria, Canada.
Dr. L. David Brown, Director, International Programs, Hauser Center for Nonprofit
Organizations, Harvard University
Mr. Feisal Alkazi, Education Consultant, Creative Learning for Change, New Delhi.
Mr.Harsh Jaitli, Director, PRIA Consultancy, New Delhi.
Dr..H.N.Saiyed, Director, National Institute of Occupational Health, Gujarat
Dr.Mandakini Pant, Fellow, PRIA Continuing Education, New Delhi.
Mr.Manoj Rai, National Coordinator, PRI, PRIA, New Delhi.
Ms.Martha Farrell, Director, PRIA Continuing Education, New Delhi.
Ms.Namrata Jaitli, Fellow, PRIA Continuing Education, New Delhi.
Ms.Nandita Bhatt, Programme Officer, PRIA Continuing Education, New Delhi.
Ms. Priti Jain, Education Consultant, Creative Learning for Change, New Delhi
Dr.Rajesh Tandon, President, PRIA, New Delhi
Prof.S.P. Jain, Former Director, NIRD, New Delhi
Prof.T.K. Jena, Reader, School of Health Sciences, IGNOU, New Delhi.

Distance Education Programmes Continuing Education

Distance Education Programmes Continuing Education

PRIA Continuing Education (PCE) has been established by PRIA, an international center for
learning and promotion of participation and governance, for transferring its experience, knowledge
and learning of over 25 years. This vast pool of knowledge and learning has been synthesized and
packaged into distance education programmes.
In the Indian educational system and structure, PCE can be positioned as a provider of higher
education and all forms of professional and technical education. Continuing education is for all
practical purposes, a component of the larger system of higher education with a great deal more of
coordination and networkingwith various professional bodies as well as the employment sectors.
There is an inevitable need for expanding the knowledge base of people at workplaces. The purpose
of PCE initiative is the advancement and dissemination of knowledge that has a direct bearing on
social development.

Structure:
?Governing Board is the principal executive body. It is empowered by the statutes to look
after themanagement and administration of PCE.
?Board of Studies is the apex academic authority, which decides policies of PCE and gives
directions on thematic areas, methods of instruction, evaluation, and improvement in
academic standards.
?Finance Committee advises on fee structure for the programmes and also on all financial
matters. It supports establishment of norms for the total recurring and non-recurring
expenditure for the year based on income and resources.
?Advisory Committee is responsible for the design and formulation of priorities for specific
programmes offered.
Instructional System PCE uses different components for teaching/learning which include
self-instructional print and audio-video materials, interactive multimedia CD-ROM, Internet
based learning and face-to-face workshops. PCE not only follows the traditional distance
education delivery through print but also emphasizes towards interactive multimedia content
and learner support throughweb-based platforms.
Admission: PCE has two academic cycles. April - June and October - December. The
notification for admission is issued in the major national newspapers. The detailed information
on admission and application forms are available on the PCE website www.pria.org.
Evaluation System: The successful completion of a programme of study for the award of
certificate, will be determined on the basis of performance and evaluation of the assignments
submitted by the learner.
Credit System:
A credit is the weightage assigned to a course in terms of study hours. It is a measure of study-
load in terms of hours of study a learner has to undertake.
For its programmes, PCE follows the 'Credit System' prescribed by Distance Education
Council, except for the ones collaborated with other Universities/Institutions. Each credit in
this system is equivalent to 30 hours of academic work comprising all learning activities;
reading and comprehending the print material, listening to audios, watching videos, attending
counseling sessions, teleconferences, working on projects and writing assignment responses.
Thus, an 8-credit course involves 240 hours of study. This helps the learner to understand the
academic effort one has to put in, to successfully complete a course.
Medium of Instruction: Presently the programmes are delivered in English, but efforts are
being made to introduce these programmes in Hindi in the near future.

For more details please contact:

Ms. Martha Farrell (Director)
PRIA Continuing Education
PRIA
42, Tughlakhabad Institutional Area, New Delhi.
Phones : 91-11-2995 6908, 2996 0931/32/33
Fax : 91-11-2995 5183, 2995 5819
Email : education@pria.org
Website : www.pria.org