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Best Practices 2020 – 2021

1. Title of the Practice: “Family Counselling Cell”

Objectives of the Practice:

1. To discuss and deliberate on various family aspects like strained relations, marital discord, and warring factions of the family through a platform to discuss their problems and find solutions to their issues.

2. To fulfill the social responsibility of the college towards the urban and rural families by providing them counseling free of cost to resolve Family Problems.

The context :

The college authorities faced the most significant challenge while designing and implementing this activity was towards the people’s approach. The activity being a social activity, the college had to send its students to various social programs and events to publicize about the cell and invite people to use the platform. The students had to attend and talk to many groups and individuals. The second major challenge of the activity was gaining people’s trust. The college authorities had to make sure that the people who want to use this platform trust the college completely for handling their issues and ensure that the data collected as a result of this would not be used for any other commercial or profit purposes. The college representatives had to take one-to-one personal interactions with the families to gain their confidence and make them confident about the whole process.

The practice :

The college inaugurated the Family Counselling Cell on 25th Jan 2020 at the hands of Hon’ N.R.Naikwade, Judge, Family Court, Pune, Hon Shri Subhash Kafre, Judge, Family Court Pune. The program officially started the Family Counselling Cell on the campus. Being a social activity without any purpose of profit, the college took the help of its students to reach this activity to various corners of the society. The college did not advertise or did any paid publicity of the cell. The activity was made to reach the people through word of mouth. Students advertised for the cell through their contacts, blogs, Facebook posts, and Instagram Stories. These posts reached different sections of society, and people started to approach the cell of the college with their issues and problems.

Since then, people have contacted the college authorities with their issues. After verifying the concerned parties’ case details and personal details, the family is called upon the campus for an appointment with their counselor in the Family Counselling Cell. The counseling then happens in the counselor’s presence, the concerned parties, and a college representative. The data and files of every session are maintained in the college with utmost secrecy as it involves various details of the aggrieved parties and their details. The frequency of the counseling depends on the people’s responses, and it is decided accordingly. Workshops and Events in the college are organized to promote the cell and reach the masses. The activity has garnered a lot of support from the students due to their enthusiasm and vigor. It has become a success what it is right now, and in the years to come, with the complete lift up of the Covid-19 restrictions, the activity is bound to see more influx of people using the platform.

Evidence of success :

During the academic year 2020-21, the college handled 14 cases, out of which three cases were settled in the college before the counselor. The cases were settled with the partners agreeing to mutual terms and obliging to not override them anytime in the future. The dispute was settled right before the counselors and resolved a pre-court dispute. The time, money, and efforts of the aggrieved parties were all saved due to the platform provided by the college. The record of the parties is saved in the hard copy format of the college files with the stamp and signatories of the concerned parties.

Problems encountered and resources required :

The college has set up a Family Counselling Cell on its campus to provide utmost privacy to the counselors and the Families. The college organizes Workshops as well events for the promotion of the cell where the monetary resources of the college are utilized. The college also invites various esteemed resource persons for guest lectures and programs of the cell, where the college provides the honorarium for the same on its expenses. A significant problem/issue faced in this practice was clear people’s inhibition to come and use this platform. The problem is that various interested people who want to use the cell refrain from using it due to the social dilemma involved. These inhibitions were a significant issue to tackle while implementing the activity.

2.  Title of the Practice: ‘Let People Know’ – on Human Rights /Environmental Law / IPR/ Labour Law

Objectives of the Practice :

1. To disseminate knowledge about important laws at various Academic Institutions and Industry

2. To explain the important aspects of fundamental law like Human Rights, Environmental Law, IPR, and Labour Law in general terms to Laymen.

3. To encourage and assist with law adherence in text and spirit.

4. To contribute to Institute Social Responsibility.

The Context :

Taking the Laws to various institutions was planned to further our social commitment. Though the laws are supposed to be known by all, people often do not understand them. There is a gap between the law and the people’s perception of it. Especially the non-law institutions working in various fields know the law they need to be explained in general terms. In this context, the college decided to assist the institutions and Industry by conducting online sessions and starting the activity. Explaining the law briefly without changing the frame of it was a challenge. While designing the Sessions on Human Law, Environmental Law, Labour Laws, and significantly IPR related law, the simplification of law was focused.

The practice : 

While implementing this activity, the college approached academic institutes and nearby small and medium scale industries on a case-to-case basis. After the initial contact with the industry/college, the college sent a special letter informing all the optimistic respondents about the activity. After the first letter, the institute contacted the college and asked for a suitable time for conducting the activity, and being the Covid restrictions period; an online meeting was set up accordingly between the two. The college faculty conducted sessions on essential aspects like Human rights, IPR, Environmental Law, and Labour law at various institutes and industrial units. In the session, the general aspects of the stated Laws were explained. The importance, the compliances, the mechanism were briefly informed contextually. The queries which the audience raised were also answered. The college faculty explained the relevant sections of the law applicable to that particular Industry or academic institute.

Evidence of Success :

The activity was initiated in June 2020; the session was conducted at Dnyaneshri Engineering College Satara on Human Rights by Asst Prof Vaishnavi Desai. After that, a session on IPR was conducted at Procetech Automation Pvt. Various sessions were conducted at different places by our College Principal and the Faculty. The participants’ response was very positive, and the institution acknowledged the benevolent activity of the college to be beneficial for its members. Through the activity, we have reached the institutions and the members who need the information, especially the non-law institute students who are keen to know and understand the law. This activity has benefited the institutes, industrial units, the college, and faculty.

Problems encountered, and Resources required :

The primary issue faced in implementing this activity was approaching the Industry and the academic institutes and getting them on board to complete it. It took a lot of effort from the faculty to convince the participating entities. Explaining the law in general Language was difficult; teachers had to make extra efforts to conduct the session in a generalized format. The technicalities were best avoided by making brief explanations. They were learning from these experiences that the further required additions in resources like recording the sessions, providing brief Info of these Laws have been realized and included in the Plan.