Certificate in Panchayati
Raj Institutions in India
The
local institutions have autonomy
when legislative, executive
and judicial powers are conferred
upon them. Political will is required
for devolving power, authority
and resources to lower levels.
The decentralization policy should
cater to an enabling and clear
constitutional, legislative and
regulatory framework. It should
provide a fairly comprehensive
division of responsibilities between
the various levels of government
and civil society and clarify
the relationship between these
levels. Accountability
establishes power balances. Regular
elections and performance auditing
by an active and organized electorate
can establish accountability of
a local institution. Social
capital such as civic engagement,
active community organization
and social reciprocities contribute
to an effective decentralized
system. Participation
is an important element of a responsive
government. It involves citizens
performing local public duties,
thereby, strengthening checks
and balances of political power.
(Extract
from Unit -1: Panchayati Raj Institutions,
Pg 13)
Certificate in International
Dimensions of Adult Education &
Lifelong Learning
The
radical tradition of adult education,
dating back at least to the 19th
century (as noted in the previous
module), has long argued not simply
for knowledge that is “the best
that it has thought and said”
(the basis of liberal tradition)
but also for knowledge that is
useful for bringing about social
and political change. The latter,
deemed by the radical tradition
as “really useful knowledge,”
has been understood as political
knowledge that could be used to
challenge the relations of oppression
and inequality. This of course
implies the development of critical
thinking, the recognition of human
agency, political growth, and
the confidence to challenge what
is taken for granted or considered
inevitable, that is, to exercise
power (Thompson, 2000). The feminist
critique of adult education is
the only philosophical approach
concerned with how the power within
all of us shapes the relationships
we make with each other. Feminists
argue that we should strive not
only for democracy but firstly
for the elimination of patriarchal,
colonial, ethnocentric, and racist
ways of thinking within each of
us (Miles et al., 2000).
(Extract
from Module One | Historical Foundations
of Adult Education, Pg 39)
Certificate in Civil
Society Building
Perhaps
we have laid too much emphasis
up to this point on the views
of academics, researchers, philosophers
and other analysts. How do ordinary
people see what we are discussing?
The Commonwealth Foundation study
based on consultations with 10,000
‘ordinary' citizens in 47 countries—both
developed and developing- asked
them what they thought a ‘good
society' was, what would be needed
to achieve it, and what roles
citizens themselves should play
in it.
What
emerged was a consensus that a
‘good society' is characterised
by a strong State and a strong
Civil Society. What does the latter
mean? A strong and healthy Civil
Society is one that has an enabling
environment (of culture and law,
inter alia) for voluntary associations
and associational autonomy; that
has density and diversity of associational
life, wherein citizens have more
choices to express their interests
in public life; that comprises
of Organisations playing specialised
and differentiated functions;
and that is built on the foundation
of, as well as generating new,
social capital (Naidoo and Tandon,
1999).
(Extract
from Unit 1: Civil Society—Meanings,
Origins, Functions, and Interpretations,
Pg 15)
Certificate in International
Perspectives in Participatory Monitoring
& Evaluation
Academics
warn against 'post-modern paralysis',
that is, to become paralyzed by
over-analysis of the problems
in the world, or over-contemplation
about the negative implications
of possible courses of action.
For someone working at the community
level, this kind of paralysis
may seem like an unaffordable
luxury – there is always too much
work to be done! However, there
are also always unexpected consequences
for our actions and inactions
in the material world (and perhaps
in the spiritual world as well,
a debate into which we will not
enter here). These consequences
affect our own lives and the lives
of others. Taking time to evaluate
the possible negative consequences
of our actions, through personal
and collective reflection, dialogue,
and debate can create a better
position from which to act. Research
and evaluation processes that
are guided by praxis can halt
well-intentioned action based
on faulty assumptions, which may
have otherwise manifested in harmful
effects on the individuals and
communities it intended to serve.
(Extract
from Module One: Conceptual Understandings
of Monitoring & Evaluation,
Pg 13)
