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Educational Social Responsibility, Ethical Leadership

and Sustainable Development: Some Spiritual Concerns

L. N. Bhagat *

Abstract

Repid loss of spiritual values in the society is a matter of grave concern to the

educational institutions in India. The inculcation of values and spirituality in education

system is the dire need of the day. Eastern ethical flavour is required to be added in the

contemporary leadership theories drawn from western perspective. Educational Social

Responsibility (ESR), a new keyword based on the philosophy of ‘work’ and ‘ethics’ many

prove to be a behaviouristic approach to spiritual revival in education system. Educational

Social Responsibility is very much helpful in achieving sustainable development through

ethical leadership by formulating and implementing social responsibility activities for the

weaker sections of the society. An attempt has been made in this article to examine the

spiritual concerns of the educational institutions at work place and suggest measures for

greater benefits to the society and sustainable development of the educational institutions.

Keywords : Educational Social Responsibility, Ethical Leadership, Imotional

Intelligence and Sustainable Development.

1. Introduction

The erosion of values in the present day society is a matter of grave

concern. Nothing is known to the next door neighbor. Children do not full

heartedly bother to take care of their parents. There are only quite a few people

who are desirous of helping others. The progress of science and technology has

led to the increasing loss of values and eroding the foundation of its future

growth. Under these circumstances educational institutions can play an

important role in igniting the society for the gradual transformation through

various activities, of course, inspired by ethical excellence.

Inculcation of values and spirituality in education system is the dire need

of the day. UNESCO’S Report on International Commission under the

Chairmanship of Jaques Dellores, has also emphasized the role of values in

strengthening the four pillars of education , viz. learning to know, learning to do,

learning to be and learning to live together. The first pillar requires intellectual

* Former Vice-Chancellor, Ranchi University, Ranchi

(email : lnbhagat@yahoo.com).

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ability, the Second pillar requires acquisition of skill and the third and fourth

pillars require inculcation of values. The views of Swami Vivekananda on

education “Education is the manifestation of the perfection already in man”

(Advaita Ashram, 1989 vol. IV, p.358) needs to be emphasized for curing the

evils in society and shaping the future of humanity. The objective of this paper is

to examine the spiritual concerns of the educational institutions at work place

and suggest measures for greater benefits to the society and sustainable

development of the educational institutions.

2. Educational Social Responsibility

A keyword ‘Educational Social Responsibility (ESR)’, representing the

social responsibility activities of the educational institutions, has emerged on

march 27, 2011 and defined as under.

“Educational Social Responsibility is the voluntary efforts of the

educational institutions, of course, inspired by the ethical excellence towards

social development through various activities for improving the quality of life

without involving any cost to the people at large.” (Bhagat, 2011, p.259).

The keyword is based on the philosophy of Swami Vivekananda on ‘work’

and ‘ethics’.

Work :

There are two types of workers, one who works for the shake of working

without caring for name or fame or any specific motive. They work just because

good will come out of it. There are others who work by involving themselves in

it assuming that the work has been assigned by the almighty God, do good to the

poor and help mankind from still higher motives, because they believe in doing

good and love good. Swami Vivekananda once said ‘Every duty is holy, and

devotion to duty is the highest from of the worship to God; it is certainly a

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source of great help in enlighting and emancipating the deluded and ignorance –

encumbered souls of the Baddhas – the bound ones’ (Vivekananda, S, 2011).

Ethics :

Ethics and morality have been the hallmark of public life in India since

ancient times. In fact, ethics is the branch of philosophy that deals with moral

principles. Doing good to others is the centre of all ethical systems. Swami

Vivekanada once stated the infinite oneness of the soul is the eternal sanction of

the morality, that you and I are not only brothers – every literature voicing

man’s struggle towards freedom has preached that for you – but that you and I

are really one. This is the dictate of Indian philosophy. This oneness is the

rationale of all ethics and all spirituality.” (Selections from the Complete Works

of Swami Vivekananda, 2007). If an educational institution helps the needy ones

through social responsibility activities, it will get something positive from the

almighty God by way of blessings.

The activities that may come within the purview of the keyword ESR are as

under.

Providing excellent education is the core responsibility of educational

institutions. The quality of educational institutions is judged by the quality of

courses offered to the students. It also includes the topics on yoga and

spirituality for acquainting the students with the concept of values and

ethicswhch have great bearings in personality development.

Besides the primary duty of conducting core courses for the people

belonging to the higher strata of the society the educational institutions may

also offer job-oriented Skill development courses of a short duration for weaker

sections of the society viz. ST, SC, OBC, Minorities and Physically Handicapped,

without causing any financial burden on the part of the beneficiaries. Such

programmes may be formulated and implemented with the help of the Central/

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State Government or even Business houses, because a true educational

institutions can’t afford such mega social development programmes which are

non-profit making organizations. By doing such activities at the cost of others

the educational institutions through their honest efforts may help the

beneficiaries in getting jobs and help in achieving the goal of inclusive growth

and its gradual transformation for a better and secured future (Bhagat, 2011

p.259).

Other activities include the tution fee waiver scheme for core courses as

well as the self financing vocational courses for the benefits of the students

belonging to the families of Below Poverty Line (BPL) categories, for their socio

– economic upliftment. Providing educational assistance to less priviledged

section of the society viz. financial assistance, scholarship etc. and community

development activities like adoption of villages for holistic development of the

village. Correct response to the educational institutions to their stakeholders is

yet another activity of educational social responsibility.

3. Ethical Leadership

The Success of any organisation largely depends on the leadership

qualities. There is a large number of leadership theories drawn from western

perspective. The most common elements for leadership are – knowledge, smarts

and vision. DenielGoleman, author of Leadership, viewed that the power of

emotional intelligence would add the ability to identify and monitor emotions

and to manage relationship. It is the emotional intelligence which distinguished

the best leaders. The five components of emotional intelligence at work are –

self – awareness, self – regulation, motivation, empathy and social skill

(Goleman, 2011 p.6).

The lesions of leadership are, however, imbedded in traditional scriptures

like srutis (revelation like vedas) and Smritis (traditional text like Manu Smriti,

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Parasarasmiritietc.). These are largely ignored by the populace perceiving them

to be religious documents which, if taught, may impinge our secular credentials.

But there scriptures are not meant for any religion and they are storage of

valuable knowledge (Sundari and Rao, 2014 p.19).

Bhagavad Gita also lays emphasis on leadership based on morality. The

central theme of Gita is about doing work in most efficient manner without

aspiring for fruit of action and also doing the work for common good. As stated

in Gita, perfection is attained when each attends diligently to his duties

(Bhagavad Gita, 18/45). The leaders must uphold and maintain his/her upmost

moral values while performing the said duties. All these lessions refer to the role

of ethics and values in leadership.

A leader with full of ethical excellence and spirituality in decision and

welfare to the humanity in action, may be called ‘Eithical Leader’.Realising the

importance of social responsibility an ethical leader involve himself/herself

voluntarily, in various activities for the upliftment of the people who are below

his/her existing status in the society. This ethical behaviour is quite consistent

to the direction of the almighty God who governs the Universe.

Involvement of social responsibility activities recharges the inherent

power and provide more strength to the ethical leader for better service to the

society in future.

4. Educational Sustainability

A decadal programme (2005 – 2014) of education for sustainable

development was launched by the UNESCO. Sustainable development has been

conceptualised by the development that meets the needs of the present without

compromising the ability of the future generations to meet their own needs. The

strategic perspectives for sustainable development are socio - culture,

environmental and economic perspective.

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Kochiro Matsuura, Director – General of UNESCO has noted “sustainable

development is a moral precept as well as a scientific concept. It is closely linked

to peace, human rights and equity as well as to ecology or global warming. And if

it obviously concerns the natural science, economics and politics, it is also a

cultural issue. Founded on the values particular to one society or another, it

implies that we recognize the complex interdependence of human needs and the

natural environment” (UNESCO, 2005 p.1).

In fact, a true sustainable way of life requires a combined effort in three

broad areas, namely, economic growth with equity, conserving natural

resources& environment and social development. Since society is the central

point around which all economic and non-economic activities revolve, any

attempt in social development, which the educational institutions can do is a

better way, may lead to sustainable development is real sense of the term

(Bhagat, 2011, p.258).

5. Some Spiritual Concerns

The major concern of the educational institutions in India today is the rapid

decline in ethics and spiritual values among the people in the society. There is a

need to introduce the courses on values and ethics in the curriculum at all levels

of education. It will help in producing ethical leaders in future. Educational

social responsibility may be taken as a tool for achieving sustainable

development through the ethical leadership. Ethics helps us to understand the

existence of almighty God who controls over all activities in the universe and

takes account of the decisions taken by the individual or group of individuals i.e.

organisaion. The organisationspractising educational social responsibility

activities are awarded with the blessings of God and get something positive in

future.

Take for instance the case of an educational institution namely Institute of

Science and Management, Ranchi. The Institute has practised social

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responsibility activities, fully sponsored by the State Government, by organising

one year craft course in hotel management. In five years (2005 – 2010)

altogether 749 students have completed the course and are working in four

star/five star hotels all over the country. The post employment survey of 100

sample beneficiaries reveals that the average monthly earnings is not very high

but their savings are quite appreciable. More than two – third of the savings are

spent on family care – purchase of quality food, clothing and medicines for the

family members and educating the siblings. This has a direct positive impact on

the quality of life (Bhagat, 2011). The Institute has received a return gift for

ethical endeavour by way of improving its status as per Business India Survey.

Business India in its B-Schools Survey 2010 ranked the Institute in Group ‘A’ at

all India level but the rank improved to group ‘A+’ in 2011 survey (Business

India, 2010 & 2011).

6. Conclusion

Educational Social Responsibility is very much helpful in achieving

sustainable development through ethical leadership by formulating and

implementing social responsibility activities for the weaker sections of the

society. The educational institutions practicing social responsibility activitiesare

rewarded spiritually in positive direction. The study emphasizes the need for

greater social responsibility activitiesorganised by the educational institutions

and also introducing yoga and ethics in the course curriculum for greater

benefits to the society and sustainable development of the educational

institutions.

REFERENCES

Advaita Ashram (1989). Complete work of Swami Vivekananda (Vol. I-X) Advaita

Ashram Publication, Kolkata.

Bhagat, L.N. (2011). Educational Social Responsibility : A theory and Practice,

Sidhant: A Journal of Decision Making, Vol. 11, No.3, July – September, pp. 258 – 264.

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Business India (2011). B-Schools Survey 2011, November 13 Issue, p. 120.

Business India (2010). B-Schools Survey 2010, October 17 Issue, p. 144.

Goleman, Daniel (2011). What makes a leader? inOne leadership, Harward Business

School Publishing Corporation, Printed at Thomson Press, India, pp. 1-21.

Selection from the Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda (2007). Advaita Ashram,

Kolkata, p. 205.

Sundari, U. And Rao, K. (2004) Leadership Lessions from Bhagavad Gita,

DevSanskriti, Inter disciplinary International Journal, Vol. 3, January, pp.19-24.

UNESCO (2005). UNESCO and Sustainable Development, United National

Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, France.

Vivekananda, S. (2011). Personality Development, Ramkrishna Math and

Ramkrishna Mission, Belurmath, Hawrah, p.46.