Mushrooming up of Social Workers

Dr Shukhdeba Sharma Hanjabam *

Social Workers - a Proud Profession - People Helping People

With the State Assembly election is approaching, we are now witnessing self declared/acclaimed social workers in dozens. Their understanding of ‘Social Work’ or ‘Social Worker’ is engaging in some activities for the public with their own expenditure. It does not matter how to do it or who is to be employed to execute the activities. The local newspapers were used to be flooded with these people and their activities. They don’t bother whether the work they are doing is the need of the people or their works will sustain. Their main aim is to do things in front of people and media. They claim themselves as an alternative to the government. The validity of these types of social workers is in short except few who are lucky. Besides, election, there are few individuals who choose to engage and remain in the public domain continuously. They also similarly call themselves as social workers but their numbers are limited. It is not sure whether they are consciously or unconsciously using the term but we can conclude that it is not the qualification that matters. These kinds of misconceptions are not limited to social work but also to medical professionals who claim to be the knowledgeable section of the society. The symbol of International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) was misused by the medical professional for a very long time. Thus, we see the poster campaign not to misuse the ICRC ‘Red Cross’ symbol as symbols of the medical fraternity.

These self-acclaimed social workers are similar with that of Military Civic Action (MCA) programme that does certain kinds of activities as part of counter-insurgency measures. These activities cover only those who reside near the military camps. Moreover, their activities are mainly dictated by the needs of the military not by the people. Similarly, these social workers do their activities as and when they wish to do as indicated earlier.

It is interesting to see the process of becoming social workers. It is not by attaining any educational qualifications or by training but by their selfish political ends. Some call themselves social worker as they don’t have anything to share about themselves and some use it after retirement. Their main objective is to occupy political office by successfully getting elected at any level but preferably at the State Assembly. In order to be amongst the elected persons, they feel that the best bet is to self-baptise as social worker. They have learned this from the manoeuvring of the present and preceding elected members. This is evident when we examine the profile of our elected members (the 9th Assembly Election) who choose to mention ‘Social Worker’ as their profession regardless of their qualification in the website of Manipur Government. The interesting point is the prospective social workers are not just ordinary people but many well trained professionals and academicians. They feel as if the society will not accept them as politicians if they are not self designated as social worker. By doing so they conceal their own profession and prefer to call themselves as social worker. This helps to conceal their past activities and also to create a new identity. Now, social worker has become a preferred tag for many of those who seek fortune in terms of occupying political office.

The show of social workers for this year is tightened by the Election Commission of India who is strictly monitoring the election activities and expenses. So, newspaper advertisements of social worker are declining. Besides, those who are unable to get any ticket have already dropped their identity of social worker. They don’t want to remain in public with the social worker identity as they are sure that they are not going to do anything except during election. And also, they don’t want people to recognise him/her as non-activity social worker which may affect his/her political ambition in the future.

The literal meaning of social worker is like ‘worker for the society’. So they feel that if they do something with their own money, then they are fit to be called social worker. They don’t hesitate to spend particularly during elections because; they must have always felt that they can return with no time as most of them are very calculated person. If we properly analyze the pattern of spending then we can always observe that they must have earned the money through various means except the proper way. What is worrying to us is that the level of self proclaimed social worker joining the state politics has increased over the years. This has created a state of chaos as we are witnessing today. The main concern for them seems to be the construction sectors which can give good returns to them. This has been witnessed since 2000.

The history of social work education in India can be traced in 1936 when the Sir Dorabji Graduate School of Social Work was initiated in Mumbai. Even though, the social work education was a late comer in North East India, Manipur had its first Social work graduate as early as the 1960s.

It is not that the State Government or the elected person or the self-declared social workers are not aware of what social work is and who social workers are. It is evident from the advertisement of medical social worker of State hospital. Master of Social Work (MSW) is the required degree not just any other degree. Every hospital in India has a social worker post. Likewise Manipur also has post which is to be recruited from Social Work Graduates or social worker. Besides hospitals, the Manipur AIDS Control Society (MACS) has created and recruited various Social Work Graduates in their programmes.

The self-acclaimed social worker and social worker by training have a lot of difference. First and the foremost is that they are trained in theory and practice to deal with individual, group and community which we called it profession. Secondly, they don’t spend their money to work for others. They are like any other profession. But may be because of this late development in India, the people have been misusing the term/symbol such as the ‘Red Cross’ symbol of ICRC by misused by the medical professions as cited above. But, we can see the gaining momentum of social work education in India as well as North East India. It is evident by the opening of department in state, central and private Universities as well as in colleges. Manipur has a University (Indira Gandhi National Tribal University) offering MSW programme and a college affiliated to Manipur University (College of Social Work, Changangei) offering bachelor degree. Besides, IGNOU Imphal centre is offering the BSW and MSW for the last decades.

In the State of Maharashtra and some other states of India, social workers were involved in various planning process of the state government. It is because the people in the government are aware of the significance of social worker who works at the individual, groups as well as the community level. Their contribution is highly appreciated by different sections of the society. But here in Manipur, it is at the stage of misconception. It is not only the government officials but many academicians are not aware that there is a discipline call social work. They always confuse the discipline with sociology. So, it is hard to explain to these groups that I am a social work graduate. They see social work training as something to do with public activities like the one done by self-acclaimed social worker. So, on one hand we have the misconception of social work education and on the other hand, the self-acclaimed social worker has further confused the public. Thus, social work graduates in Manipur are victims of misconception and ignorance. At this situation, the issue of social work graduate being involved in the planning process is not in the mind of the government officials.

So, while using any terminology either consciously or unconsciously, they should see they use the proper phrase to explain their activities. Just calling anything does not fit as our society is not that backward society which we don’t understand anything happening around us.

For Instance, the Maiba and Maibis of Meitei society who are well aware of traditional healing practices do not called themselves a doctor. Similarly, those who can teach do not always become a teacher. Likewise those who do some activities and their literal translation do not make a social worker. They should not use it without understanding the proper meaning. Such things remind us of the proverb what the Meitei elders used to say when someone apes something desirable in a very inappropriate way, that is, “crow does not become a peacock by adorning a peacock’s feather in their head”.