Objectives

• To curtail and mitigate the migration of Youth.
• To promote Socio-Economic growth.
• To generate local economy.
• To promote job opportunities at the local level.
• Promote local art, culture, and heritage and make it revenueable.
• To promote local agriculture, apparel, cuisine, culinary art, horticulture, handicrafts, homestays, eateries, sports, folk-culture, local ethenic architecture, local and wild-life photography, holistic – spiritual- religion based ventures and make all these economy-based.
• To develop village industries.
• To improve and enhance the quality of local life in diverse societal dimensions.
• Enhance competence, capacity, self-esteem, and self-confidence.
• Indigenous potentialities can be identified and extracted.

Context

• Our institution is the only higher education institution in the area which makes it especially strategic for economically weaker section of students.
• It is also strategic for students of villages surrounding the vicinity of Mussoorie.
• Uttarakhand social structure is filial-oriented.
• Economic laxity makes our youth migrate to cosmopolitan cities in search of jobs to sustain their families.
• Lack of economic opportunities here in the hills too is making them defect to cities.
• This is eroding the social and economic structural health of society.
• The topographic challenges and climatic vagaries further deteriorate the already shaky socio-economic structure.
• Since about 60% of our students are from rural areas and 50% of our student population is economically challenged, it is mandatory to generate and integrate skill-based education keeping in mind the local requirements of the larger sections of students.
• Entrepreneurial education will help mitigate migration and will open avenues to youth for economic independence.
• Entrepreneurial education will generate local economy.
• It will improve social filial structure.
• It will highlight local art and craft at national and international levels and thereby make it economy-based.

The Practice

Education for indigenous socio-economic growth can be an integral part of our education system.

• It can be implemented through integrative awareness and skill-based programs and workshops.

• Our college too organized some such workshops to enhance this perception of imparting functional knowledge

This workshop was organized by the Rotary Club of Mussoorie on 1/11/2018.

• A large number of our children participated in it.

• The resource person was Divya Rawat, The Mushroom Lady of Uttarakhand, who has increased skill development and employment in her remote village by starting a mushroom cultivation farm.

• Promoting horticulture and taking it up as an occupation was the keynote of this workshop.

• This workshop was organized by the Department of Horticulture and Food Processing Uttarakhand.

A large number of students participated and benefitted.

This workshop was held in the college on 31/05/23.

• The resource person was professional skill artist Tanushree Mishra.

• Students were taught how to make crafts out of waste material.

• A large number of students participated and benefitted.

• The workshop was held in the college under the aegis of Uttarakhand Tourism, Uttarakhand Forest Dept., THSC (Tourism Hospitality Skill Council)

• Esteemed guests were Mrs. Poonam Chand- Additional Director of Tourism and Shri Vaibhav Kumar Singh- IFS- DFO- Mussoorie. The resource person was Shri Ajay Sharma- a famous Free Lancer Bird Watcher of Uttarakhand who also organizes workshops on nature guide tourism.

• A large number of students attended the workshop.

Evidence of Success

The impact of entrepreneurial education on indigenous socio-economic development of the local area is evident in some spheres, though a lot still needs to be done.

Presenting here are a few examples of students who after completing their education in college have set up their occupations in diverse fields locally. They are not only financially independent but are generating revenue for the state too. They are setting an example for other students to follow suit.

a. Student Anit Kumar completed his education at the college and set up a certified computer center in Mussoorie. The institute is certified under ITRC and has been functioning successfully for the last many years. The center by the name of Mussoorie Computer Institute has a trained staff now and has enabled many students with ICT knowledge

b. Student Prince Panwar after completing his education from college has opened a Sports Academy in Mussoorie. Prince himself was sound in sports activities in college and has made full use of this skill in his profession. He has a large number of children now getting trained under him.

c. Student Suresh Koli after completing his education from college, has set up an adventure sport activity centre at Suwakholi which too is running successfully. Trails and camping are a part of this adventure activity center.

d. Student Vikas Thapa successfully runs a beautiful plant and horticulture nursery in Mussoorie. e. Student Ashu Jain runs a Pahadi Khana Café in Jabarkhet, Mussoorie, which too is running successfully and caters to all sorts of Pahadi Cuisine.

f. Students Robindra Sajwan, Manish Nautiyal, Vinit Nautiyal, Virendra Thapli, Suresh Sajwan, and Prabesh Kumar are successfully running their own business outlets in local crafts, apparel, footwear, and eateries.

Problems Encountered and Resources Required

• The challenging topography of Mussoorie.

• The challenging vagaries of nature.

• Low network signals

• Lack of initial funds.

• Lack of appropriate guidance.

• Sudden natural disasters

Requirements-

• Stable source of income for backup

• Appropriate market

• Safeguards for quick revival from natural disasters.