Research training concludes

VADODARA, JAN 21: Helping its participants break stereotypes, the Participatory Research Training Programme, organised by the Women8217;s Studies Research Centre WSRC in collaboration with the Society for Participatory Research Training in Asia PRIA, New Delhi, concluded on Thursday stressing on a greater need for M S University researchers and non-governmental organisations NGOs to work with each other in addressing issues. Sharing their experience with Express Newsline, Trupti Shah of WSRC, also secretary of women8217;s group Sahiyar, and WSRC project-coordinator Nandini Manjrekar said the programme had helped them look beyond the conventionally-accepted views about both varsity researchers and those with the NGOs.

8220;While the NGOs held that the university researchers were alienated from reality, we at the university thought that the NGOs were working within a given framework and had not time to get into details. But now both sides realise that their judgements were erroneous,8221; said Manjrekar.

Shah added that the programme had also motivated the NGOs to minimise their workers8217; dependence on their seniors by handing over tasks to fairly experienced sub-ordinates. 8220;The NGO representatives realised that they need not necessarily be there all the time, that they could get the work done by encouraging participation from their workers,8221; she said. Addressing the participants, United Way Director Girdhar Vaswani stressed on maintaining the continuity of the programme by conducting it periodically. He also emphasised on a 8220;need to sensitise people at all levels8221; by encouraging participatory research at various levels of any voluntary organisation to break hierarchies.