Faculty Development Programme on Community-Based Participatory Research at University of Hyderabad

Under the UGC–SEG Curriculum Reforms & Educational Institutions’ Social Responsibility initiative (Unnat Bharat Abhiyan), a six-day residential Faculty Development Programme (FDP) on Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) was organised from 19–24 January 2026 at the Mahatma Madan Mohan Malaviya Teachers Training Centre (MMTTC), University of Hyderabad, with PRIA as the facilitating organisation.

Aligned with the National Education Policy (NEP 2020), the programme aimed to strengthen faculty capacities to teach a two-credit course on Community Engagement, apply CBPR principles, use field-based participatory methods, and design faculty orientations and student internships grounded in community knowledge and practice. The FDP brought together 40 faculty members from diverse disciplines representing higher education institutions across Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Puducherry, and Kerala. 

Day 2 of the FDP focused on understanding village contexts through transect walks and resource mapping. Working closely with community members, participants explored local landscapes, livelihoods, resources, and challenges. The exercise prompted critical reflection on what participants learned from the field, what was new, how their assumptions changed, and how community participation enriched their understanding of local realities.

On Day 3, participants visited three villages to understand the functioning of formal and informal community institutions such as Anganwadis, schools, community-level committees, youth groups, and Self-Help Groups (SHGs). Using stakeholder mapping and Venn diagrams, participants analysed:

• the roles of different institutions in the local context,
• relationships between institutions and the community,
• power dynamics, influence, and gaps in engagement.

The process also encouraged reflection on the challenges of ensuring inclusive participation and navigating complexity in real-world community settings. These engagements reinforced that meaningful collaboration begins with a deep understanding of local institutions, stakeholders, and relationships.

Day 4 focused on visits to Gram Panchayats, enabling participants to understand local governance structures and day-to-day functioning. Through interactions with elected representatives and functionaries, participants explored:

• roles and responsibilities of the Gram Panchayat,
• decision-making processes and accountability mechanisms,
• linkages between Panchayats, community institutions, and frontline service providers,
• challenges in addressing local development priorities

These interactions offered valuable insights into democratic decentralisation in practice and the critical role of Panchayats in facilitating community participation, service delivery, and local development planning. Such immersion strengthened participants’ ability to design context-responsive and participatory engagements with local institutions. Building Institutional Capacity for Community Engagement

The FDP concluded with insightful group presentations and rich deliberations around four critical themes:

• Planning and teaching a two-credit course on Community Engagement and Social Responsibility
• Orientation of faculty members for institutionalising community engagement
• Designing and strengthening student internships on community engagement
• Measuring the impact of community-engaged teaching and research

Over six days of intensive learning and practice, participants emerged as champions and ambassadors of CBPR and community engagement in their respective institutions and regions, equipped to take this work forward with clarity and commitment. Valedictory Session and Acknowledgements

The valedictory session was graced by Dr G. Narendra Kumar (IAS), Director General, NIRDPR, whose reflections added significant value to the programme. The FDP was successfully organised by MMTTC, University of Hyderabad, under the leadership of Prof. Vasuki Belavadi, Director, MMTTC, and Prof. Ravula Krishnaiah, UBA Coordinator, University of Hyderabad.

This programme marks a meaningful step towards embedding community engagement as a core academic practice in higher education in India, reinforcing PRIA’s long-standing commitment to knowledge democracy, participatory research, and socially responsive universities.