Page 26 - EducationWorld October 2020

Institution Profile

Indian School of Development

Management, Noida

ISDM has quickly built an excellent reputation for educating and training graduates for
employment in India’s fast-growing voluntary services sector

AUTAR NEHRU

ROMOTED IN 2016 WITH
the objective to “profes-
sionalise the leading and
Pmanaging of social purpose
organisations”, the Indian School of
Development Management (ISDM),
Noida has quickly built an excellent
reputation for educating and training
graduates for employment in India’s
fast-growing voluntary services sec-
tor. India hosts one of the world’s
largest number of social impact, aka
voluntary services, organisations
— 3.17 million including schools,
colleges, faith-based institutions and
NGOs.
“ISDM is committed to strength-
ening the domain of development
management with study programmes ISDM, Noida: pioneer voluntary
that transcend the silos of ‘develop- sector B-school. Inset: Gaurav
ment perspectives’ and ‘management Shah
principles’. General business man-
agement practices cannot be retrofit- tion, Quest Alliance, Dasra,
ted to execute development projects Barefoot College, Dr. Reddy’s
effectively. The social sector requires Foundation, SRF Foundation
managers and leaders trained in and Udhyam.
development management. Over According to Shah, the
the past few decades in particular, Dr. Pramath Raj Sinha, co-founder unique feature of the insti-
India’s development sector has of Ashoka University and senior tute’s specially designed PGP-DL
experienced huge changes in the partner at 9.9 Media; Rohit Kapoor, curriculum is that it combines im-
character and role of social impact vice-chairperson and CEO of EXL; mersive classroom learning experi-
organisations, which need people Ravi Sreedharan, formerly at HSBC ence, collaborative group learning,
with specialised knowledge and skills and Azim Premji Foundation; and and field studies under its Realising
to realise their goals. Our mission Sharad Agarwal, board member India programme. “Our PGP-DL pro-
is to develop a cadre of reflective, at IIMPACT (a Gurgaon-based gramme has been specially designed
committed professionals capable of NGO working for education of girl to include courses, workshops and
leading and managing organisations children). In 2016, the founder guest lectures specific to the social
that can stimulate sustained social group crowd-funded ISDM which sector. Moreover our context-based
change and impact at scale,” says launched its flagship one-year collaborative group learning peda-
Gaurav Shah, an alumnus of BITS, postgraduate programme in gogy adapts business management
Pilani and IIM-Calcutta and former development leadership (PGP-DL) concepts and practices to voluntary
management consultant with Procter “to develop a cadre of management service organisations. It involves
& Gamble, American Express, Azim professionals that can manage and students collaborating with peers in
Premji Foundation, and Lok Capital, lead social purpose organisations for groups facilitated by a bricoleur i.e,
prior to his appointment as founder- sustainable social impact at scale”. mentor,” says Shah.
director of ISDM four years ago. Thus far, 200 graduates have Sited within a modern, thorough-
ISDM is the brainchild of a been certified by ISDM and campus- ly-equipped four-storey building in
group of highly-respected social recruited by well-known NGOs and Noida’s Sector 62, ISDM also hosts
entrepreneurs and industry leaders development organisations including a Knowledge and Research Centre
including Ashish Dhawan, former Azim Premji Philanthropic Initia- which collaborates with development
venture capitalist and founder of tive, Hindustan Unilever Founda- and academic institutions around
the Central Square Foundation; the world to create a knowledge

26 EDUCATIONWORLD OCTOBER 2020