Include social work in curriculum: Activists

Kolkata -  Volunteering and social work should be included in school curriculum to draw more youths into the social sector, a leading activist has said.

"Volunteering and social work should be included in the curriculum of the school so that the students, from a very early age, get used to volunteering and social work, which is very much needed in a country like India," renowned fashion designer and a social activist Agnimitra Paul said Tuesday.

He was addressing a programme of the Apeejay India Volunteer Awards 2011 in Kolkata.

Shalabh Sahai, founder and director of iVolunteer, said students must understand what volunteering means and how important is it for the benefit of the society.

The social activists and volunteers present in the program also felt that India should have more and more volunteers in order to cope up during the time of crisis such as natural disaster and calamities.

Raktim Mukhopadhyay, a development consultant, highlighted the case of the Japanese people, who came together as volunteers after the country was hit by a natural disaster.