Indian School of Development Management holds its Convocation Ceremony
New Delhi: The Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) held the convocation ceremony for the second batch of its Post Graduate Programme in Development Management (PGP-DL). The organisation and the course are both one-of-their-kind in India. 63 students representing diverse academic and social backgrounds comprised the second cohort of students for the PGP-DL course in 2018-2019 and it was a moment of great pride for the organisation to see these students conclude their journey of learning and co-creation on the 5th of July at the India International Center, New Delhi,
ISDM is a pioneering institution that was established with the vision to create a vibrant ecosystem for Development Management and Leadership. Supported by some of the leading academic minds, practitioners and influencers of the sector, ISDM is dedicated towards creating a generation of enthusiastic leaders who can help development organisations to achieve milestone with more efficiency. The school aims to facilitate the creation of a cadre of professional leaders and managers for the development sector.
Ms. Sunita Narain, Director General, Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) was the Chief Guest for the Convocation Ceremony. Awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2005, Ms Narain has been recognized internationally for her work in the domains of environment and wildlife conservation. She was also recognized as a Pioneer in the TIME Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People.
Speaking at the ceremony, Ms Sunita Narain said that the “battle for development will be contentious. The victims of climate injustice have been the poor and it is up to the present and next generations to work and hope for positive changes. The world is in such trouble right now, there is no doubt that we are living in a world of extreme insecurity, marginalisation, growing inequality and fear. But seeing young enthusiastic development professionals like you I see a hope for change, that the world will be a much better place. Throughout your journey, remember that it is not going to be easy. Change is possible with the skill, knowledge, commitment and principles that you have.”
ISDM celebrated the accomplishment of its students by felicitating them with a certificate of completion and with each passing student taking ISDM’s pledge. The event witnessed an academic procession followed by the main ceremony and a speech by the Director and the Keynote Speaker. Key dignitaries and eminent people associated with the development sector graced the occasion.
Expressing his pride for the students of ISDM, Ravi Sreedharan, Founder and Director, ISDM said “Today, as we celebrate the graduation of our second batch of the flagship Post-Graduate Program, we look back at our journey with tremendous pride. And we look ahead, with audacious aspirations to make a difference to the way social purpose organisations are led and managed. And in turn to a vision of a far more just, equitable, humane and sustainable society. I can say with a lot of pride and joy that our work at ISDM has been well received by stakeholders and the ecosystem.”
The successful completion of the second batch of ISDM’s PGP-DL programme clearly conveys the message for the need of young minds and entrepreneurs whose ideas can help provide relevant leadership and management solutions to the social development sector. Our first batch found 100% placement with nearly 100 organisations that floated about 250 roles for a batch of 57 students during the placement process. Placements for the second batch has also been successful, with a majority of the batch having found appropriate roles. The placement process for 2019 is yet underway and will conclude shortly.
The placements and the growing number of students and practitioners reaching out to and working with ISDM is testament to the acceptance for the idea of Development Management and the need for good quality, committed, passionate Development Managers and Leaders in social sector. The interest shown by noteworthy development organisations including Domestic and International NGOs, Foundations, CSRs and Corporate Foundations, Social Enterprises, Social Consulting Organisations, Funders, Ecosystem Creators and Research Organisations for recruiting students of ISDM have been some of the indicators to the changing the perception of the sector and mainstreaming development sector as preferred career.