The emergence and growth of social work discipline in Asia region.

b) Discuss the emergence and growth of social work discipline in Asia region.

Introduction

The discipline of social work has been transformed from charity-based tradition to the autonomous profession today. The concern for professionalizing and academising social work on the globe became significant issue in the beginning of the twentieth century and now it is intimately related to the challenges of social development, answers to some of the social problems to serve citizens in the civil society and professional identity or professional self-consciousness. The real beginning of the social work education or drive towards shaping social work as a profession is found for first time in the Europe. A few important landmarks, in this regard, are Octavia Hill’s training of volunteers in ‘housing management’ and ‘friendly visiting’ during 1870s in Netherlands, training activities undertaken at the Women’s University Settlement established in 1887 in London, one year training course in social work for young women initiated by Alice Salomon in 1899 in Germany, etc. The Amsterdam Institute of Social Work Training at Netherlands started the first two-year full time course on social work in the Europe during 1899.

Emergence and Growth of Social Work Discipline in Asia

The Asian continent has been divided into four parts such as South Asia, South East Asia, East Asia and Central Asia for better understanding of the theme. The same division has also been followed in the subsequent Unit with the same purpose. South Asia: Countries of South Asia or SAARC countries include India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Maldives. Social work as a profession is very negligible discipline in Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives and Pakistan. In South Asia, it has emerged and developed significantly in Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India.

The first initiative for scientific social work education was the introductory course in social work of three months duration in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) in 1953. During 1955-56, professional education in social work was introduced as a nine-month job-training course in community development and medical social work under an Urban Community Development Project at Dhaka. In 1957, on completion of this nine-month course, there was a proposal to start a school of social work at Dhaka University and Dr. J.J.O Moore, a UN expert who dealt with different social welfare issues and advocated for professional social work in Bangladesh, was appointed to investigate the need and feasibility of institution for social work study.

After independence, several Departments or Schools of Social Work came into existence, such as, Department of Social Work, M.G. Kashi Vidyapeeth, Varanasi, in 1947; College of Social Service, Gujarat Vidyapeeth, Ahmedabad, in 1947; Delhi School of Social Work (DSSW) under the auspices of North YWCA of India in 1948; Boroda School of Social Work, University of Boroda, in 1949; Department of Social Work, Lucknow University, Lucknow, in 1949;

South East Asia:

This zone includes Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and so on. The countries, only where social work as a discipline has emerged and grown with an importance, are discussed here briefly: Indonesia: It has the world’s fourth largest population after China, India and the United States with an estimation of 23,84,52,952 individuals in July2004. Indonesia regained political independence on 17 August 1945. It is a culturally very diverse nation and thus has about 350 recognized ethno linguistic groups

East Asia: This zone includes China, Japan and Korea. Social work has emerged and developed with an importance in all these three countries. Brief account of these countries is given below: China: The Qing Dynasty collapsed and the Government of the Republic of China was formed on February 12,1912. On 1October1949, the People’s Republic of China (PRC) was officially established replacing the Republic of China government on the mainland. Since then, it has undergone massive socio-demographic changes. For instance, China (excluding Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau) has now (estimated in July 2006) 1,31,39,73,713 population, 13.3 birth rate, 6.9 death rate, 72.6 years of life expectancy rate, 23.1 infant mortality rate and 90.9% literacy rate. Regarding social work in China, in 1921, for first time a Social Service Department was established with the leadership of American social worker Ida Pruitt in a hospital in Beijing in order to provide in-service training, social case work, adoption and rehabilitation services. In 1922, with the help of Professors from Princeton University, USA, Sociology Department in Yanjing University (now Beijing University) was established which was renamed as the Department of Sociology and Social Services in 1925.