The National Service Scheme is a body of Student volunteers under the leadership of a teacher. The motto of this Scheme is “Education through Community Service”. Recruitment is made from all students. Every student member of this scheme should serve at least two years with 120 hours of engagement in community service per year excluding Annual Camps. At the end of two year’s satisfactory service every student member will be eligible to receive a N.S.S. Volunteer Certificate.
N.S.S. Activities were started from the year 1991-92 and being implemented through the affiliated institutions of this University.
Initially 21 NSS Units, each consisting of 100 Student Volunteers, were allotted by the State NSS Co-ordinator and Director of Collegiate Education, Chennai. The list of 53 NSS Units and 54 N.S.S. Self-Financing annexed herewith
Aims & Objectives: The aims and objectives of the NSS are. (i) to render service to the community while studying in an educational institution; (ii) to arouse the social conscience among students; (iii) to provide them with an opportunity to work creatively and constructively with the community around the educational campus; and (iv) to put the education they receive to concrete social use; and specifically, (i) to work with and among the people; (ii) to engage in creative and constructive social action; (iii) to enhance knowledge of oneself and the community through a face-to-face with reality; (iv) to use the knowledge gained in the classroom in a practical way for mitigating at least some of the social problems; and (v) to gain skills in programme development to be able to be self-employed. The goals are to achieve improvement in personality, leadership qualities, national outlook and a sense of civic responsibility.
Motto: The motto of the NSS is ‘Nor ME BUT you, this expresses the essence of democratic living and upholds the need to appreciate the other person’s point of view first and to show consideration for fellow human beings. lt also underlines that the welfare of the individual is ultimately dependent on the welfare of Society as a whole. NSS attempts to establish meaningful linkages between “campus and community”, “college and Village” and “Knowledge and Action”.
Programmes: The NSS has two types of programmes, viz., (a) Regular activities and (b). Special camping Programmes.
Under the, Regular Activities, students are expected to work-as votunteer for a continuous period of 2 years, rendering community service for a minimum or 120 hours per annum (i.e. 240 hours over 2-year period)
Under Special Camping Programme, a camp of 07 days’ duration is conducted every year in the adopted area on a specific theme. Each student is required to participate in at least one Special camp over 2-year period. The nature of activities taken up under NSS continue to evolve in response to the needs of the community.
Above all this is an opportunity to realize and serve the community. At present, there are 53 N.S.S. Units and 54 Self Financing N.S.S. Units under our Medical University.
Red Ribbon Club (RRC) Programme is a voluntary on-campus intervention, aimed at heightening the risk perception and preventing HIV among youth. Red Ribbon Clubs have become a powerful medium to reach out to young people. Spearheaded by the Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TNSACS), this programme is supported by the Higher Education Department and demonstrating the importance of inter-sector collaboration to address the issue of HIV / AIDS. RRC empower students in the age group of 17-25, by giving them information and life-skills to protect themselves from HIV/AIDS and changing the most active among them into peer educators.
Objectives
- To reduce HIV infection among youth by raising their risk perception through behaviour change communication.
- To induce among youth the spirit to help and support people living with HIV/AIDS thereby reduces stigma and discrimination against PLHIVs.
- To motivate youth and build their capacity as peer educators and change agents by developing their skills on leadership, negotiation, and team building.
- To promote no remunerated voluntary blood donation among youth.
Activities
Red Ribbon Club programme with the objective of bringing about behaviour change in young minds employs various strategies like:
- Imparting “Celebrating Life – 10 hours curriculum” to the RRC Volunteers and Programme Officers by trained resource persons.
- Peer education and leadership trainings to the RRC volunteers
- College and University/ Directorate level competitions such as oratorical, drawing, quiz and etc.
- Interactions with positive people, Transgender, Injection Drug users and ICTC Counselors.
- Exposure visits to ICTC, STI, ART, Blood Bank and HIV Community Centre by the RRC Volunteers.
- HIV/ AIDS awareness campaigns (Rallies and Outreach activities) during events like International Youth Day (IYD), World AIDS Day (WAD), National Youth Day (NYD), National Voluntary Blood Donors Day (NVBD), World Blood Donation Day (WBD) and International Women’s Day (IWD).
- Life Skill Education Programme
- skill Education Programme (LSEP) in schools is being conducted through State Council for Educational Research & Training (SCERT) under School Education Department in coordination with Tamil Nadu State AIDS Control Society (TNSACS) to provide information on HIV/AIDS transmission and prevention in the context of growing up, and for imparting related life skills to students in high and higher secondary schools in the State
- The aims of LSEP is to knowing about themselves, their adolescence and their sexuality, learning basic facts on HIV and other sexually transmitted infections, understanding the risks involved in substance abuse, developing and reinforcing life skills that enable them to protect themselves, dispelling myths and clarifying misconceptions, finding ways in which they can help fight the HIV epidemic and encourage, positive attitudes towards people living with HIV.
- The aims & objectives of LSEP
- To reinforce/support development of behavior that will empower adolescents to make healthy choices.
- To provide opportunities for the reinforcement of existing positive behavior and strengthening of life skills that enable young people to protect themselves from and to cope with risky situations they encounter in their live.
- To ensure that all schools provide accurate age appropriate life skills based adolescence education in a sustained manner to adolescents (10-19 yrs) in classes 8th, 9th & 11th.
- To equip every adolescent with accurate information, knowledge and life skills to protect themselves from HIV and manage Adolescent Reproductive Sexual Health issues and concerns;
- To effectively integrate adolescence education components in school curriculum as well as in institutes where teacher education courses takes place.
Activities
Life Skill Education Programme with the objective of bringing awareness in adolescent minds employs various strategies like:
- “Life Skill Education”– A sixteen hours session to the students through trained teachers in the Schools.
- School/ Block/ District level competitions to the students.
- HIV/ AIDS awareness campaigns (Rallies and Outreach activities) during important events.
At present, there are 107 R.R.C Units (annexed) under our Medical University.