The overall aim of National Service as envisaged earlier is to give an extension dimension to the higher education system and orient the student youth to community service while they are studying in educational institutions. 

OBJECTIVES

• Understand the community in which they work 

• Development of social and civic responsibility 

• Acquire competence for group living and sharing responsibilities 

• Gain skills in mobilizing community participation; 

• Acquire leadership qualities and democratic attitude; 

• Develop capacity to meet emergencies and natural disasters; and 

• Practice national integration

Kinds of Programmes 

 There are two types of programmers. They are,

(a)   Regular NSS programmes under which students undertake various activities in the adopted villages, campuses and urban slums during weekends and

(b)   Special programmes which include special activities and a special camp of 10 day duration organized in the adopted villages or urban slums on a theme given by the NSS regional center with the involvement of the local people

 The university also has a yoga center where yoga is taught to the NSS volunteers. Yoga promotes physical and mental health. It disciplines the mind and improves the power of concentration.

Each NSS volunteer has to put in 120 hours in a year for both regular and special activities per year and 240 hours for two years.   

 

Regular activities   

• The NSS regular activity during the period 2003 to 2007 was carried out in the 35 adopted villages around Coimbatore. The following components were planned and executed at the Villages.

•  Assistance in providing safe drinking water

• Preparation of teaching aids, charts play materials and models for schools.

• Inculcating proper eating habits, improving behavioral aspects, health and nutrition education, and sanitary cleanliness and ensuring physical exercises for school children.

•  Socio- economic survey

• Tree Planting

•  Effecting environmental cleanliness, construction of toilets, white washing the schools and painting the black boards etc

The regular activities carried out through NSS by the Undergraduate students

Yoga and mediation for children

Child labor survey

Socio- economic survey

Teaching computer skills

 awareness programme on Nutritious food

Awareness Rally on HIV  / AIDS, Blood Donation

Gandhi Jayanthi celebrations

Exhibition - Healthy Youth for Healthy India

 NSS Day

Rally on avoiding usage of plastics, keeping their environment clean

 Eye Screening Camp

Special activities 

           

 The special activities (Two / semester for 3 hours each) are arranged based on the requirements of the community. Blood donation is arranged every year as a special activity apart from others such as rallies and jathas on literacy, vigilance awareness, rain water harvesting, cleanliness campaigns and solid waste management and pulse polio sentization and creating AIDS awareness

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aspects of NSS Programme

The NSS Programmes are undertaken, either under regular or special camping covers four aspects.

1. Institutional work : The students may be placed in selected welfare agencies out side the campus to work as volunteers.
2. Institutional Projects : Improvement of campuses, construction of play fields, swimming pools etc.
3. Rural Projects : Eradication of illiteracy, Minor irrigation works, agricultural operations, health, hygiene, sanitation, development of rural roads etc.
4. Urban Projects : Adult education, welfare of slum dwellers, training in civil defence, setting up first aid posts, hospital work etc.

The National Service Scheme (NSS) then called National Service Corps (NSC) was initiated on September 24th 1969. It was inaugurated on 3rd February 1970 with two NSS units of 100 volunteers each in the Sri Avinashilingam Home Science College. Over the years, the NSS had been strengthened and at present there are 30 units with 3020 volunteers. The NSS has become a major student youth Programme and it is implementing a number of innovative and community based programmes.

NSS in the curriculum

The integration of NSS with the curriculum is a unique distinction of Avinashilingam Deemed University from 1991.

While the scheme has all along been voluntary, educationists have started thinking about incorporating it in the curriculum itself to give it an academic status, credibility and credit. Avinashilingam Deemed University which has a rich heritage in community service and out reach activities had the urge and courage to pioneer in this noble venture and introduced NSS as a core subject in the undergraduate curriculum.

Syllabus

The syllabus for NSS was prepared by the Board of Studies and approved by the University Academic Council. The syllabus consists of theory as well as practical components.

The Revised syllabus for National Service Scheme for 1st and 2nd year under Graduate Majors (Common paper to all majors except NCC Students) and Break up of marks for NSS (Theory and practical Papers) are presented below.

Syllabus for NSS

Objectives

1. To instill the concept of service in students.

2. To expose the students to the activities of National Service Scheme.

References

1. Department of Youth affairs and Sports, 1994. Indian youth in perspective, Govt. of India, New Delhi.
2. NSS - Manuals and Reports.

Break up of marks

	Theory Marks	Practical Marks
Semester	-	25
II     Semester	50	25	Field Work	10 Marks
III     Semester	-	25	Midterm test	10 Marks
IV. Semester	50	25	Special Activity	5 Marks
Special Camp	-	50		25 Marks
	100    +   150

Future Plans

• Constant updating of the syllabus

• Additional Course on Yoga and Meditation

• Strengthening research in NSS

• Documentation and Publications