Interdisciplinary Seminar:
Women and the Information Society
Convener: Pieke Hoekstra, the Netherlands

Design, development and offering of PG Diploma on Gender and Development through distance education for sustainable development: A success story from India of global partnership in higher education
Indu Grover, Indian Federation of University Women’s Associations

For achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and sustainable development, participants need to be gender-sensitized. Global partnerships could assist countries to generate material, make use of technology, create a core group of gender professionals, develop education/ training material and impart education/ training. Under the Higher Education Link Project supported by the British Council and Dept for International Development (2002-06) the Home Science Extension Education Department, Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University (CCSHAU), India took a lead in developing a global partnership with the Gender Studies Department, University of Hull (United Kingdom) in designing, developing and offering a Postgraduate Diploma on Gender and Development through distance education. Multidisciplinary teams were involved. During the first year, team members from CCSHAU visited Hull and through discussions and library consultancy designed and developed course material on gender theory and development, empowerment, violence, education, media, health, nutrition, science and technology, governance, work, research methods and e-learning. During the second year the course was offered by a joint team through two contact sessions of 21 and 14 days’ duration, with project work undertaken in the last term. During the third year it was decided to add courses on gender and law, culture and history, and natural resource management and put all course material on an interactive CD. During March 2006, through a national workshop, the details of offering a certificate/ diploma course on Gender and Development for sustainable development through various means were discussed and the interactive CD given to all participants and interested partners.

Dr Indu Grover holds an MSc from Delhi University and a PhD from the University of London, and has held a postdoctoral appointment at Reading University. She is Professor and Head of the Department of Home Science Extension Education, College of Home Science, Haryana Agricultural University. She has an extensive list of publications and of international travel.