This document discusses building the capacity of communities and institutions related to water education. It proposes that water educators act as the world's first social workers by facilitating societal transformation through participatory learning and catalyzing science and technology-based solutions. The document outlines how water educators can engage communities by responding to local needs, facilitating cross-generational and cross-cultural dialogues, and documenting best practices. The desired impacts include anchoring and promoting community innovations, strengthening participatory decision-making, and enhancing access to water and sanitation solutions. Urgently needed are more science-based organizations with indigenous knowledge and innovative communication methods to support environmental foresight and risk analysis.

1. Water Educators: Building Capacity
of
Communities & Institutions
Dr. Pamposh Kumar
Scientist E, NCSTC, D/O S&T
Member Secretary
Technical advisory committee
011-26525541, 26590473
pamposh.kumar@gmail.com,

2. Jal Sutra: Capacity for Educated choices &
Path breaking Innovations
A Teacher or Educator

World’s first social worker

Sutradhar for societal transformation & resilience

Needs to be on centre stage in community capacity & institution
building

3. Science Communication

Growing excitement, interest, awareness, scientific literacy &
deeper understanding of science

Attracting young minds to science, science careers, &
innovation

Promoting technological understanding to facilitate innovation,
transfer & diffusion of S&T expertise

Building capacity for informed decision making & scientific
temper

4. Science Communication
-A socio-scientific & cultural responsibility
Integrity of Information
Appropriateness & timing of message delivery, Balanced advocacy
Optimum & Equitable Coverage
Prioritize challenges & optimize resource use
Transcending Barriers
Technical, organizational, training, language,
Geographical, gender and social barriers, etc.
Ecologies of learning/doing
Cross-generational, cross pollinating, professional/ amateur
Greater capacity to assess challenges & respond scientifically for
sustainable development

5. Science Communication approach to
Eco & WaSH Education
Knowledge intensive, cause & effect based
participatory approach for meeting developmental
& life cycle needs :




Building scientific temper
Participatory learning
Catalyzing S&T based “Reasoned Action”
Development Science Communication

6. Water Educator’s
Hats for Public Engagement

Responding to local drivers – cultural, institutional,
environmental…

Communicative action & participatory learning
(Cross-generational & cross-cultural dialogues)

Mainstreaming rational attitudes & best practices:
sharing critical learning

Documentation of evidence base about what works & why

7. Water Educators for Communities & Institutions
Community Innovators, Torch Bearers, Science Communicators, Jal Samvadaks
 Community
innovative capacity – To anchor &
promote Eco & WaSH solutions, grow & share collection of
success/failure case histories, facilitate discourse for
establishing their local relevance & due adoption
 Local
systems of knowledge delivery: To work with
embed community learning exchanges in chaupals, panchayats,
other local institutions, folk/culture
 Cultural
traditions of meeting of minds & sharing
practices - To revive, treat cultural practices as intellectual &
community riches
“Transcending the Barriers & Creating Bridges”

8. Building Capacity of Communities &
Institutions
Promoting Learning for
Eco-insurances and Water Futures

Mapping the Eco-WaSH scenarios

Participatory innovation

Inculcating scientific values of water use & livelihood

Reaching out to inaccessible corners of the country

9. Building Capacity of Communities &
Institutions: Desired Impact

Anchoring & promoting community innovations
(traditional/modern) & their replications/adaptation

Strengthening participatory capacity
(for planning, learned choice & decision making, innovations)

Augmenting Community resources & alliances
(Linking & learning)

Enhanced access to WaSH solutions

10. Urgently Needed ! !

Science based organizations/ institutions,
resource persons, knowledge workers
- with indigenous knowledge & skills
- with innovative science communication
methodologies & practices
- with capabilities for environmental
vulnerability foresight, risk analyses & prediction,
innovative sharing/preparedness

Communities of practice & learning
(tinkering, designing, creating, remixing and re-searching)

11. Thanks for kind attention.
Cogito, ergo sum!
I understand, so I exist!