Women’s Studies Centre
P. G. Department of Home Science, Sardar Patel University, Vallabh Vidyanagar.
Establishment:
Dr. Rema Subhash, Professor, Home Science Department, prepared the proposal for a Women’s Studies Centre and presented the same in September 2004. The sanction of Rs. 50 lakhs for the centre came in February 2005. Women Studies Centre at Sardar Patel University was thus established in March 2005 and started functioning fully since August-September 2005.
Aims & objectives of the centre:
The identification of priorities for Women’s Studies Centre at Sardar Patel University is based on the fact that the university is a rural-based one established with the aim of uplifting the educational level of the local population, neighbouring towns and interior villages. Proximity to urban settings such as Baroda and Ahmedabad has led to greater exposure in a section of the local female population here while the other half remains largely backward in all respects. In this background, the major aim and objective of the centre is capacity building in women.
Two categories have been identified namely the educated and employed women and the second group comprising of unemployed women, college goers, teens etc. ranging from the literate to the illiterate. The centre aims at capacity building in the educated, employed woman with regard to managerial abilities such as communication skills, administrative skills, confidence building etc. and along with this facilitating support systems such as research, day-care-centres, old age homes etc. on one hand and on the other, the centre will focus upon entrepreneurship skill building in unemployed women from a slighter wider age group such as adolescents, college girls, housewives and others from different SES. This broadly includes areas such as fabric embellishment including tailoring, popularization of khadi garments, as well as exploring entrepreneurship opportunities through home catering and services etc. Computer literacy has also been identified as an essential skill, which needs to be imparted to women.
Composition:
- Dr. Namrita Kola, Honorary Director
- Dr. Parvati Gosai, Committee Member
- Dr. Anila Mishra, Committee Member
- Dr. Sonal Bhatt, Committee Member,
- Dr. Parul Popat, Committee Member
- Dr. Sudha Chauhan, Committee Member
Current Status: Grant from UGC is awaited.