Social Work Department
Gujarat Vidyapith was founded by Mahatma Gandhi in 1920. In the wake of national struggle for independence for training constrictive workers of character, ability, culture and devotion to work for attainment of SWARAJ. After achievement of political independence in 1947. Vidyapith decided to continue its work for the regeneration of Indian people and particularly of the weaker and under privileged section of the society. The guiding spirit behind this work is the dedication to the service of society. As a result of over 50 year of experience, it has been realized that social work, social service or social welfare could not be of much value to the nation, unless they result in a process of peaceful and radical social change, reading to egalitarian social work with this end in view, the Gujarat Vidyapith started in 1947 college of social service in the hallowed memory of Gandhiji’s secretary late shri mahadev desai, with 9 student. This was one of first experiment of linking higher education with social service, productivity and community life in an integrated way. This resulted into a bachelor’s degree programme of social sciences based on gandhian concept of social service. The college train about 100 graduates in social service every year who work in various fields of rural development such as rural education, community development tribal welfare, panchayat service, cooperative movement etc. Prompted with the success of this experiment at the under graduate level on the eve of the golden jubilee of the Gujarat Vidyapith in 1970 it was decided to extend this programme to master degree level with advanced field related particularly to rural reconstruction and welfare of weaker and under privileged section of society. Although the needs of the weaker sections of society are being increasingly recognized, the dearth of trained social worker with their cause, acts as a great hindrance in accelerating the process of their fulfilment. The Gujarat Vidyapith through its department of social work seeks to fill up this gap by making a modest effort to train workers on the basis of a curriculum based on the integration of social philosophy of Gandhian constructive programme with the concept of scientific social work. The master degree course of social work is designed to impact rigorous training in practical knowledge of the content of social work and allied social and behavioural science as also the field practice. The main purpose of this course is to prepare trained social workers who may have the will and the capacity to contribute to the solution of the problem of the community.