Dear,
I greet all of you with deep delight and great excitement. I welcome you to the Sreenarayanaguru Open University.
Needless to say, the mankind across the globe is in predicament caused by an unusual fear and despair of Covid19. The pandemic protocol has impacted much on our outlook and way of life. Restrictions are visible everywhere. Mobility is put on hold and there is a feeling of uncertainity and anxiety in all walks of life. Significantly the impact has been more on education. Classroom experiences have undergone drastic metamorphosis. Form and content of pedagogy were restated online platforms. Virtual and simulated workstations became the new territorial space for teaching and learning strategies.
Indeed, it is a crisis. But, crisis in history is not a recent phenomenon. The history of civilization has demonstrated the lessons of restoration also. The humanity continued to thrive through the history despite hard adversities and it carried the legacy of hope, resistance and survival.
It is not fair to be sceptical; both withdrawal and silence cannot shape our destiny. Certainly, we shall overcome and we will have good reasons to celebrate the saga of human resolutions through determination.
Let me take you back to our space – the Sreenarayanaguru Open University. We started our journey in the month of October 2020. We shaped our dreams and have drawn the road map. I am overwhelmed to let you know that we have resolved not to become ourselves a reason or cause a reason for the dissemination of inferior education. We will not mythify the gross enrolment ratio as an index of social progress. Inclusive education will remain as a myth until we ensure perfect compatibility between outcome and process in education under all modes of learning. We believe and strongly hold that access without quality is dangerous. It may astray society and there can be no more symphony of access, quality, equity and advancement. We mean it in all our endeavours.
As you are aware the University is named after the great thinker of the modern age, Sreenarayana Guru. Guru symbolises both ideology and action and his teachings are the best version of the humanist philosophy. His name is the reminder for us to be alert and socially committed. It inspires us to take up challenges in the way we move on.
The Sreenarayanaguru Open University would like to celebrate the marriage between quality and access with a view to get the romantic synthesis for social equity. I am convinced that the Government of Kerala and the civic society have great expectations about this University and we are committed to deliver the best of our capabilities.
May the Almighty bless all our endeavors.
We will update you with more details of our resolutions in the days to come. I will get back to you soon.
Regards,
Dr. Mubarak Pasha. P.M.