With greetings from Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar Open University, I welcome all in the beginning of the new academic year on behalf of students, center coordinators, staff members related to the University and in person as well. The new session demands us to take cognizance of the changes in the field of knowledge is changing every moment so rapidly that the term ‘up – to – date ‘ is outdated, and if we are not uptomoment, we will not survive. Future is no more tomorrow but today and if knowledge keeps multiplying the way it does now, it will be ‘future now’. In this situation only ‘learning’ or ‘fit’ (With the ability of ‘adoptability’, ‘adaptability’ and being ‘adept’) societies or organizations will survive.

In the changing times we as a University will have to be uptomoment and respond to increasing demand for skilled (wo) man-power. Mere degree holders will not do; our students have to be employable too. Keeping it in view, we have started quite a few professional and vocational courses. We have with much success striven for regularizing the system. The number of students has increased manifolds, so has the number of courses and center. We have successfully implemented the new projects like Digital English Language Lab (DELL), Gujarat State Quality Assurance Cell (GSQAC), Mobile Study Center ,

Knowledge Portal, Annual Lecture series and ‘National Knowledge Commission: The Gujarat Initiative’ among others.Thye works for our new campus will being soon, for which the State government has sanctioned the grant of more than Rs.28 crores. Also we are soon to enter the MoU with The Open University, UK for joint courses and certification.

We can derive much satisfaction from our endeavors and their positive outcome. However, much needs to be done and here lies an opportunity for us to resolve, work hard and realize the dream of facilitating qualitative and ‘fit’ education to the society i.e. Swanim Gujarat.

Let the Vedic hymn guide us in terms of our efforts for the development of our? University and society