User talk:Gracious Thomas

Prof.Gracious Thomas (born September 03, 1956) is an Indian Academician and Social Worker whose areas of research include various Indian Social Problems with special emphasis on HIV/AIDS. He is the founder Director of the School of Social Work in IGNOU, New Delhi. He was advisor to the Indian Parliamentary Forum on HIV/AIDS, Consulter to Pontifical Council for Health and Pastoral Care at Vatican, visiting faculty to several Universities including the James Cook University, Australia, Florida State University, USA, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK etc.

1 Early Life and Education 2 Career 2.1 Pioneer in Starting Various Programmes of Study Through ODL 2.2 Contribution to Literature and Media Coverage 2.3 Promotion of HIV/ AIDS Education 2.4 Annual National Seminars and Memorial Lectures 2.5 Contributions to Expert Committees 2.6 Institution Building 2.7 Employment Generation 2.8 Promotion of Research 2.9 Promotion of Indian Values 3. Contribution to North-eastern Region 4. Enthusiastic Traveler 5. Awards and Honors 6. Bibliography 7. References 8. External Links

1 Early Life and Education Gracious was born on September 03, 1956 at Kottayam, Kerala. He studied in six schools in Kerala to complete his school studies. He completed two year Pre-University Course (PUC) from the North Eastern Hill University (NEHU), Shillong, graduated in Social Work from Bharkatullah University, Bhopal, completed two year Master’s Degree in Social Work and Ph.D from Devi Ahilya Viswa Vidhyalaya (UAVV), Indore and D.Litt (Doctor of Literature) in Social Work from Utkal University, Bhubaneswar.

2 Career He started his academic career as a social work researcher at Indore School of Social Work (ISSW) and subsequently as Assistant Professor in Social Work at ISSW till year 1992. In 1992 he joined the Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) and served the University in various positions as Director, School of Continuing Education, Founding Director, National Centre for Disability Studies (NCDS) and as Founder Director, School of Social Work. During 1996-1997, Dr. Thomas was on deputation to Bhubaneswar on NABARD Chair for one year.

2.1 Pioneer in Starting Various Programmes of Study Through ODL Prof. Thomas has the unique distinction of planning, designing, developing and launching several programmes of study through Open and Distance Education (ODL) mode, which include Certificate and Diploma in HIV and Family Education, PG Diploma in Social Work, Bachelor’s, Master’s, M.Phil and Ph.D Degrees in Social Work, Certificate in Social Work and Criminal Justice System, and BA and MA in Philosophy. Over thirty thousand students from over a dozen countries are pursuing these programmes which are expected to improve the services in the social and welfare service sectors in those countries.

2.2 Contribution to Literature and Media Coverage Professor Thomas is the Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia on Social Work in India. He has authored/co-authored over twenty five books; edited/co-edited over eighty books apart from publishing numerous articles in national and international journals. , He has about two hundred monographs to his credit. Dr. Thomas was instrumental in developing over seventy five educational video programmes on HIV/AIDS, Social Work, Philosophy and related topics. Dr. Thomas has also given several radio and TV programmes through All India Radio and Doordarsan stations located in various state capitals of the country.

2.3 Promotion of HIV/ AIDS Education For over two decades, Dr. Thomas has been involved in creating awareness and educating people on the What, Why and How of HIV/AIDS and its prevention. Apart from massive awareness campaign through print and electronic media which reaches millions across the globe, Dr. Thomas also initiated several courses and programmes of study on the subject from Certificate to Doctoral Degree. Thousands of students pursue these courses from within India and foreign countries including Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya, Singapore and Nepal apart from several state open universities. In this process, several volumes of print material in the form of books and monographs have been prepared both in English and Hindi.

2.4 Annual National Seminars and memorial Lectures Professor Thomas is the founder chairman of the “Annual National Seminar on Social Work Response to HIV/ AIDS” and has been organizing national seminars in various cities of India since 2004. Apart from this, Prof. Thomas did organize several state and regional level seminars covering most of the states and union territories in the country.

Prof. Thomas is the convener of the Annual Mother Teresa Memorial Lecture sine 2008. Some of the dignitaries who delivered these lectures in the past include Dr. A.P.J. Abul Kalam (former President of India), Nobel Laureate H.H. Dalai Lama , Biographer of Mother Teresa Navin B. Chawla and Professor Abdul Waheed Khan, Assistant Director-General for Communication and Information of UNESCO. 2.5 Contributions to Expert Committees He was advisor to the Indian Parliamentary Forum on HIV/AIDS, Consulter to Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care at Vatican , visiting faculty to several Universities including the James Cook University, Australia, Florida State University, USA, Manchester Metropolitan University, UK etc. Thomas is regularly being invited to several expert committee meetings by Governments, Universities and institutions of higher education, Faith Based Organizations, NGOs and corporate bodies. He has addressed the Standing Committee of the Catholic Bishop’s Conference of India (CBCI), Conference of Religious in India (CRI), several church congregations within India and abroad apart from religious gatherings of some of the world religions. Dr. Thomas also provides his expertise to several academic bodies in universities such as Academic Council, Board of Studies, Finance Committees, Selection Committees, Curriculum Developing Committees, Technical Advisory Committees etc.

2.6 Institution building A well known institution builder, Professor Thomas, during his three decades of academic, research and administrative involvement, has brought in several collaborative endeavours to IGNOU in establishing the CBCI Chair, Mother Teresa Chair, Centre for Tibetan Studies as well as the HIV Medicine Cell. Collaboration of several national and international bodies such as WHO, NACO, UNICEF, AIDS Health Care Foundation, American Embassy etc. has also been made. He is the founder vice President of the National Association of Professional Social Workers in India (NAPSWI). The programmes of study in Tibetan Buddhism which he is currently coordinating are in collaboration with the Central University of Tibetan Studies, Sarnath.

2.7 Employment Generation The School of Social Work headed by him has been instrumental in generating employment opportunities for hundreds of academic counselors and Social Work practitioners. IGNOU has created positions of part time Academic Counselors and Supervisors for field practicum in Social Work. About 1500 professional social workers are rendering part time service as Academic Counselors in many states and union territories of the Indian sub-continent. As a University, IGNOU has the largest number of Social Work students as well as employees having Social Work as their basic qualification.

About fifty percent of the over thirty thousand students enrolled with the School of Social Work are currently employed with one or another welfare agency. The large number of students completing various courses and programmes of study from the school are expected to bring about better standard and quality in services in the social and social welfare sectors of the country. Similar outcome is expected from foreign students of the school particularly from Ethopia, Nepal and the Pan-African e-Network Countries.

2.8 Promotion of Research Prof. Thomas has several research publications to his credit, apart from successfully completing about a dozen research projects. He has taken keen interest in promoting Social Work research and has around 60 students pursuing for the M.Phil/Ph.D programme in IGNOU. Each scholar pursues research on a specific social work topic in the Indian context, with the aim of developing indigenous research publications.

2.9 Promotion of Indian Values One of the major contributions of Professor Thomas to the academic world is the promotion of Indian value system through the various courses and programmes of study. He has adopted a secular approach and has incorporated the great Indian traditional and religious values in most of the teaching and learning materials especially in the areas of HIV and family life education, social work and philosophy.

3. Contribution to the North-eastern Region Professor Thomas has a special interest in the development of the North Eastern region of India. His association with the region began in 1975 as a student in Shillong. Thousands of students from the North-East are pursuing the various academic programmes through several Study Centres established in all the eight states in the North-East. Thomas organized several seminars, workshops and training programmes in all these states during the last two decades. He has facilitated the establishment of several study centres and other institutions. Experts from the North-Eastern states are involved by him in various expert committee meetings, and 4th Annual National Seminar on Social Work Response to HIV/AIDS was held at DBI, Guwahati in 2007. One of the unique contributions pertaining to the north-east is the inclusion of almost all the tribals in the IGNOU curriculum on “Post-Graduate Diploma in Social Work among the Tribals”. Dr.Thomas has extensively travelled in the rural areas of the states. His initiatives in reaching out to the earthquake victims of Sikkim in September 2011 with relief materials are remarkable.

4. Enthusiastic Traveler Dr. Thomas is a born traveler. Before he completed his schooling, he had travelled across the state of Kerala (his home state) covering all the districts and blocks (sub-districts) from north to south and before completing his Master’s he had visited every state in the country and most of the union territories. As a teacher and researcher, he had the opportunity of visiting several countries spread across the globe covering all the continents. He also made it a point to visit rural areas of not only all the states within India, but in several countries he keep visiting. He has participated and read papers in various international conferences, receiving travel grant from several national and international bodies including University Grants Commission (UGC), Indian council for social sciences research (ICSSR), Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Department of Sciene and Technology (DST), Devi Ahilya Viswa Vidyalaya, Indore, IGNOU, Catholic Medical Mission Board, USA, Vatican etc.

5. Awards and Honors •	Appointed as Advisor, Indian Parliamentary Forum on HIV/AIDS •	Appointed as Consulter, Pontifical Council for Health Pastoral Care, Vatican .      Life Time Achievement Award •	Vijayshree Award •	Rajiv Gandhi Educational Award •	Best Citizen of India Award

Bibliography For list of publications: http://issuu.com/ians_web/docs/list_publications_sosw?e=1889359/2856944

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