G Ashok Gladston Xavier, 39, Head of the Department of Social Work, Loyola College, Chennai, has been teaching for the past 16 years. Armed with degrees in English Literature, Social Work, Conflict Transformation and Peace Studies, Law and Journalism he has served in several conflict areas including Sri Lanka, Cambodia and Afganistan among others. His long-term association with the Organisation for Eelam Refugee Rehabilitation (OfERR) continues and he still volunteers for it. OfERR provides relief and assistance to Tamil refugees from Sri Lanka who had taken refuge in India.
His classes are always interactive and he believes in experiential learning. “You can’t teach Social Work if you don’t practise it. Our Social Work courses involve a lot of field experiences and intuitive learning,” he says. The specialisation in Human Rights and Social Work that he teaches is unique to Loyola. “Social Work hasn’t got its due credit in India. First, there should be a council regulating it; second, it should be licensed, as it would provide legitimacy to the work. It is a profession like any other. It is also being increasingly seen as a shortcut to MBA. Those who don’t qualify for an HR in MBA are taking it up,” he says. He also talks of spawning commercial social work institutions that need to be monitored.
Also on the Board of Studies of Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development, he has published a dozen books — Exploring Livelihood Options, a book on those displaced after the 2004 tsunami; If it rains again, Rising from the ashes, Rebuilding resilience, In pursuit of peace, Crossroads, Keeping the faith, New Horizons and Voices after war, most of them based on the Sri Lankan conflict. Having extensively travelled the world, he has also chaired The Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network.
suraksha@newindianexpress.com