International Journal of Trends in Humanities

Open Educational Resources (OER) and Open Access (OA) publishing are transforming higher education by promoting equitable access to knowledge, reducing costs, and fostering collaborative innovation. While OER focus on openly licensed teaching and learning materials, OA ensures unrestricted online access to scholarly research. Together, they form an integrated open knowledge ecosystem aligned with global policy frameworks such as the UNESCO OER Recommendation (2019) and the Budapest Open Access Initiative. This study critically examines institutional policies, sustainability strategies, and collaborative models that influence the adoption and long-term implementation of OER and OA in higher education. Using a qualitative, integrative review methodology, the study synthesizes literature published between 2002 and 2024, along with international declarations and institutional reports.

Education has long been acknowledged as one of the most powerful instruments of social transformation, and in the Indian context, it holds unique significance for women’s empowerment. The empowerment of women is central to reducing gender inequality, dismantling patriarchal norms, and achieving inclusive growth. Women’s education does not merely provide literacy; it develops autonomy, fosters confidence, and equips women with the skills necessary for meaningful participation in social, political, and economic life. In India, the history of women’s education reflects a gradual but uneven journey from exclusion during the pre-colonial era to progressive reforms in the colonial and post-independence periods. Pioneers such as Savitribai Phule and Raja Ram Mohan Roy championed the cause of girls’ education, laying the foundation for constitutional guarantees and subsequent policy frameworks.

Libraries continually refine their collections to ensure they remain relevant, reliable, and representative of their users' needs. However, the process of weeding raises pressing ethical and environmental concerns. This study reframes weeding as a practice of ethical stewardship and sustainable collection management rather than a routine technical procedure. It introduces the Ethical-Sustainability Weeding Framework (ESWF), a conceptual model integrating ethical responsibility, Institutional transparency, and ecological accountability.

The issue of gender equality has been a persistent problem all over the world for a very long time. India has made significant progress in this area, primarily as a result of the efforts made by social reformers and activists. Among them, women from the state of Maharashtra have been the driving force behind the advancement of gender equality. They have frequently challenged the norms of society in order to elevate and empower women. This paper emphasizes the efforts of important women, including Savitribai Phule, Tarabai Shinde, Ramabai Ranade, Pandita Ramabai, Lakshmibai Rajwade, and Chhaya Datar, who campaigned against gender inequality and worked towards women's empowerment.

Assistive Technology (AT) has become an offer to revolutionise the provision of people with specific Learning Disabilities (SLD), making the learning process more inclusive and equal. In this paper, the current developments in AT will be discussed that cater to fundamental learning issues in reading, writing and mathematics. Text-to-speech and speech-to-text innovations, mind-mapping tools, and others are important innovations that improve reading comprehension and written expression, as well as strength organisation, memory and generate ideas, thus contributing to the improvement of literacy.

The concept of “Roots and Wings” as a pathway to empower women and children in Vidarbha region, focusing on the need for both a strong foundation and the freedom to thrive. “Roots” symbolize support systems like education, cultural identity, and community care, while “wings” represent opportunities for growth, self-expression, and independence. Women in Vidarbha often face deep-rooted challenges, including gender inequality, domestic violence, menstrual health, abuse and a lack of awareness about critical health issues like breast cancer. The children, on the other hand, struggle with bullying, child labour, neglection, lack of access to quality education and intense peer pressure. We have visited 21 Villages of Vidarbha region and find out the problems faced by women and children through questionaries and face to face communication.