[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]JAN SHIKSHAN SANSTHAN (JSS)
(Institute of People’s Education, a Continuing Education and Vocational Training Institute Sponsored by Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India)
BACKGROUND OF THE PROJECT
The population explosion, industrial development and migration of people from rural to urban areas have resulted in the speedy growth of the urban sector in the country. Rapid urbanization has created many socio-economic problems making life miserable particularly for migrants and deprived communities who normally live in inhuman condition in the slums, on pavements, in settlements and labour colonies. Many are first generation migrants exposed to the stark realities of complex urban life and the industrial milieu. Similar conditions affect people living in the peripheral rural areas who have links with the neighbouring urban agglomerations for employment, business and services. Lack of education and skills, both vocational and technical, have left migrants unemployed/under-employed. Even those who have got job in factories/industries/business establishments receive a meagre sum as wage/salary and hence, they are frequently unable to make both ends meet. Many, particularly youth, have fallen prey to anti-social elements. An urgent need therefore exists for specialized education integrated with awareness and functional improvement for such people.
Adult education is vitally important for these groups to improve their lives, decrease their dependency, increase their work efficiency and sharpen their capabilities for adaptation to social, economic and technological changes in the midst of their lives and work. The educational and vocational needs of these deprived sections constitute a specialized area of continuing education demanding its own strategy, Institutional arrangements and techniques. Mass campaigns for literacy in India have been essentially campaigns for social mobilization for awakening and arousing people in all walks of life. As people’s participation in literacy campaigns begin to increase, their involvement in socio-economic activities also becomes more meaningful. More than 85 percent of the country has been covered by the literacy campaigns and over 150 million learners in the 9-25 age groups, of whom about 62 percent are women have been brought within its ambit. Literacy has become a significant instrument of empowerment for poor, neo-literates and oppressed groups.
The Jan Shikshan Sansthan is an Institution for conducting programmes of non-formal, adult and continuing education and for providing academic and technical resource supports to Zila Saksharata Samiti, in taking up vocational and skill development programmes for neo-literates in both urban and rural areas. Its primary responsibility is to explore, innovate, work out alternatives, try new methodologies and thus, meet the needs of different target groups through programmes of education and training. Since the multi- sided development of adult learners cannot be visualized without their families being involved in that process, and also considering the fact, that generally their spouses are also engaged in some kind of work, the Jan Shikshan Sansthan programme should also be extended to their families.
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
• To improve the occupational skills and technical knowledge of the literates, neo-literates and the trainees and to raise their efficiency and increase productive ability.
• To provide academic and technical resource support to Zila Saksharata Samiti in taking up vocational and skill development programmes for neo-literates in both urban and rural areas.
• To serve as nodal continuing education centres and to coordinate, supervise and monitor 10-15 continuing education centres/nodal centres.
• To organize training and orientation courses for key resource persons, master trainers on designing, under the scheme of continuing education for neo- literates.
• To organize equivalency programmes through open learning systems.
• To widen the range of knowledge and understanding of the social, economic and political systems in order to create a critical awareness about the environment.
• To promote national goals such as secularism, national integration, population and development, women’s equality, protection and conservation environment.
COMPONENTS OF THE PROJECT
• Identify appropriate target areas and target groups by developing socio-economic profiles.
• Identify and procure the list of literates and neo-literates from Zila Saksharata Samiti and ensure that at least 25 per cent of the JSS clientele are neo-literates.
• Organize training programmes for key resource persons, master trainers and trainees in vocational courses and for neo- literates.
• Identify and as certain, a variety of educational and vocational needs of different categories of clientele groups.
• Plan and organize polyvalent educational programmes and other activities including literacy, post-literacy, and continuing education to suit the learning requirements of target groups.
• Explore, innovate and work out new methodologies to meet the needs of different target groups through programmes of education and training.
• Co-operate with educational, cultural and other social Organizations involved in organizing programmes and activities to meet educational, vocational, socio-cultural and welfare needs of target groups.
• Act as a coordinator, facilitator and catalytic agent by developing a system of networking in collaboration with other educational and technical Institutions, development departments, welfare agencies and economic enterprises.
• Undertake training and orientation of resource persons/instructors involved in planning and implementation of various programmes.
• Organize equivalency programmes through the open learning system.
• Organize library and reading room facilities. The libraries will have literature suitable for neo-literates and sale counters for distribution of literacy material at subsidized rates for the neo literates and other interested readers.
• Provide consultancy services to agencies and enterprises planning to organize programmes for training and education of similar target groups.
• Organize educational and vocational training programmes with special concern for deprived sections, women/girls and unemployed youth to provide new skills, refine/sharpen/ upgrade the existing skills leading to employment, self-employment and income generation.
• Promote Organization of forums such as cooperative societies, mandals and associations of women, youth and workers with a view to undertake collective activity for socio-economic development.
TARGET AREA AND TARGET GROUPS OF THE PROJECT
The target area of the project is limited to District Tehri Garhwal of Uttarakhand. The Jan Shikshan Sansthan concentrates on the socio economically backward and educationally disadvantaged groups of urban/rural population such as men, women and youth, employed, self employed, neo-literates, prospective workers and their family members as well as unemployed youth, priority is to be given to adult neo-literates/semi-literates, SC and ST, women/girls, oppressed, migrants, slum/pavement dwellers and working children.
FUNDING AGENCY
The Project is funded by the Department of School Education & Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, New Delhi.
COST OF THE PROJECT
The project was sanctioned by the Ministry during the year 2006. Total cost of the project sanctioned by the Ministry is Rs. 30,00,000.00 per year.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_gallery type=”image_grid” images=”1433,1434,1435,1436,1437,1438,1439″ img_size=”medium”][/vc_column][/vc_row]