Jan Shikshan Sansthan, Chandrapur II

About JSS
Institute of Peoples's Education

The scheme of Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) is a unique scheme crafted by the Government of India. JSSs are Institutes for Peoples' Education and focus on the poor, the illiterates, the neo-literates, the underprivileged and the unreached.
 
The Jan Shikshan Sansthans are unique in that they do not provide just skill development, but link literacy with vocational skill training and provide large doses of Life Enrichment Education (LEE) to the people. They do not work in isolation but aim for convergence with other stakeholders in society. It is their endeavour to shape their beneficiaries into self-reliant and self-assured employees and entrepreneurs.
 
The Jan Shikshan Sansthan (JSS) is an innovative educational scheme in the field of non-formal and continuing education and training for adults started by the Government of India in the year 1967. (This was formerly known as Shramik Vidyapeeth). 
 
A JSS has the entire district of its location as its area of operation and is expected to work as district level resource support agency in organizing vocational training programmes for neo-literates, socially and economically deprived persons. JSSs are being set up in different districts in the country to consolidate the gains of the literacy campaigns and improve the quality of life of the neo-literates through vocational training. There are approx. 172 JSS functioning in India. (up to March 2006). 
 
 
Collaboration 
 
The Government of India, Ministry of Human Resource Development provides an annual grant to the Sansthan for an approved pattern of expenditure. Nominal course fee is collected from the trainees to supplement the resources and thus the Sansthan maintains a no profit and no loss financial status. 

Collaboration with different governmental and non-governmental agencies is an important function of the Sansthan. The nature of collaboration of different agencies ranges from providing accommodation/ infrastructure to total financing of the courses including stipend to the trainees. 

JSS Features:

The distinct features of the Sansthan that distinguish Jan Shikshan Sansthan from other educational programmes and institutions for adults are : 

• Flexibility characteristic of non-formal education and training.

• Provides training in vocational skills to encourage self-employment for livelihood. 

• Special target group of the socio-economic and educationally disadvantaged groups of both urban and rural population 

• Offers polyvalent education to improve the quality and enrich the life of beneficiaries.

• Functions as repository of vocational education and training center in a district 

• Provides academic and technical resource support to different agencies and collaborates with them for programmes

MULTIDIMENSIONAL APPROACH 

• Continuous access to education and training

• Need based programmes 

• Diversified vocational courses 

• Integration of knowledge and skills (theory & practical work) 

• Life enrichment education 

• Flexibility in 

         I. Selection of trainees 

        II. Convenient venue and time 

       III. Variety in course content, duration, methods
            Evaluation techniques

       IV. Follow up actions

The JSSs offer around 255 different types of vocational courses - from candle and agarbatti making, sewing and embroidery to computer courses.

Target Groups:

• Socially backward 
  Scheduled Tribes (ST), Scheduled Castes (SC), OBC, Women, Oppressed. 

• Economically weaker 
  Workers and their family members, Employed/Self employed, Prospective workers, Unemployed youth, Migrants, Slum / pavement dwellers, Working children. 

• Educationally deprived 
  Non-literates, Neo-literates, Semi-literates, School Dropouts, Low formal/non-formal education.