Opening and Running Junior Colleges for VJNT Students Run by Voluntary Agencies

What is the Opening and Running Junior Colleges for VJNT Students scheme?

Opening and Running Junior Colleges for VJNT Students Run by Voluntary Agencies is a Maharashtra grant-in-aid scheme that extended Ashram School education past Class 10. Under Government Resolution dated 26 June 2008, the Government of Maharashtra upgraded 148 secondary Ashram Schools run by voluntary agencies so that they could also teach Class 11 and Class 12, for the educational and social development of students from Vimukta Jatis and Nomadic Tribes (VJNT). The scheme is commonly referred to in Marathi records as the scheme for VJNT vidyarthyansathi kanishtha mahavidyalaye attached to Ashram Shalas.

The design of the scheme matters for understanding who does what. Maharashtra does not run these Junior Colleges directly. Voluntary organisations: registered societies and trusts already running secondary Ashram Schools: run them, and the state pays grant-in-aid to cover the cost. The student's side of the arrangement is admission to the college; the agency's side is the grant proposal.

What the scheme provides to the VJNT student

• Free Class 11 and 12 education at the Junior College attached to the Ashram School.
• Free lodging and boarding for residential students.
• Uniforms, bedding and clothing.
• Books, writing materials and study resources.
• Medical facilities for residential students.

Before this scheme, a VJNT student finishing Class 10 at a residential Ashram School in a remote taluka had to find a Junior College elsewhere, along with the hostel and travel cost that came with it. The 2008 upgrade removed that break in the schooling chain at 148 locations.

Who is eligible under this scheme?

The scheme has two distinct sets of criteria, because it has two kinds of participant.

A student can benefit if:

• The student is a resident of Maharashtra.
• The student belongs to the VJNT category: Vimukta Jatis and Nomadic Tribes, with a caste certificate from the competent authority.
• The student has passed Class 10 and is seeking Class 11 admission at an Ashram School running a Junior College under the scheme.

A voluntary agency can be considered if:

• The agency is already running a secondary Ashram School. This is the core condition — the scheme upgrades existing schools rather than sanctioning new institutions from scratch.
• The secondary school result is not lower than 60 per cent.
• The agency is financially sound enough to run a Junior College.
• Building, water supply, electricity and comparable facilities are already available.
• The area around the school has a substantial VJNT population.
• There are not already several Junior Colleges near the Ashram School.
• There is no dispute or court matter pending against the voluntary agency.

Who cannot apply:

• An individual student cannot apply for this scheme as a personal benefit. There is no cash transfer, no scholarship account and no application form for a student under this scheme. The student route is admission to the college; the scheme application belongs to the agency.
• A student outside the VJNT category is not eligible for the free residential facilities under this particular scheme. Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and OBC students are covered by parallel Ashram School and hostel schemes run by their respective departments.
• A voluntary agency with no existing secondary Ashram School is not eligible.
• An agency whose secondary result is below 60 per cent, or which has litigation pending, is not eligible.
• A non-resident of Maharashtra is not eligible.

What documents are required?

How to apply under this scheme

The scheme is offline at both ends. There is no online portal for either the agency proposal or the student admission.

1. A voluntary agency should contact the Assistant Commissioner of Social Welfare of the district concerned, which is the office named for this scheme, and ask for the proposal format and the current position on sanctioned Junior Colleges in that district.
2. The agency assembles its proposal, registration papers, proof that it runs a secondary Ashram School, the school's results record showing 60 per cent or better, and evidence of building, water, electricity and financial capacity.
3. The agency submits the proposal to the Assistant Commissioner of Social Welfare and obtains a dated acknowledgement, then follows the file through district scrutiny to the state level, since grant-in-aid sanction is a state decision.
4. A student or parent should approach the Head Master of the Ashram School running the Junior College. The Head Master is the person who can confirm whether Class 11 and 12 are sanctioned at that school and what the admission dates are.
5. The student submits admission papers at the school, caste certificate, domicile proof, Class 10 marksheet and school leaving certificate, after the SSC result is declared.
6. The student confirms the residential facilities at admission: lodging, boarding, uniform, bedding and books are part of the scheme and no charge should be levied for them.

How to check the position of an application

1. Students and parents: ask the Head Master of the Ashram School, who maintains the admission list and the record of sanctioned seats.
2. Voluntary agencies: follow up with the Assistant Commissioner of Social Welfare of the district, quoting the inward number on the acknowledgement.
3. For departmental questions, approach the Vimukta Jati, Nomadic Tribes, OBC and SBC Welfare Department (OBC Bahujan Kalyan Vibhag) at obcbahujankalyan.maharashtra.gov.in.

Common reasons a case fails

• The agency does not run a secondary Ashram School. This disqualifies a proposal at the first stage.
• Secondary result below 60 per cent in the years being assessed.
• Facilities not in place; no adequate building, water supply or electricity for a residential Junior College.
• Too many Junior Colleges already nearby, which removes the need the scheme is meant to fill.
• Pending litigation against the voluntary agency.
• Student caste certificate not establishing VJNT status, which is the most common problem on the admission side.
• A student expecting a cash benefit. The scheme pays the institution, not the student. VJNT students looking for money in hand should separately apply on the MahaDBT portal for the Post-Matric Scholarship to VJNT Students or for Tuition Fees and Examination Fees to VJNT Students.

Where to raise a grievance

• Head Master of the Ashram School, for admission and residential facility problems.
• Assistant Commissioner of Social Welfare of the district, for both agency proposals and complaints about a sanctioned Junior College.
• Vimukta Jati, Nomadic Tribes, OBC and SBC Welfare Department, Government of Maharashtra, at obcbahujankalyan.maharashtra.gov.in. The scheme was originally notified by the Social Justice and Special Assistance Department (sjsa.maharashtra.gov.in), from which the VJNT and OBC portfolios were later separated, so older circulars carry that department's name.

Education and residential facilities under this scheme are free to the VJNT student. No school, agency or officer is authorised to charge a student for lodging, boarding, uniforms or books provided under it.