About Janata Education Society, Ajara
Village Ajara is situated in the rural, economically backward and hilly area of the Western Ghats of the Kolhapur district. It is a small cosmopolitan town having a Gram Panchayat. In 1960s it was a very backward taluka having no educational facilities of higher education. The people were tradition-bound and rather orthodox as it is obvious. So Janata Education Society had to start the educational movement. The Society was established in 1965 and started Std. VIIIth class of Ajara High School, Ajara in Virshaiv Lingayat Math Ajara. The founder members of the JE Society did not have then any political or economic support. Starting a new High School was really a challenge before them and the JE Society developed this High School in spite of a strong opposition.
Ajara belonged to the Jahagir of Inchalkaranji (Ghorpade Sarkar). It was surrounded by a big ditch . With great efforts the JE Society could obtain the present land from the Govt. of Maharashtra.
The then Power & Irrigation minister Vasantraodada Patil was invited for a function near Ajara. On the same day it rained so heavily that the Minister could not proceed further. The members of the JE Society invited him for a very informal & unplanned function of ‘Bhoomipoojan’. On his arrival on the spot, the honourable minister found that the land was uneven, full of ditches, small hills and wild jungle. He found it completely unsuitable for the educational purpose. He promised some other good land near Ajara. However, the members of the JE Society knew the significance of the land in the context of the future development of the village Ajara. And hence they requested the honourable minister to have the ‘ Bhoomipoojan’ at his precious hands. Thus the historical ceremony of ‘Bhoomipoojan’ took place in a unique atmosphere.
To complete the development of Ajara High School, Ajara as an independent secondary school was not an easy task then. Even the small amount of Rs.10, 000/- was the problem for JE Society. Shri. S.V.Sultanpure and Shri. Balappanna Bhusari came forward to extend their economic help and the JE Society could obtain some economic support from the Chief Minister’s Fund. Even then the required amount was not raised. Hence the members of the JE Society implemented some schemes, collected some donations, and arranged some cultural programmes for the help of the Society. What is more significant is the fact that the founder members of the JE Society obtained loans by mortgaging their own houses and properties. It is even more significant to note that the same persons (the members of the JE Society) with the help of some others established Ajara Urban Co-operative Bank Ltd. Ajara, with the clear objective of creating a financial resource for the overall development of this very backward area. The facility of Higher Education & especially to the girl students of this area was the clear objective of the JE Society.
With such sustained & continuous efforts, the dream of Ajara High School Ajara became a reality. In a very short span of time it made its name in the field of secondary education in the Southern part of Maharashtra. Without taking any breathing gap, the JE Society started the Junior College in the spacious premises of Ajara High School Ajara in 1975. The establishment of Ajara Junior College in 1975(attached to Ajara High School) inaugurated a new phase of Higher Secondary Education of Ajara taluka. Even today the Junior college (attached to our Senior College) is the significant name in the field of Higher Secondary Education in Ajara Taluka. Up to recent times our Junior college was the only name in this field. Only two Junior colleges elsewhere in the taluka have been started in the near past.
The objective of the establishment of a senior college in Ajara was yet a distant dream. Again the same efforts were made. Some sincere collective demonstrations (morchas) were held and the demand for the establishment of a new college was fought out even in the interface of resistance. This brief background (not history) of JE Society clearly demonstrates the motto of the Society "We will be broken but shall never bend ". However, today the JE Society has at its credit, the following separate educational institutions, continuously progressing under the control of JE Society.
- Ajara High School, Ajara. Dist. Kolhapur.
- Ajara Junior College, Ajara. Dist. Kolhapur.
- Ajara M.C.V.C.College (Vocational Courses) Ajara. Dist. kolhapur.
- Adarsh High School, Gavase. Dist. kolhapur.
- Yerandol High School, Yerandol. Dist. Kolhapur.
- Pernoli High School, Pernoli. Dist. Kolhapur.
- Chaphwade High School, Chaphwade. Dist. Kolhapur.
- Madilage High School, Madilage. Dist. Kolhapur.
- Shri.Ratnappanna Kumbhar B.C.Gents Hostel, Ajara. Dist. Kolhapur.
- Smt.Kamala Neharu B.C.Girls Hostel, Ajara. Dist. Kolhapur.
- Pandit Jawaharlal Neharu Bal Bhavan, Ajara. Dist. Kolhapur.
- Adarsh Balak Mandir, Ajara. Dist. Kolhapur.
- Ravalnath Primary School, Ajara. Dist. Kolhapur.
- Anna-Bhau English School, Ajara. Dist. Kolhapur
The speedy educational development of Ajara Taluka through the institutions mentioned above is one of the major, significant features of JE Society. The JE Society is thus now recognized as the leading institution of Secondary, Higher Secondary and Higher Education in this area.