Exploring an Institutional Model for Samudaya Jnana Kendras (Community Knowledge Centres) : A Research Study for the Karnataka Knowledge Commission

For Karnataka to be a real knowledge society, it is important to look beyond the opportunities which are emerging in the formal economy and formal education sectors; to understand and examine the transformative knowledge possibilities which have opened up vis-a-vis the daily lives of people and communities. The concept of Samudaya Jnana Kendra was conceived with this end in mind. This Kendra is supposed to conceptually epitomize and physically represent the idea of 'knowledge for everyone' in the lived community context, by recognizing and invigorating those informal processes and institutions which have a major impact on the knowledge culture of people and communities. Knowledge, as we know, has always been a prime factor of development and positive change in societies. We recognize that information, learning and knowledge (ILK) are closely related concepts that can be placed in a continuum. Therefore, we often employ the composite term ILK, in thisreport.This report is an attempt to address the question of what kind of community institution(s) can help address the ILK needs of communities, in the current context of an emerging knowledge society. It begins by analyzing existing ILK needs and processes in communities on the basis of a primary research study. Then it goes on to review the current role of governments in this area, followed by an examination of some new convergent delivery models from across the country. On the basis of these assessments, the report attempts to develop an institutional model for the Samudaya Jnana Kendras