Anita Kaul (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Kripalani;19 September 1954 – 10 October 2016) was an

Indian Administrative Service The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. Considered the premier civil service of India, the IAS is one of the three arms of the All India Services along with the Indian ...

officer best known for her contributions to the Indian education sector. She was a defining voice of the Right to Education movement and one of the principal architects of the

Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009 The Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act or Right to Education Act (RTE) is an Act of the Parliament of India enacted on 4 August 2009, which describes the modalities of the importance of free and compulsory education for chil ...

which made education a fundamental right for every child in India. She is also well-known for her role in expanding the ''Nali Kali'' ('joyful learning') approach to primary schools in India. Heralded as one of Karnataka's most 'successful, innovative and revolutionary' reform programs, the pedagogic innovations of ''Nali Kali'' during Anita Kaul's tenure have been described as 'little short of a renaissance' in Indian education. Anita Kaul retired as Secretary,

Department of Justice A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a v ...

, the highest ranking civil servant in the Ministry of Law and Justice.

Career Highlights

Education

Right to Education Act and National Curriculum Framework: 2006–2012

The highlight of Anita Kaul's tenure in the Department of School Education was coordinating the passage of the Right to Education Act. Described as a 'harbinger of a new era', the enactment of the Right to Education Act resulted in India becoming the 135th country in the world where education is a fundamental right. Anita Kaul also played a critical role in successfully defending the Right to Education Act before the

Supreme Court of India The Supreme Court of India ( IAST: ) is the supreme judicial authority of India and is the highest court of the Republic of India under the constitution. It is the most senior constitutional court, has the final decision in all legal matters ...

including some of its most contentious provisions – (a) at least 25% from disadvantaged groups are admitted in Class 1 and (b) the "no detention" and "no expulsion" provisions. In 2005-06, Anita served as Secretary, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) where she led efforts in the drafting of the National Curriculum Framework 2005 (NCF). The NCF sets out what should be taught to children in India and how. It continues to serve as the statutory framework for syllabus and teaching practices for schools across India.

Education in Karnataka and the ''Nali Kali'' reforms: 1996–2000

In the 1990s, as Project Director of the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP) and Secretary, Department of Education in the Government of Karnataka, Anita played an important role in bringing the ''Nali Kali'' (or joyful learning) approach to learning to Karnataka's

primary school A primary school (in Ireland, the United Kingdom, Australia, Trinidad and Tobago, Jamaica, and South Africa), junior school (in Australia), elementary school or grade school (in North America and the Philippines) is a school for primary e ...

s. Developed with

UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...

assistance, the ''Nali Kali'' strategy adopted creative learning practices in a joyful, affirming, non-threatening environment that helped significantly improve enrollment, particularly of girls, in rural primary schools in

Karnataka Karnataka (; ISO: , , also known as Karunāḍu) is a state in the southwestern region of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, with the passage of the States Reorganisation Act. Originally known as Mysore State , it was renamed ''Karnat ...

. Since 2000, the ''Nali Kali-''inspired, joyful learning strategies have expanded to several Indian states, including Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh. Academic studies have shown that the ''Nali Kali'' reforms provided striking insights into how schools can deal more sensitively and effectively with issues of social inequality and exclusion. Heralded as one of Karnataka's most 'successful, innovative and revolutionary' reform programs, the pedagogic innovations of ''Nali Kali'' during Anita Kaul's tenure have been described as 'little short of a renaissance' in Indian education.

National Literacy Mission: 1988–1992

Earlier in her career, Anita served as Director of the

National Literacy Mission National Education Mission (Samagra Shiksha Abhiyan) was launched in 2018. It was allocated a budget of in 2019 Interim Union Budget of India. Samagra Shiksha is an overarching programme for the school education sector extending from pre-school ...

(1988-1992) where she was instrumental in taking the Total Literacy Campaigns (TLCs) from less than ten districts to almost 100 districts across India. Started in

Ernakulam Ernakulam () is the Central Business District of the city of Kochi in Kerala, India and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Many major establishments, including the Kerala High Court, the office of the Kochi Municipal Corporation a ...

district in 1989, the 'TLC model' of mass literacy constituted the principal strategy of eradicating illiteracy in India during the 1990s.

Other career highlights

A large part of Anita's work centered around empowering women. During her tenure in the Department of School Education, she strengthened the ''Mahila Samakhya'' programme which sought to enhance self-esteem and self-confidence of women to enable them to make informed choices in areas like education and employment. Similarly, as Director
Women and Child Development
in the Government of Karnataka (1993-1995) and Director General of th
State Institute of Rural Development
(2002-2006), Anita conceptualized and implemented training programs that were large-scale, participatory and satellite-based. Following her retirement from the Indian Administrative Service, Anita joined th
Council for Social Development
as its Director. She was planned to join th
Centre for Equity Studies
in New Delhi but died a week before in October 2016.

Anita Kaul Lecture Series

The Anita Kaul Lecture is an annual lecture organised by the '
Centre for Equity Studies
'', '
Rainbow Foundation India
'' and '
Mobile Creches
'' in memory of Anita Kaul.

First Anita Kaul Lecture – Education and Inequality in India

The First Anita Kaul Lecture was delivered on 15 October 2017 by Professor Krishna Kumar, former Director of the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and chaired by Professor

Shanta Sinha Shantha Sinha (born 7 January 1950) is an Indian anti-child labour activist. She is the founder of Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiya Foundation, popularly known as MV Foundation (which is named in memory of her grandfather Mamidipudi Venkatarangaiah), a ...

, former Chairperson of

National Commission for Protection of Child Rights The National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) is an Indian statutory body established by an Act of Parliament, the Commission for Protection of Child Rights (CPCR) Act, 2005. The Commission works under the aegis of Ministry of ...

, Government of India.

Second Anita Kaul Lecture – Realizing the Right to Education for All: At the Altar of the Courts or in the Hands of the People

The Second Anita Kaul Lecture was delivered on 13 October 2018 by Professor Amita Dhanda, Professor of Law, Nalsar University of Law, Hyderabad and chaired by

Aruna Roy Aruna Roy (née Jayaram, born 6 June 1946) is an Indian social activist, professor, union organiser and former civil servant. She is the president of the National Federation of Indian Women and founder of the Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan. E ...

, Founder,

Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan The Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan (Association for the Empowerment of Labourers and Farmers) is an Indian political organisation best known for its demand for the Right to Information Act (RTI) which grew out of the demand for minimum wages f ...

Third Anita Kaul Lecture – Reaffirming Hope: Transformative Education for Equity and Empathy

The Third Anita Kaul Lecture was delivered on 2 November 2019 by Professo
Anita Rampal
Former Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Delhi and chaired b
Anshu Vaish
former Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Government of India.

Fourth Anita Kaul Lecture – Challenges to India's Democracy and the Role of the Indian Media

The Fourth Anita Kaul Lecture was delivered on 23 October 2021 by Pamela Philipose, senior journalist and Ombudsperson,

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime film, crime drama Television show, television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The ...

and chaired by Dr.

Harish Khare Harish Khare is an Indian journalist. He served as the Media Advisor to the Prime Minister's Office from June 2009 to January 2012. On 19 January 2012 he resigned from his post. Khare has worked as Resident Editor and chief of bureau with ''Th ...

, former media advisor to the Prime Minister of India and former Editor-in-Chief of The Tribune.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kaul, Anita Women educators from Karnataka 1954 births 2016 deaths Indian Administrative Service officers Indian government officials 21st-century Indian educators 21st-century Indian women educators 20th-century Indian educational theorists 20th-century Indian women politicians 20th-century Indian politicians 21st-century Indian women politicians 21st-century Indian politicians Educators from Karnataka Women in Karnataka politics 20th-century Indian women educators