>Justanothersgwikieditor at 01:56, 9 December 2021

2021-12-09T01:56:34Z

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{{Infobox person
| name = Anita Kaul
| image = Anitakaulias.jpg
| birth_date = 19 September 1954
| birth_place =
| death_date = 10 October 2016
| nationality = India
| occupation = Indian Administrative Service
| years_active = 1979-2016
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Use Indian English|date=July 2019}}

'''Anita Kaul''' ([[Given name#Name at birth|née]] '''Kripalani''';19 September 1954 – 10 October 2016) was an [[Indian Administrative Service]] officer<ref>{{cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/Anita-Kaul-a-1979-batch-IAS-officer-of-the-Karnataka-cadre-took-charge-as-the-Secretary-Department-of-Justice-in-the-Ministry-of-Law-Justice-on-Thursday-Immediately-before-joining-the-Department-of-Justice-Kaul-was-the-Principal-Secretary-Planning-in-the-Programme-Implementation-Department-of-the-Govt-of-Karnataka-Earlier-she-had-served-as-Joint-Secretary-and-Additional-Secretary-in-the-Ministry-of-Human-Resource-Development-Govt-of-India-EOM-ROHITH-B-R-TIMES-OF-INDIA-Bangalore-/articleshow/21529546.cms?|title=Anita Kaul, a 1979 batch IAS officer of the Karnataka cadre, took charge as the Secretary, Department of Justice in the Ministry of Law & Justice on Thursday|date=1 August 2013|newspaper=The Times of India|access-date=26 October 2016}}</ref> best known for her contributions to the Indian education sector.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/anita-kaul-a-civil-servant-devoted-to-educational-reform/article9208519.ece|title=Anita Kaul: A civil servant devoted to educational reform|date=12 October 2016|newspaper=The Hindu|access-date=26 October 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/TRIBUTE-Anita-Kauls-role-in-reforming-education-system-was-vital/articleshow/54822796.cms|title=Anita Kaul's role in reforming education system was vital|date=13 October 2016|newspaper=Times of India|access-date=28 October 2016}}</ref> 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]]<ref>{{cite news|title=Remembering IAS Officer Anita Kaul, Who Reformed Our Education System with the RTE Act|url=https://in.news.yahoo.com/remembering-ias-officer-anita-kaul-111334366.html|access-date=26 October 2016|publisher=Yahoo News|date=25 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161109045715/https://in.news.yahoo.com/remembering-ias-officer-anita-kaul-111334366.html|archive-date=9 November 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Ramachandran|first=Vimala|year=2016|title=In Memoriam: Anita Kaul|url=http://www.india-seminar.com/2016/687/687_in_memoriam.htm|journal=Seminar|volume=687 (November 2015)}}</ref> which made [[Right to education|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.<ref name=":1" /> Heralded as one of Karnataka's most 'successful, innovative and revolutionary' reform programs,<ref name=":2">{{Cite book|last=Sekhri Sibal|first=Rajni|title=Women of Influence - Ten Extraordinary IAS Careers|publisher=Penguin|year=2021|isbn=9780143454069|pages=81|quote="A student-centered system of learning, assessment and classroom management for primary schools, Nali Kali stated in 1995 as a small UNICEF-assisted pilot project in HD Kote, Mysore but became a reality under Anita’s vision and insight through the DPEP in Karnataka. Nali Kali gradually expanded to 270 schools in Mysore between 1995-96, 4,000 schools in the districts of Mysore, Mandya, Kolar, Raichur and Belgaum by 1998 and soon became a statement movement. The pedagogical innovations of the DPEP during this period were heralded as "little short of a renaissance" in the development of Indian education."}}</ref> the pedagogic innovations of ''Nali Kali'' during Anita Kaul's tenure have been described as 'little short of a renaissance' in Indian education.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|last=Sriprakash|first=Arathi|title=Pedagogies of Development - The Politics and Practice of Child-Centered Education in India|publisher=Springer|year=2012|isbn=978-94-007-2669-7}}</ref>

Anita Kaul retired as Secretary, [[Ministry of Law and Justice (India)|Department of Justice]], the [[Indian order of precedence|highest ranking civil servant]] in the Ministry of Law and Justice.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/anita-kaul-new-secretary-justice-in-law-ministry-113070400590_1.html|title=Anita Kaul new Secretary, Justice in Law Ministry|agency=Business Standard}}</ref>

== Career Highlights ==

=== Education ===

==== Right to Education Act and National Curriculum Framework: 2006–2012 ====
The highlight of Anita Kaul's tenure in the [[Ministry of Human Resource Development|Department of School Education]]<ref>{{cite news|title=MHRD official visits block resource training centre|newspaper=The Hindu|url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-downtown/mhrd-official-visits-block-resource-training-centre/article521057.ece}}</ref> was coordinating the passage<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.babusofindia.com/2016/10/obituary-anita-kaul-former-ias-and.html|title=About Bureaucrats in India|date=12 October 2016|access-date=26 October 2016}}</ref> of the [[Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2009|Right to Education Act.]] Described as a 'harbinger of a new era',<ref>{{Cite news|title=Parliament passes landmark Right to Education Bill|work=The Hindustan Times|url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/india/parliament-passes-landmark-right-to-education-bill/story-Oo0rjpFzWuzHDVCXvWGKyM.html}}</ref> the enactment of the Right to Education Act resulted in India becoming the 135th country in the world where [[Right to education|education is a fundamental right]].<ref>{{Cite news|title=India joins list of 135 countries in making education a right|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/India-joins-list-of-135-countries-in-making-education-a-right/article13666115.ece}}</ref> Anita Kaul also played a critical role in successfully defending the Right to Education Act before the [[Supreme Court of India]]<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/2014-05-06/news/49661680_1_constitution-bench-institutions-private-unaided-schools|title=Supreme Court upholds constitutional validity of RTE Act|date=6 May 2014|access-date=27 October 2016}}</ref> including some of its most contentious provisions '''–''' (a) at least 25% from disadvantaged groups are admitted in Class 1<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kaul|first=Anita|title=Government of India submissions before Supreme Court of India|year=2009|quote=“…The [25% rule] is not merely to provide avenues of quality education to poor and disadvantaged children. The larger objective is to provide a common place where children sit, eat and live together for at least eight years of their lives across caste, class and gender divides in order that it narrows down such divisions in our society".}}</ref> and (b) the "no detention" and "no expulsion" provisions.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Kaul|first=Anita|title=Government of India submissions before Supreme Court of India|quote="The 'no detention' provision in the RTE Act does not imply abandoning procedures that assess children’s learning. The RTE Act provides for putting in place a continuous and comprehensive evaluation procedure – a procedure that will be non-threatening, releases the child from fear and trauma of failure and enables the teacher to pay individual attention to the child’s learning and performance. Such a system has the best potential to improve quality, rather than punishment, fear of failure and detention".}}</ref>

In 2005-06, Anita served as Secretary, [[National Council of Educational Research and Training|National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)]]<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/2005/07/10/stories/2005071008810300.htm|title=Focus on developing fluency in mother tongue|date=10 July 2005|newspaper=[[The Hindu]]|access-date=26 October 2016}}{{dead link|date=April 2021|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> where she led efforts in the drafting of the [[National Curriculum Framework (NCF 2005)|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.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ncert.nic.in/rightside/links/pdf/framework/english/nf2005.pdf|title=National Curriculum Framework 2005}}</ref>

==== Education in Karnataka and the ''Nali Kali'' reforms: 1996–2000 ====
In the 1990s, as Project Director of the District Primary Education Programme (DPEP)<ref>{{cite news|url=http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/fe/daily/20000330/fco26034.html|title=Top Down Travails|date=30 March 2000|access-date=26 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161120152617/http://expressindia.indianexpress.com/fe/daily/20000330/fco26034.html|archive-date=20 November 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Secretary, Department of Education in the Government of Karnataka,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cips.org.in/documents/DownloadPDF/downloadpdf.php?id=300&category=Education|title=Centre for Innovations in Public Systems - Education}}</ref> Anita played an important role<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/anita-kaul-a-civil-servant-devoted-to-educational-reform/article9208519.ece|title=Anita Kaul: A civil servant devoted to educational reform|date=12 October 2016|newspaper=The Hindu|access-date=27 October 2016}}</ref> in bringing the ''Nali Kali'' (or joyful learning) approach to learning to Karnataka's [[primary school]]s.<ref name=":1">{{cite book|url=http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/sereport/ser/seeds/seed_edu.pdf|title=Nali Kali - A not so silent revolution for joyful learning|publisher=Planning Commission of India|quote="The Nali-Kali approach is unique and precious, because it is entirely primary school teacher created." Anita Kaul, Education Secretary and ex-State Project Director, DPEP, Karnataka}}</ref><ref name=":2" /> Developed with [[UNICEF]] 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]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://unicef.in/Story/356/Nali-Kali-initiative-Karnataka|title=Nali-Kali initiative - Karnataka|website=UNICEF India}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":4" /> Academic studies<ref name=":4">{{Cite book|last=Sekhri Sibal|first=Rajni|title=Women of Influence: Ten Extraordinary IAS Careers|publisher=Penguin|year=2021|isbn=9780143454069}}</ref> 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.<ref name=":2" /> Heralded as one of Karnataka's most 'successful, innovative and revolutionary' reform programs,<ref name=":2" /> the pedagogic innovations of ''Nali Kali'' during Anita Kaul's tenure have been described as 'little short of a renaissance' in Indian education.<ref name=":3" />

==== National Literacy Mission: 1988–1992 ====
Earlier in her career, Anita served as Director of the [[National Literacy Mission Programme|National Literacy Mission]] (1988-1992) where she was instrumental in taking the Total Literacy Campaigns (TLCs) from less than ten districts to almost 100 districts across India.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Mangla|first=Akshay|date=June 2017|title=Elite strategies and incremental policy change: The expansion of primary education in India|journal=Governance|language=en|volume=31|issue=2|pages=381–399|doi=10.1111/gove.12299|issn=1468-0491|quote=It bears emphasizing that the officials advocating for reforms were in some ways unconventional....Perhaps, for that reason, social programs attracted highly committed officials. For example, Anita Kaul, who led the NLM during its first two years, spent more than 25 years of her IAS career working in social sector programs, including education, nutrition and women and child development.}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Ghosh|first=Avik|year=1997|title=Looking Beyond Literacy Campaigns|journal=Economic and Political Weekly|volume=32|issue=51|pages=3246–3248|jstor=4406195}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bordia|first1=Anil|last2=Kaul|first2=Anita|date=March 1992|title=Literacy Efforts in India|journal=The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science|volume=520|issue=1|pages=151–162|doi=10.1177/0002716292520001016|s2cid=144724694}}</ref> Started in [[Ernakulam district|Ernakulam]] district in 1989, the 'TLC model' of mass literacy constituted the principal strategy of eradicating illiteracy in India during the 1990s.<ref name=":0" />
{| class="wikitable"
![[File:Anita Kaul National Literacy Mission.jpg|thumb|180x180px|Anita Kaul at a National Literacy Mission training workshop (1992)]]
![[File:Anita Kaul representing India.jpg|thumb|199x199px|Anita Kaul representing India at the "World Conference on Education for All" (1990) in Thailand]]
|}

=== Other career highlights ===
A large part of Anita's work centered around empowering women. During her tenure in the [[Ministry of Education (India)|Department of School Education]], she strengthened the ''Mahila Samakhya'' programme<ref name=":0" /> 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, [https://web.archive.org/web/20180317053510/http://dwcdkar.gov.in/ Women and Child Development] in the Government of Karnataka (1993-1995) and Director General of the [http://www.sirdmysore.gov.in/ State Institute of Rural Development] (2002-2006), Anita conceptualized and implemented training programs that were large-scale, participatory and satellite-based.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Kato|first=Rika|year=2004|title=Research Visit to India|url=http://lorc.ryukoku.ac.jp/phase1/docs/india_summary_report.pdf|journal=Research Centre for the Local Public Human Resources and Policy Development}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Balasubramaniam|first=Dr.|date=21 October 2016|title=Anita Kaul , one of Karnataka's finest Bureaucrats|url=http://www.bangalorefirst.in/?p=24400}}</ref>

Following her retirement from the Indian Administrative Service, Anita joined the [https://csdindia.org/ Council for Social Development] as its Director.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Govinda|first=Rangachar|title=Remembering Anita Kaul: A Champion of Child-Centred Education|url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/314168351_Remembering_Anita_Kaul_A_Champion_of_Child-centred_Education|journal=Social Change (Soc Change)}}</ref> She was to have joined the [https://harshmander.in/centre-for-equity-studies/ Centre for Equity Studies] in New Delhi but passed away a week before in October 2016.<ref name=":4" />

== Anita Kaul Lecture Series ==
The '''Anita Kaul Lecture''' is an annual lecture organised by the '''[http://centreforequitystudies.org/ Centre for Equity Studies]''', '''[http://rainbowhome.in/tag/rainbow-foundation-india/ Rainbow Foundation India]''' and '''[https://www.mobilecreches.org/ 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 (educationist)|Krishna Kumar]], former Director of the [[National Council of Educational Research and Training|National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT)]] and chaired by Professor [[Shantha Sinha|Shanta Sinha]], former Chairperson of [[National Commission for Protection of Child Rights]], Government of India.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4ZRWnpp7Nk|title=1st Anita Kaul Memorial Lecture|date=24 December 2018}}</ref>

=== 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]], Founder, [[Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.mobilecreches.org/single-post/2018/10/17/The-2nd-Anita-Kaul-Memorial-Lecture?|title=2nd Anita Kaul Memorial Lecture|date=24 December 2018}}</ref>

=== Third Anita Kaul Lecture – Reaffirming Hope: Transformative Education for Equity and Empathy ===
The Third Anita Kaul Lecture was delivered on 2 November 2019 by Professor [https://wikipeacewomen.org/wpworg/en/?page_id=5804 Anita Rampal], Former Dean, Faculty of Education, University of Delhi and chaired by [https://www.katha.org/anshu-vaish-2/ Anshu Vaish], former Secretary, Department of School Education and Literacy, Government of India.<ref>{{Cite web|title=3rd Anita Kaul Memorial Lecture|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7H4KciR3AQ|url-status=live|access-date=4 October 2021}}</ref>

=== 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 (India)|The Wire]] and chaired by Dr. [[Harish Khare]], former media advisor to the Prime Minister of India and former Editor-in-Chief of The Tribune.<ref>{{Cite web|title=4th Anita Kaul Lecture|url=https://mobilecreches-my.sharepoint.com/personal/santosh_s_mobilecreches_org/_layouts/15/onedrive.aspx?id=%2Fpersonal%2Fsantosh%5Fs%5Fmobilecreches%5Forg%2FDocuments%2FFourth%20Anita%20Kaul%20Memorial%20Lecture%20Recording%2FVideo%20Recording%2Emp4&parent=%2Fpersonal%2Fsantosh%5Fs%5Fmobilecreches%5Forg%2FDocuments%2FFourth%20Anita%20Kaul%20Memorial%20Lecture%20Recording|url-status=live|access-date=15 November 2021}}</ref>

== Further reading ==
Anita Kaul's career is profiled in the chapter 'Power of the People' in ''[https://penguin.co.in/book/women-of-influence-2/ Women of Influence: Ten Extraordinary IAS Careers]'' written by Rajni Sekhri Sibal and published by Penguin in 2021.<ref name=":4" />

== See also ==
* [[Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act]]
* [[Literacy in India]]
* [[Education in India]]
*[[Ministry of Human Resource Development]]
*[[Indian Administrative Service]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

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

Anita Kaul - Revision history

>Justanothersgwikieditor at 01:56, 9 December 2021