Chitra Naik | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1918-07-15)15 July 1918 Pune, India |
| Died | 24 December 2010(2010-12-24) (aged 92) Pune,Maharashtra, India |
| Occupation(s) | Educationist Writer Social worker |
| Known for | Educational reforms |
| Spouse | Jayant Pandurang Naik |
| Awards | Padma Shri Pranawanand Award Jeevan Sadhana Award Karma Veer Bahurao Patil Samaj Seva Award Tagore Literacy Award UNESCO Raja Roy Singh Award Rajiv Gandhi Award UNESCO Jan Amos Comenius International Award Jamnalal Bajaj Award |
| Website | Website of IIE |
Chitra Jayant Naik (1918–2010) was an Indian educationist, writer, social worker, the chairperson of the Indian Institute of Education and the expert member of thePlanning Commission of India.[1][2] She was the chairperson of the Non-formal Education Committee set up by theMinistry of Human Resource Development and was a member of theNational Literacy Mission.[3] TheGovernment of India awarded her the fourth highest Indian civilian honour ofPadma Shri in 1986.[4]
Chitra Naik was born on 15 July 1918 atPune in the western Indian state ofMaharashtra[5] and graduated in arts with honours.[6] She continued her studies to get another graduate degree in education and secured a doctoral degree (PhD) fromMumbai University.[1] In 1953, she received aFulbright scholarship[7] and did post doctoral studies atColumbia University, New York.[1] Her career started at the Rural Institute in Bhudargad,Kolhapur District where she organised educational camps among theharijans, gathered women to form women's associations (Mahila Mandal) and founded Children's daycare centres (Balwadi) and a health clinic.[6]
In 1948, she helped her husband and renowned educationist,Jayant Pandurang Naik, to found the Indian Institute of Education (IIE),[8] a research institute affiliated toMumbai University, to facilitate higher education and research facilities for the teachers in theGreater Bombay area.[9] Chitra Naik was a collaborator in the endeavours ofJayant Naik, an inductee of theUNESCO Roll of Honour of the 100 significant educational thinkers of the last 25 centuries.[10] She served as the director of IIE and under her leadership, the institution set up training centres for women in the disciplines of home nursing, first aid, maternal and child care, sanitation and nutrition.[6] She also established a Children's Home (Bal Bhavan) and a training centre for social workers, organised education camps on family planning for women and conducted a project study onMobilising Gram Panchayats for Rural Development.[6]
Naik was the director of National Institute of Basic Education, New Delhi and chaired the Non-formal Education Committee of theMinistry of Human Resource Development.[3] She was a member of thePlanning Commission of India and attended to the responsibilities of the General education, Social welfare and Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe as the expert member of the commission for theNinth Five Year Plan (1997–2002).[2] She was a member of the Working Group on Adult Education (1978–83) under the Ministry of Human Resource Development[11] and a permanent member of theCABE Committee on Decentralised Management of Education (1993) set up by the Central Advisory Board of Education[12] She served as a member of theNational Literacy Mission[3] and was involved with the International Institute of Adult and Lifelong Education (IIALE) as a member of its International Consultative Committee.[13] She was in close association with theGovernment of Maharashtra and served in various capacities as the Director ofMaharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, Director of Higher Education and Director of Education.[1] Naik is the author of the books,Shikshan ani Samaj[14] (Marathi),Educational innovation in India,[15] andLokmanya Tilak as Educational Thinker.[16] She has also written many books for children of which four were published by theNational Book Trust in fourteen languages.[1]
Towards the later part of her life, Naik suffered from heart and lung diseases and was admitted to hospital in December 2010.[7] The treatment could not save her and she died onChristmas Eve, 2010, at the age of 92, atPune, survived by her niece, Aruna Giri.[1]
Chitra Naik was a recipient of the Pranawanand Award for Educational Research of theUniversity Grants Commission and Jeevan Sadhana Award of theUniversity of Pune.[7] TheGovernment of India awarded her the civilian honourPadma Shri in 1986[4] and she received the firstKarma Veer Bahurao Patil Samaj Seva Award in 1989.[5] The Indian Adult Education Association (IAEA) selected her for the Tagore Literacy Award in 1992 and the same year,UNESCO awarded her the Raja Roy Singh Award.[6][17] This was followed by the Rajiv Gandhi Award for social Service and theUNESCO Jan Amos Comenius International Award and, in 2002, she received theJamnalal Bajaj Award from theJamnalal Bajaj Foundation.[6][17]
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