15 Facts About Chitra Naik

Chitra Jayant Naik was an Indian educationist, writer, social worker, the chairperson of the Indian Institute of Education and the expert member of the Planning Commission of India.

Chitra Naik was the chairperson of the Non-formal Education Committee set up by the Ministry of Human Resource Development and was a member of the National Literacy Mission.

Chitra Naik was born on 15 July 1918 at Pune in the western Indian state of Maharashtra and graduated in arts with honours.

Chitra Naik continued her studies to get another graduate degree in education and secured a doctoral degree from Mumbai University.

Chitra Naik's career started at the Rural Institute in Bhudargad, Kolhapur District where she organised educational camps among the harijans, gathered women to form women's associations and founded Children's daycare centres and a health clinic.

Chitra Naik was a collaborator in the endeavours of Jayant Naik, an inductee of the UNESCO Roll of Honour of the 100 significant educational thinkers of the last 25 centuries.

Chitra Naik 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.

Chitra Naik established a Children's Home and a training centre for social workers, organised education camps on family planning for women and conducted a project study on Mobilising Gram Panchayats for Rural Development.

Chitra Naik was the director of National Institute of Basic Education, New Delhi and chaired the Non-formal Education Committee of the Ministry of Human Resource Development.

Chitra Naik was a member of the Working Group on Adult Education under the Ministry of Human Resource Development and a permanent member of the CABE Committee on Decentralised Management of Education set up by the Central Advisory Board of Education Chitra Naik served as a member of the National Literacy Mission and was involved with the International Institute of Adult and Lifelong Education as a member of its International Consultative Committee.

Chitra Naik was in close association with the Government of Maharashtra and served in various capacities as the Director of Maharashtra State Board of Secondary and Higher Secondary Education, Director of Higher Education and Director of Education.

Chitra Naik is the author of the books, Shikshan ani Samaj, Educational innovation in India, and Lokmanya Tilak as Educational Thinker.

Chitra Naik has written many books for children of which four were published by the National Book Trust in fourteen languages.

Towards the later part of her life, Chitra Naik suffered from heart and lung diseases and was admitted to hospital in December 2010.

Chitra Naik was a recipient of the Pranawanand Award for Educational Research of the University Grants Commission and Jeevan Sadhana Award of the University of Pune.