Women of Influence by Rajni Sekhri Sibal

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 schools. Education in Karnataka and the Nali Kali reforms: 1996–2000 It continues to serve as the statutory framework for syllabus and teaching practices for schools across India. The NCF sets out what should be taught to children in India and how. 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). Anita Kaul also played a critical role in successfully defending the Right to Education Act before the Supreme Court of India 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. 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. The highlight of Anita Kaul's tenure in the Department of School Education was coordinating the passage of the Right to Education Act. Career Highlights Education Right to Education Act and National Curriculum Framework: 2006–2012

Īnita Kaul retired as Secretary, Department of Justice, the highest ranking civil servant in the Ministry of Law and Justice. 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.

She is also well-known for her role in expanding the Nali Kali ('joyful learning') approach to primary schools in India. 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 which made education a fundamental right for every child in India.

Anita Kaul ( née Kripalani 19 September 1954 – 10 October 2016) was an Indian Administrative Service officer best known for her contributions to the Indian education sector.

Women of Influence by Rajni Sekhri Sibal