J.P. Naik Biography 
J. P. Naik is an Indian educationist who founded the Indian Institute of Education in 1948. His full name is Jayant Pandurang Naik. He served as the Member Secretary of the Indian Education Commission from 1964 to 1966. He also worked as the educational advisor to the Government of India. He received Padma Bhushan award in 1974.
He was born on 5th September 1907 in Bahirewadi in Kolhapur district of Maharashtra. After taking his first degree he joined Indian freedom struggle and took part in civil disobedience under the leadership of Gandhi. He started his career as a village primary teacher and rose to the height of educational adviser to the Central Ministry of Education in New Delhi.
He started his educational activities in 1930s and established primary schools in rural areas of the Bombay Presidency. He worked from 1948 to 1959 to establish the Indian Institute of Education for postgraduate training and research in Bombay and also started rural educational community development institute near Kolhapur.
He worked without salary to establish various educational institutions like National Council of Educational Research and Training, Jawaharlal Nehru University and National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration. He wrote two books on history of modern Indian education. He sponsored the ideas of work experience or SUPW in the basic education system. He also advocated adult education and non-formal education.
He joined the Central Ministry of Education in the early 1960s and he felt the importance of educational planning at all levels. He died on 30th August 1981. A commemorative stamp was issued in 2007 at Rs.5/-.
Published: N/A
Updated: September 27, 2017
