Professor J S Rajput appointed as India’s representative to the Executive Board of UNESCO

New Delhi, March 26: Professor J S Rajput, a former Director NCERT is selected as India’s representative to the Executive Board (EXB) of UNESCO. Notably, Professor J S Rajput is an eminent educationist with rich experience in various fields including UNESCO.

 

The EXB has a four-year term of office and 58 seats. The executive board is one of the constitutional organs of UNESCO and is elected by the General Conference. The executive board examines the work for the organization and the corresponding budget estimates. In practice, the executive board is the main organ responsible for all policies and programmes of UNESCO.

The elections of Members of the EXB for the term 2017-21 took place on 8th November 2017, in which India won with 162 votes in Group IV during the 39th session of the General Conference which was held from 30th October to 14th November 2017.

Being a member of the board enables us in principle to play a role in shaping and reviewing UNESCO’s policies and programmes corresponding to its five major programs on education, the natural science, the social and human Sciences, Culture and Communication and Information.The next meeting (Session204) of Executive Board of UNESCO is to be held in UNESCO HQ at Paris, from 4 - 17 April 2018.

BACKGROUND:

Professor J. S. Rajput is known for his contributions in reforms in school education and teacher education. He has held several assignments which include Professor in NCERT, 1974, Principal of the Regional Institute of Education Bhopal 1977-88, Joint Educational Adviser, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, 1989-94; Chairman, National Council for Teacher Education, NCTE, 1994-99 and the Director of the NCERT, 1999-2004.

Prof. Rajput proposed valuable changes in school education curriculum as Director, NCERT popularly known as five Sai values: Truth, Peace, Nonviolence, Righteous Conduct (Dharma) and Love.

Though a professor of Physics, he is known for regulating the B.Ed correspondence courses as the first Chairman of NCTE and for starting the innovative two-year B.Ed course. His research publications in Physics earned him a Professorship at the age of 31 years. He has published research papers in several specialized areas in education, guided doctoral level researches and has authored several books.

Professor Rajput’s association with UNESCO and other international agencies extends over three decades. UNESCO acknowledged his contributions by selecting him for the Prestigious Jan Amos Comenius Medal for outstanding contributions in research and innovations in the year 2004. He received this Award in July 2009.

He was invited By UNESCO in April-May 2005 to participate in the Evaluation of the UNESCO International Center for Technical and Vocational Education; UNEVOC; Bonn, Germany. He has completed a UNESCO project for Bremen University, Germany in 2007-08. In the recent past, he was invited to make presentations in the meetings of international experts on Technical and Vocational Education and Training organized by international agencies in Vietnam in July 2006 and in Adelaide. Australia in October 2006.

He has also been awarded Maharishi Ved Vyas national Award by the Government of MP for lifelong contributions in Education. He has recently completed the project aimed at achieving religious amity through education and his edited book “Education of Muslims in India” was released by the Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi on June 15, 2015. The Government of India awarded him Padma Shri in 2014.