Prem Nath Kirpal

Prem Nath Kirpal is an Indian civil servant who served as Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Education[1] and Ministry of Culture.[2] He was a member and Vice‑President of the Kothari Commission, which operated from 14 July 1964 to 29 June 1966 and helped frame national educational policy.

He formerly served as Director General of Indian National Commission for Cooperation with UNESCO (1948-1952) and President of Executive Board UNESCO (1970 to 1972).[3] He was also Chairman and President of Delhi Public School Society.[2]

He was Director of National Council of Educational Research and Training (1962-1968).[2]

Early life and education

Prem was born in April 30, 1909 at Moga in Punjab Province (British India). He studied at Government College University, Lahore and earned Bachelor of Arts (1929), Master of Arts in History and Political Science from University of the Punjab in 1931[a] and also has Master of Arts from Balliol College at University of Oxford.[a] He later earned Bachelor of Laws from Punjab University Law College.[b]

His father Rai Bahadur Ishwar Das Kirpal served as the Registrar of University of the Punjab in Lahore, Pakistan.[4]

Career

Civil Service

Prem was a member of Central Secretariat Service and served in Government of India. He served as Deputy Secretary to Government of India and also as Joint Secretary to the Government of India in Ministry of Education.

He served as Secretary to the Government of India in the Ministry of Education and later as Educational Adviser.

UNESCO

Prem served as Deputy Director of Department of Cultural Activities in UNESCO Headquarters, Paris.[5]

Personal life

PN Kirpal nephew is Bhupinder Nath Kirpal, who served as 31st Chief Justice of India.[6]

Honors and awards

Kirpal was awarded several honorary degrees. He received Doctor of Laws from Temple University (1967),[7] Doctor of Science from (Leningrad), Doctor of Letters from Panjab University (1967).[8]

He also received UNESCO Gold Medal (1972).

State honors

Further reading

  • Centre-state Relations in Higher Education with Reference to Andhra Pradesh (Publisher: Northern Book Centre; ISBN 9788172110383)

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b As per World Biography - Volume 4, Part 1, published by Institute for Research in Biography (NY) in 1948. See Page 2569
  2. ^ As per records of Government of India. Refer to Report - Volume 30 published (year 1979) by General Manager, Government of India Press.

References

  1. ^ Biswas, Arabinda; Agrawal, S. P. (1986). Development of Education in India - A Historical Survey of Educational Documents Before and After Independence. Concept Publishing Company. ISBN 9788170220664.
  2. ^ a b c d "Honorable Legends - DPS Society". Delhi Public School Society. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  3. ^ Vaidyanatha Ayyar, R. V. (2017). History of Education Policymaking in India, 1947–2016. Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199091546.
  4. ^ "The Lahore effect". india-seminar.com. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  5. ^ "Journal of the General Conference, Seventh Session, no. 2 - UNESCO". UNESCO. Retrieved 20 July 2025.
  6. ^ "rediff.com Special: Tara Shankar Sahay profiles Chief Justice B N Kirpal". Rediff.com. Retrieved 2023-06-21.
  7. ^ "Past Honorary Degree Recipients - Temple University". Temple University. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
  8. ^ "Past Honorary Degree Recipients - Panjab University". Panjab University. Retrieved 18 July 2025.
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