Aruna Acharya

A pioneering Indian educator who revolutionized women's literacy through grassroots initiatives

Aruna Acharya (1925-2015) emerged as a transformative figure in India's educational landscape through her innovative approaches to women's empowerment. Born in a time when only 12% of Indian women were literate, she founded the Shiksha O Sadhana organization in 1953, creating mobile schools that traveled to remote villages using bicycles and bullock carts. Her Learning While Working program integrated literacy with vocational training in weaving, pottery, and healthcare, enabling 50,000+ women to gain skills without leaving their communities.

Acharya's UNESCO-backed methods influenced global education policies, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia. She developed the first gender-sensitive curriculum in Hindi, incorporating folk stories and women's oral histories. Her 1968 publication 《Women's Education: Beyond Literacy》 became a seminal text, translated into 15 languages. Despite opposition from conservative leaders, she trained 1,200+ female teachers who continued her work across India. The Encyclopedia Britannica credits her with raising rural female literacy rates from 8% to 35% in Bihar state by 1975.