Savitri Jha

A visionary Indian educator who pioneered gender equality in rural schools through the Shiksha Karmi model

Savitri Jha (b. 1954) is a transformative educator from Rajasthan, India, best known for developing the Shiksha Karmi model that revolutionized primary education in rural India. Her work in the 1980s laid the foundation for India's Right to Education Act (2009), ensuring free and compulsory education for all children up to age 14.

Through her UNICEF partnership, she trained thousands of local women as educators, creating 80,000 Shiksha Karmi schools across Rajasthan. Her model emphasized community participation and gender equality, achieving 98% enrollment of girls in regions where female literacy was previously under 20%.

In 2014-2019, she expanded her efforts through Global Shiksha Initiative, establishing teacher training centers in Nepal and Bangladesh. Her Education for All philosophy influenced UNESCO's Global Education Monitoring Report and inspired similar programs in sub-Saharan Africa.