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Padma Shri Father Kunnunkal, former CBSE chairman, passes away at 99

“He was always peaceful,” recalled Joseph Victor Edwin, a teacher of theology at Vidyajyoti Institute of Religious Studies in Delhi who had known Father Kunnunkal for more than 25 years. “Quiet. Accepting. Even at 99, there was no anxiety in him.”

5 min readNew DelhiJan 30, 2026 06:22 AM IST

Father Kunnunkal

On most mornings, Father Thomas V Kunnunkal would set out on foot from the Jesuit residence at St. Xavier’s School in Delhi, moving slowly but deliberately. “Water and walk”, he said, was the key to a long life. He lived on only a few medicines, believed in simplicity, and accepted age without complaint.

Father Kunnunkal, a Jesuit priest, a Padma Shri awardee and one of the most influential figures in India’s post-Independence education system, died in Delhi on Wednesday evening. He was 99. Best known for reshaping the Central Board of Secondary Education into a national benchmark, Father Kunnunkal served as the CBSE chairman from 1980 to 1987.

“He was always peaceful,” recalled Joseph Victor Edwin, a teacher of theology at Vidyajyoti Institute of Religious Studies in Delhi who had known Father Kunnunkal for more than 25 years. “Quiet. Accepting. Even at 99, there was no anxiety in him.”

Father Kunnunkal died at Jivodaya Hospital.

“He was among the first to give CBSE a clear vision,” said Latika Gupta, an assistant professor of education at Delhi University. “He understood that the board had to stand for something academically.”

Under his leadership, CBSE gained credibility, coherence and confidence, persuading several schools, particularly convent and missionary, that had long favoured ICSE, to migrate to the board. “Because of the trust people had in him,” Gupta said, “principals and governing bodies were convinced.”

Yet Father Kunnunkal rarely spoke about his achievements. He declined when urged by students to write an autobiography. Asked to allow a book to be written, he insisted it should focus not on him but those who worked alongside him.

“He believed deeply in networking and synergy,” Edwin said. “He would say: ‘In mathematics, one plus one is two. But in human relations, one plus one can be two, three, four or even zero. It depends entirely on the quality of relationships’.”

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Born in Alappuzha, Kerala in 1926, Father Kunnunkal joined the Society of Jesus in the 1940s and later became part of the Delhi Jesuit Province. He studied in the US, earning master’s degrees in English, Educational Administration and Educational Measurement.

Before entering national policy-making, he served two terms as the principal of St. Xavier’s School, Delhi.

In 1974, he was awarded the Padma Shri for his contribution to education.

He helped conceptualise and establish the National Open School under the National Policy on Education, 1986.

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Recalling his years as a student under Father Kunnunkal, former Delhi University Vice-Chancellor Dinesh Singh said he shaped him “as a mentor and as a visionary institution builder”. “In 1970, he banned corporal punishment, something almost unheard of then, and appointed a full-time student counsellor who was accessible to students throughout the day,” he said.

Singh said Father Kunnunkal went on to build St Xavier’s “from scratch”, reform the CBSE when it was “in bad shape”, and help establish the open school system. He added that while serving as the DU Vice-Chancellor, he worked with Father Kunnunkal again when the latter chaired Jesus and Mary College, where he “made major improvements”.

Singh said, “He chose a life of austerity and service despite coming from a privileged background…he would work alongside students in villages near Meerut. Principals like him are exceedingly rare.”

“As a Jesuit, he was inspired by a call to commit to the poor,” Edwin said. “He asked himself: as an educationist, how do I serve those who drop out, especially in towns and cities? That question led to open schooling.”

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The poor, colleagues said, were never an abstraction for him. He spoke often of education not merely as charity, but as scale systems that could reach those excluded from conventional classrooms. “Not just feeding the poor,” Edwin said, “but educating them.”

Beyond education, Father Kunnunkal was a lifelong advocate of interfaith dialogue. He served as director of the Jesuit-run Indian Social Institute in New Delhi and as president of the Islamic Studies Association, where Edwin worked closely with him. His influence, Edwin said, shaped an entire generation of dialogue practitioners.

“He taught me the power of now,” Edwin said. “Let go of the past. Live fully in the present.” Another lesson, he said, was to resist the human instinct to find fault.

Gupta tried to meet him thrice between October and December last year. Each time, she was told he was too unwell. “But even in his nineties,” she said, “people still went to him for advice.”

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“He had no fear,” Edwin said. “No pain. No restlessness. He was always positive.”

Vidheesha Kuntamalla

Vidheesha Kuntamalla is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express, based in New Delhi. She is known for her investigative reporting on higher education policy, international student immigration, and academic freedom on university campuses. Her work consistently connects policy decisions with lived realities, foregrounding how administrative actions, political pressure, and global shifts affect students, faculty, and institutions. Professional Profile Core Beat: Vidheesha covers education in Delhi and nationally, reporting on major public institutions including the University of Delhi (DU), Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, the IITs, and the IIMs. She also reports extensively on private and government schools in the National Capital Region. Prior to joining The Indian Express, she worked as a freelance journalist in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh for over a year, covering politics, rural issues, women-centric issues, and social justice. Specialisation: She has developed a strong niche in reporting on the Indian student diaspora, particularly the challenges faced by Indian students and H-1B holders in the United States. Her work examines how geopolitical shifts, immigration policy changes, and campus politics impact global education mobility. She has also reported widely on: * Mental health crises and student suicides at IITs * Policy responses to campus mental health * Academic freedom and institutional clampdowns at JNU, South Asian University (SAU), and Delhi University * Curriculum and syllabus changes under the National Education Policy Her recent reporting has included deeply reported human stories on policy changes during the Trump administration and their consequences for Indian students and researchers in the US. Reporting Style Vidheesha is recognised for a human-centric approach to policy reporting, combining investigative depth with intimate storytelling. Her work often highlights the anxieties of students and faculty navigating bureaucratic uncertainty, legal precarity, and institutional pressure. She regularly works with court records, internal documents, official data, and disciplinary frameworks to expose structural challenges to academic freedom. Recent Notable Articles (Late 2024 & 2025) 1. Express Investigation Series JNU’s fault lines move from campus to court: University fights students and faculty (November 2025) An Indian Express investigation found that since 2011, JNU has appeared in over 600 cases before the Delhi High Court, filed by the administration, faculty, staff, students, and contractual workers across the tenures of three Vice-Chancellors. JNU’s legal wars with students and faculty pile up under 3 V-Cs | Rs 30-lakh fines chill campus dissent (November 2025) The report traced how steep monetary penalties — now codified in the Chief Proctor’s Office Manual — are reshaping dissent and disciplinary action on campus. 2. International Education & Immigration ‘Free for a day. Then came ICE’: Acquitted after 43 years, Indian-origin man faces deportation — to a country he has never known (October 2025) H-1B $100,000 entry fee explained: Who pays, who’s exempt, and what’s still unclear? (September 2025) Khammam to Dallas, Jhansi to Seattle — audacious journeys in pursuit of the American dream after H-1B visa fee hike (September 2025) What a proposed 15% cap on foreign admissions in the US could mean for Indian students (October 2025) Anxiety on campus after Trump says visas of pro-Palestinian protesters will be cancelled (January 2025) ‘I couldn’t believe it’: F-1 status of some Indian students restored after US reverses abrupt visa terminations (April 2025) 3. Academic Freedom & Policy Exclusive: South Asian University fires professor for ‘inciting students’ during stipend protests (September 2025) Exclusive: Ministry seeks explanation from JNU V-C for skipping Centre’s meet, views absence ‘seriously’ (July 2025) SAU rows after Noam Chomsky mentions PM Modi, Lankan scholar resigns, PhD student exits SAU A series of five stories examining shrinking academic freedom at South Asian University after global scholar Noam Chomsky referenced Prime Minister Narendra Modi during an academic interaction, triggering administrative unease and renewed debate over political speech, surveillance, and institutional autonomy on Indian campuses. 4. Mental Health on Campuses In post-pandemic years, counselling rooms at IITs are busier than ever; IIT-wise data shows why (August 2025) Campus suicides: IIT-Delhi panel flags toxic competition, caste bias, burnout (April 2025) 5. Delhi Schools These Delhi government school grads are now success stories. Here’s what worked — and what didn’t (February 2025) ‘Ma’am… may I share something?’ Growing up online and alone, why Delhi’s teens are reaching out (December 2025) ... Read More

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