Professor Dev Prakash Nayar (1918 - 2005) was educated at the Central Model School and Government College, Lahore. He took his Master's degree in English from the Punjab University in 1938. In 1944, he joined Gandhiji and got interested in his experiments about the revolutionary concept of basic education (Nayee Talim). He taught at the Sevagram Basic School and the Post-Graduate Training College (1944-46). In 1947, he joined Gandhi ji in Noakhali and subsequently in Bihar and had the privilege of closely observing non-violence in action. At the time of the assassination of Gandhi ji, he was in-charge of his work in Bihar, while Gandhi ji had to move to Delhi.
In, 1949, he joined the Ministry of Education and subsequently moved on to the Planning Commission in 1950, where he took charge of the Education Division. He retired in 1976 as Adviser In-charge of Education and Social Welfare. For the next three years, he was Consultant to the National Staff College of Educational Planners and Administrators (Now a Deemed to be University). During 1979-80, he was visiting Professor for Educational Planning and Administration at the Punjab University, Chandigarh. From 1980 to 1986, he was Senior Fellow with the Indian Councils of Social Science Research and Historical Research and conducted two studies on various aspects of Indian Education.
Professor Nayar has written extensively on problems of Indian Education. He has published, besides about 100 papers/articles in Indian and foreign journals, three research studies: Ideas on Social Education; Our Plans and Projects and the Educational System of Japan. His monumental research work, which is field based, is 'Towards a National System of Education, (1989)'. For this study financial assistance was provided by the Indian Council of Historical Research. Professor Nayar also participated in national and international seminars/workshops/expert groups and conferences relating to education.