The Central European University (CEU) Open Society Prize for 2021 has been awarded to KK Shailaja, the former Health Minister of Kerala. Announcing the award, President and Rector of CEU, Michael Ignatieff said, "As minister of public health in the Indian state of Kerala, during the COVID-19 pandemic, KK Shailaja Teacher, demonstrated to the world that determined leadership, community based public health and effective communication can save lives. Shailaja Teacher's example will inspire young women to enter public service. By awarding CEU's highest award to Shailaja Teacher, the university honours a public servant and female leader for her commitment to public health services, the bedrock of every open society.”
The award was announced at an online session of the University’s graduation day. In her acceptance speech, KK Shailaja said, ”It is a pleasure to express my deep gratitude to CEU for conferring the Open Society Prize. I am truly humbled and honoured to be placed alongside the distinguished previous honoraries, all of whom have made important contributions to an open society.”
Previous honoraries of the CEU Open Society Prize include economist and Nobel Prize laureate Joseph E Stiglitz; 2015 Nobel Laureate for Literature Svetlana Alexievich; seventh Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan; and President of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel; among others. The award was instituted in 1994 and it was first awarded to philosopher Sir Karl Popper.
Continuing with her speech, Shailaja said, “When we decided a strategy for battling the pandemic in Kerala, we know that it had to be centred on securing the government's commitment and accountability to the people as well as by working in synergy with the civil society.” She added that teamwork and cohesiveness were the main facets in the management of COVID-19 in Kerala. She stated that many people worked on the frontlines putting their lives at risk out of kindness and empathy.
"The state adopted the approach to systematically increase the capacity and resilience of the state's public health system, to prepare for effectively respond (sic) to other crisis in future too. As a science teacher early on in my career and then on joining politics, it has been my strong convection that a scientific temper must be promoted and it encompasses an attitude of curiosity and desire to reform," she said.
She also said in her speech that timely interventions have helped to keep mortality rate low in the state. She urged the graduating students to stay curious as learning is a continuous process and to share knowledge with others. "We live in an increasingly volatile and unpredictable world, where leaders must rise to global challenges and work out new constructive solutions together to build an equitable society," she said.
After the 2016-2021 term of the LDF government in Kerala, KK Shailaja was re-elected to the Kerala Assembly from Mattannur constituency with a record victory margin of more than 60,000 votes. In the current LDF government, she has been appointed as the CPI(M) party whip, with no cabinet position.
In June 2020, Shailaja was honoured by the United Nations and was invited to speak on the United Nations Public Service Day. She was the only speaker from the country and spoke on COVID-19 management strategies in Kerala.