Dr Karel Neys (1920 – 1992) was a well-known specialist in education, with a deep affection for Indonesia and Southeast Asia. He is also the founder of the Neys-van Hoogstraten Foundation to which he bequeathed his fortune on passing away in 1992. Along the lines originally set out by its founder, the Neys-van Hoogstraten Foundation supports researchers with promising ideas on socio-economic aspects of food and nutrition, in Asia.

Dr Karel Neys, Life and Work

Karel Neys was born in Klaten, Indonesia, and after completing grammar school, he studied social sciences in the Netherlands at the universities of Leiden and Utrecht.

In 1946, he was appointed acting secretary of the University of Indonesia in Jakarta, a starting point for his interesting international career. He served as a specialist in adult education, firstly for the South Pacific Commission and subsequently for UNESCO in Latin America. He published a number of important manuals, articles and reports.

A few years before he passed away, he wrote to friends while visiting Hong Kong and Macao: ”The Asian sun is doing me good”. In 1989, at the age of 69, Karel Neys took the decision to set up a foundation aimed at research and related training. He probably felt that his long working life devoted to education was soon to come to an end.

Booklet about Dr Neys

In 2005, a booklet about the life and work of Dr  Karel Neys and the activities of the Neys-van Hoogstraten Foundation was published. For those interested in the life and work of Dr Karel Neys and the Foundation, please contact the External Secretariat of the Neys-van Hoogstraten Foundation for a copy of this booklet (for as long stock lasts).