Pratham Education Foundation

𝐇𝐨𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝐀𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐋𝐞𝐠𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐨𝐟 𝐌𝐬. 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐲 𝐢𝐧 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐬. Farida Lambay’𝐬 journey as an educationist and social activist stands as a powerful example of visionary leadership that has shaped the landscape of child rights and inclusive education in India. As an established and legendary leader in the development sector, her work reflects decades of unwavering commitment to equity, dignity, and systemic transformation. At the intersection of child rights, inclusive education, and social justice, she has consistently translated compassionate vision into large-scale, sustainable impact, ensuring that the most marginalized voices are not only heard, but empowered. As the Co-Founder of Pratham Education Foundation, her contributions have played a pivotal role in advancing literacy, strengthening child protection systems, and mobilizing communities at scale. Her work demonstrates that meaningful change requires both deep grassroots understanding and the ability to build institutions that endure. Her pioneering leadership is further reflected in her role with the Pratham Council For Vulnerable Children (𝐏𝐂𝐕𝐂), where she has been a steadfast advocate for children in difficult circumstances. Over the years, her influence has extended to national policy spaces, shaping frameworks that protect and uplift vulnerable populations. Her distinguished contributions have earned her prestigious recognitions, including the 𝐈𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐫𝐚 𝐆𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐡𝐢 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐳𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 (2021) 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐂𝐈 𝐅𝐋𝐎 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐛𝐥𝐚𝐳𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐝 (2023), underscoring the scale and significance of her impact. More than her achievements, her legacy of integrity, courage, and institution-building defines her leadership. Her journey offers a powerful blueprint for our on-ground teams, demonstrating how sustained commitment, ethical leadership, and bold advocacy can drive systemic change over time. We were honoured to felicitate 𝐌𝐬. 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐲 for her extraordinary contributions as a veteran and legendary leader. Her over four decades of service and her role in building pathways for inclusive growth continue to inspire generations of social entrepreneurs, educators, and changemakers. We extend our sincere gratitude to 𝐌𝐬. 𝐅𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐚 𝐋𝐚𝐦𝐛𝐚𝐲 for graciously accepting this recognition and for being part of our celebration of inspiring women leaders who are creating meaningful impact across diverse fields. Pratham Education Foundation| Forbes India Prathmesh Raorane| Alok kadam| Sunny Pawar| Ninad Khanvilkar| Kevin Ponmany #Leadership #SocialImpact #EducationForAll #ChildRights #WomenInLeadership #Changemakers #LegacyLeadership #InclusiveEducation

Last night in Oxford, I was honoured to be invited to a small gathering to mark Rukmini Banerji stepping down as CEO of Pratham Education Foundation. Someone I have admired for years. One moment from the evening. On a due-diligence trip to Uttar Pradesh twenty years ago, a funder arrived at a school with an entourage of government officials and a journalist or two. Everyone settled into one classroom to watch the visit unfold. Rukmini was already in another, with the teachers and the children. It is the same instinct that has carried Pratham for decades. Proximity to the child. Honesty about what they can and cannot do. A refusal to soften that reality for parents, district officers or prime ministers. The Learning Metrics Task Force came up, and I remember how much it mattered. Convened by UNESCO and Brookings in 2012 and co-chaired by Rukmini, it was where the global conversation began to shift from access to learning. Built on consultations with more than 1,700 people in 118 countries, its recommendations fed directly into SDG 4 and shaped how learning is understood and measured today. And from a colleague who had sat with her in front of sceptical donors: if systems change means anything, Rukmini told them, it means a thousand teachers across Sub-Saharan Africa practising Teaching at The Right Level in ten years, equipped to change things and to inspire others. Not a framework. People. When Rukmini spoke, she talked about family. Large Indian joint families, she said, have all kinds of dynamics and challenges, and go through ups and downs, but if you want to change fundamental things you do it together. She was clear she is not the torch-bearer. Everyone in the room had a role to play, she said, so she could sit in the corner and have a drink! Thank you, Rukmini. For the decades of work. For the honesty. For the insistence that learning is the point. And, most of all, for the millions of children across India and far beyond who can read, count and reason today because of what you built.

📢 See you at Skoll! 👉🏽 Experts from across the #Pratham network will be at the #SkollWorldForum in Oxford this week (21–23 April), helping shape conversations on some of the biggest questions in global development. From scaling innovations within government systems to rethinking what counts as evidence, and how the Global South can lead on its own terms. ℹ️ Sessions to look out for: 1️⃣ From India, for the World: Building Ecosystems That the Global South Can Own. Rukmini Banerji CEO of Pratham Education Foundation, joins fellow panellists to explore how India’s experience can offer credible, scalable models for Southern-led development. 🗓️ Wednesday 22 April, 9:30–10:30 AM | Mathematical Institute 2️⃣ From Programs to Public Systems: Enabling Government Ownership Devyani Pershad, Chief Program Officer at Pratham International, joins fellow panellists to share lessons on what it takes to move from pilots to lasting public ownership. 🗓️Tuesday 21 April, 9:30–10:30 AM | New Road Baptist Church 3️⃣ Beyond RCTs: Rethinking Evidence, Power, and What Counts as Impact. Manushi Yadav, Director of Strategy and Partnerships at Pratham USA, joins fellow panellists to explore more inclusive approaches to learning and evidence. 🗓️ Wednesday 22 April, 9:30–10:30 AM | New Road Baptist Church . . . 🔗 Registration links in the comments, hope to see you there! Skoll Foundation | Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship | Pratham UK

The India Impact House opens with a question the global development community needs to sit with: Who builds the ecosystems that the Global South can truly own? On 22 April in Oxford, on the sidelines of the Skoll World Forum 2026, we're bringing together four voices that represent different sides of this question - practice, capital, narrative, and cross-continental partnership - for our opening panel: From India, for the World: Building Ecosystems That the Global South Can Own Our speakers: Diva Dhar, Deputy Director, Women's Economic Empowerment, Gates Foundation, who leads global strategy on women's livelihoods and brings deep expertise on India's development models as exemplars for the Global South. Dr Rukmini Banerji, CEO, Pratham Education Foundation, whose work on foundational learning has reached millions of children in India and is now being adapted across Africa and South Asia. Raj Kumar, President & Editor-in-Chief, Devex, who has spent two decades shaping how the global development community tells its story, and who gets to tell it. Victoria Chelangat Sabula, CEO, Africa Enterprise Challenge Fund (AECF), who leads private-sector-driven development across 26 African countries and brings the critical perspective of what India and Africa can genuinely learn from each other. Moderated by Aashish Beergi, Founder & CEO, MASH Project Foundation. This is the anchor session of the India Impact House, MASH's platform at Skoll to spotlight India's social innovation ecosystem and build new bridges across the Global South. We're just getting started. Join the waitlist to attend: https://luma.com/62tjbe6u #IndiaImpactHouse #Oxford #SWF2026 #SkollWorldForum2026 #MASHImpact