LONDON, Aug 7: Two Indian education pioneers have on Wednesday been named among the 10 finalists for the inaugural Asia Education Medal, founded by UK-headquartered T4 Education and information technology major HP to honour an outstanding individual who has demonstrated impact, leadership and advocacy in the field of education.
Ashish Dhawan, Founder and Chairperson of the Central Square Foundation, and Pranav Kothari, CEO of Educational Initiatives (Ei), will compete with other short-listed high achievers in the field from Singapore, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Japan and Malaysia for the medal to be conferred in October. The Asia Education Medal joins the Africa Education Medal, which was founded in 2022, and a new Latin America Education Medal which was also launched this year as a new recognition in the educational arena.
“The Asia Education Medal brings together all those who are changing the face of Asian education, whose work we must all learn from if the world is to meet the Sustainable Development Goals by 2030,” said Mayank Dhingra, Senior Education Business Leader at HP.
“HP has a bold goal to accelerate digital equity for 150 million people globally by 2030. Only by joining forces and aligning with NGOs, government, educators and businesses can we truly improve the education environment,” he said.
Dhawan’s Central Square Foundation (CSF) is among the most important contemporary education philanthropies in India and his nomination recognises the work it has done to successfully champion Foundational Literacy and Numeracy (FLN).
Founded in 2012, CSF played a catalytic role in centring FLN as the primary objective of the K-12 education ecosystem in India, which serves 250 million children. Additionally, CSF prioritises EdTech integration, aiming to deploy digital solutions for in-class and at-home learning and establish evidence-based practices while harnessing the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) to augment learning outcomes.
Kothari’s Educational Initiatives (Ei) is an organisation that employs the twin levers of cutting-edge pedagogical research and technology-based solutions to help students across different socio-economic backgrounds learn with understanding. Through his work, Kothari has sought to address the challenge that while school enrollment has expanded in India with the broadening of the country’s education infrastructure, schooling has not translated into learning. Ei also recognises the importance of high-quality competency-based assessments and deep insights into misconceptions.
“The Asia Education Medal honours changemakers where change is needed most, where learning gaps remain stubbornly persistent and where deep inequalities remain. If we are to tackle these colossal challenges, and unlock the continent’s future, we must build a community of leaders from every sphere of society committed to educational transformation – leaders like Ashish Dhawan and Pranav Kothari,” said Vikas Pota, Founder and CEO of T4 Education.
Nominations for the Asia Education Medal opened in February for individuals working to improve pre-kindergarten, K-12, vocational and university education who are either educators or school leaders, civil society leaders, public servants, government officials, political leaders, entrepreneurs, business leaders, or technologists. The winner of the medal will be invited to attend the World Schools Summit in Dubai in November. (PTI)
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