Rukmini Banerji – Language & Education Policy

Job Description

Key Responsibilities

1. Leadership of Pratham Education Foundation

   • Leads one of India’s largest NGOs working to improve quality of education in government schools and rural areas.

   • Sets the strategic vision for Pratham’s operations across India.

2. Development of Learning Programs

   • Designs and implements foundational reading, writing, and arithmetic programs, particularly for children in early grades.

   • Champions mother-tongue and multilingual learning approaches to improve comprehension.

3. ASER Survey Leadership (Annual Status of Education Report)

   • Oversees the design, data collection, and publication of ASER, India’s only large-scale household-based survey of children’s learning outcomes.

   • Uses data to influence national education policy and curriculum development.

4. Training & Capacity Building

   • Develops training modules and toolkits for thousands of grassroots volunteers, educators, and government school teachers.

   • Conducts workshops to equip local communities with tools to monitor and support children’s learning.

5. Policy Advocacy & Government Partnerships

   • Works closely with state and central government bodies to influence education policy, particularly around early learning outcomes and remedial education.

   • Represents Pratham and Indian education issues at global education summits and forums.

6. Research & Innovation

   • Leads research initiatives to evaluate and refine learning interventions using evidence-based approaches.

   • Promotes simple, scalable, and cost-effective educational innovations for low-resource settings.

Skill & Experience

• Subject Expertise:

  • Strong background in language development, primary education, and early childhood literacy.

  • Promotes a learning-by-doing and child-centered teaching methodology.

• Research & Data Skills:

  • Expert in large-scale education assessment design and data-driven policy analysis.

  • Led ASER since 2005, now a reference point for education research globally.

• Field Experience:

  • Over 25 years of hands-on experience working in villages, schools, and with grassroots communities across India.

• Strategic Leadership:

  • Successfully scaled Pratham’s presence to operate in 20+ Indian states, impacting millions of children annually.

• Policy & Global Advocacy:

  • Frequently collaborates with organizations like UNESCO, UNICEF, and the World Bank on educational development issues.

  • Serves as an advisor on international education panels and working groups.

• Awards & Recognition:

  • Pratham and Rukmini Banerji have been recognized with global honors including the WISE Prize, Lego Prize, and accolades for educational innovation.