Rewriting India’s education story with spotlight on girls

NGO ‘EDUCATE GIRLS’ HAS BECOME THE FIRST INDIAN ORGANISATION TO RECEIVE RAMON MAGSAYSAY AWARD

- HT Correspondent

This year, the nonprofit Educate Girls became the first Indian organisation to receive the Ramon Magsaysay Award—often called Asia's Nobel Prize.

The foundation honoured the group for its groundbreaking work enrolling out-of-school girls, improving learning outcomes, and shifting social norms in some of India’s most underserved communities. It marks a remarkable milestone for an NGO that began in rural Rajasthan and now reaches millions of households across the country.

To unpack the challenges and opportunities surrounding girls’ education, Gayatri Nair Lobo, CEO of Educate Girls, joined last week’s episode of Grand Tamasha, the weekly podcast on Indian politics and policy co-produced by Hindustan Times and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. Lobo brings more than 25 years of experience in consulting and development; before Educate Girls, she led the ATE Chandra Foundation and the India School Leadership Institute and held senior roles at Dalberg Advisors and Teach For India.