Dr Madhav Chavan and Dr Rukmini Banerji (Part 2): Go to the people. Love them, learn from them.

We continue our journey with pioneers in literacy and learning in India, Dr Madhav Chavan and Dr Rukmini Banerji of the Pratham Education Foundation. In this episode we dive deep into the story of Pratham and the ASER survey. Pratham is one of India’s best known non governmental organizations and was established in 1995 by Madhav Chavan and Farida Lambe. Since then the organisation has striven to improve literacy amongst India’s children with the mission ‘Every Child in School Learning Well’. Pratham conducts the Annual State of Education Report (ASER) Survey, a nationwide household survey on the state of education in rural India by capturing vital information in child enrollment and learning outcomes. Dr Madhav Chavan grew up on a commune in Maharashtra and went on to study chemistry at the Institute of Science in Mumbai and completed his PhD from Ohio State University. After a brief stint as a professor in America, he returned to India in 1983 and began working with Doordarshan where he produced programmes on literacy. He then worked with UNICEF, and the National Literacy Mission in the informal settlements of Mumbai. All of these experiences in literacy led him to co-found Pratham in 1995. Dr Rukmini Banerji grew up in Bihar, and was a stellar student and sportswoman. She studied at St Stephens College and later at Oxford University, where she was a Rhodes scholar. She earned her Ph.D at the University of Chicago. Dr Banerji joined Pratham on returning to India in 1996 and has worked extensively in designing and supporting large scale partnerships with various state governments to improve learning outcomes in children. She has been the organization’s CEO since 2015. Additional Reading: Banerjee and Duflo’s journey with Pratham by Rukmini Banerji Marginlands by Arati-Kumar Rao Archival audio: Ad for ASER courtesy Pratham.