MEDIA RELEASE PR37861
The Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership Awarded to Pratham
CLAREMONT, Calif., Jan. 13 /PRNewswire-AsiaNet/ --
India's largest educational nonprofit impacts more than 34
million children
Claremont McKenna College (CMC) announced today the selection of Pratham,
India's largest educational nonprofit organization, as the recipient of the
fifth annual Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership. The Kravis Prize, which
carries a $250,000 award designated to the recipient organization, recognizes
extraordinary leadership in the nonprofit sector.
Pratham improves educational access and educational quality for children
in India. The Kravis Prize will be presented to the organization's
representatives at ceremonies on March 23 in New York City.
"Pratham embodies the leadership and entrepreneurial spirit that
Claremont McKenna College imparts to its students each year," said Henry
Kravis. "Pratham's work is making a difference in the lives of millions of
children. Their approach to improving educational quality is targeted,
cost-effective, and sustainable."
Founded in 1994, Pratham strives to improve the quality of education for
India's most vulnerable children. Read India, Pratham's flagship program,
works with governments and communities to improve the reading, writing, and
basic arithmetic skills of children ages 6-14. The program has reached
approximately 34 million children to date, resulting in large-scale
improvements in literacy levels across several states in India.
"Every child has the right to learn to read," said Dr. Madhav Chavan,
Pratham's Co-founder and C.E.O. "One of the great joys of our work is seeing
children read their first words and open their eyes to the power of words. We
believe in the power of literacy to transform lives."
Pratham's additional programs include preschools and libraries; training
of teachers, volunteers, and government officials; rehabilitation and
education of vulnerable and working children; early childhood care and
education; and computer and English literacy. These programs reach over one
million children each year. Pratham Books develops and publishes low-cost
books in 11 Indian languages. In addition to these programs, Pratham
implements and oversees the largest evaluation study of children's learning
levels in India and publishes the results in the Annual Status of Education
Report (ASER), which is used widely by governments, education policymakers,
academics, and other nonprofits.
"Every year we look for nonprofits that achieve sustainable and
significant impact among their target communities," continued Mr. Kravis. "By
collaborating closely with government and local communities, Pratham has
shown tremendous results and improved millions of children's lives."
Established in 2006, The Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership recognizes
and celebrates extraordinary accomplishment and bold leadership in the
nonprofit sector. The Kravis Prize is presented and administered by Claremont
McKenna College and Marie-Josee and Henry Kravis. Mrs. Kravis, an economist,
is a Senior Fellow of the Hudson Institute; Mr. Kravis, founding partner of
Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co., is an alumnus and trustee of CMC.
Kravis Prize Background
The Kravis Prize Selection Committee, chaired by Marie-Josee Kravis,
includes: Harry McMahon, CMC alumnus and chair of the Claremont McKenna
College Board of Trustees, and executive vice chairman, Bank of America
Merrill Lynch; Amartya Sen, Nobel Laureate in economics and the Thomas W.
Lamont University Professor, Harvard University; Lord Jacob Rothschild,
chairman, Rothschild Investment Trust Capital Partners; and James D.
Wolfensohn, chairman, Wolfensohn & Company, L.L.C., and former president, The
World Bank.
While the Prize typically recognizes an outstanding individual, in
exceptional circumstances the Prize may be awarded to an organization. It is
awarded annually based on nominations that are received from a group of
confidential nominators. These nominators are selected on the basis of the
breadth and depth of their knowledge of the nonprofit sector. Nominators are
chosen internationally and from a variety of fields. Prize candidates may
also be suggested by the public through the Prize's web site,
Nominations span a broad range of sectors, including economic
development, public health, law/justice/human rights, education, and capacity
building in the nonprofit sector as a whole. Selection criteria include
boldness, innovation, creativity, consistency, persistence, and effectiveness
in bringing a vision to fruition. Nominees are also evaluated based on their
accomplishments in realizing the mission of an organization and demonstrating
best practices in managing that organization.
The Prize is affiliated with The Kravis Leadership Institute (KLI), one
of CMC's ten distinguished research institutes. KLI advances the College's
mission of preparing students for responsible leadership in business, the
professions, and public affairs through its academic research, model
leadership development programs, broad leadership curriculum and systematic
outreach efforts. Through these programs, the Center has become one of the
most recognized leadership programs in higher education.
Past recipients of The Henry R. Kravis Prize in Leadership are: Roy
Prosterman, the inaugural recipient (2006), founder of the Rural Development
Institute; Fazle Abed (2007), founder of BRAC; the Forum for African Women
Educationalists (FAWE) (2008); and Dr. Sakena Yacoobi (2009), founder of the
Afghan Institute of Learning.
About Claremont McKenna College
Claremont McKenna College, established in 1946, is among the
highest-ranked and most selective liberal arts colleges in the nation. CMC
excels in preparing students for leadership through the liberal arts in
business, the professions, and public affairs. The College is home to more
than 130 accomplished teacher-scholars who are dedicated to teaching and to
offering unparalleled opportunities for student collaboration in the research
process. Enrolling approximately 1,200 students in 2009, CMC launched the
Robert Day Scholars Program and added a Master of Arts in Finance degree. CMC
combines highly-selective admission, need-blind financial aid, innovative
programs, a 9-to-1 student-faculty ratio, ten research institutes, the impact
of the seven-member Claremont College Consortium, and a strong and committed
network of alumni, to educate its graduates for a lifetime of leadership.
SOURCE: Claremont McKenna College
CONTACT: Richard Rodner
+1-909-607-9099, or +1-310-422-5011
richard.rodner@cmc.edu, or
Dorothy Buchanan,
+1-909-621-8582, or +1-909-477-9764
dorothy.buchanan@cmc.edu
both of Claremont McKenna College
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