Sampark Foundation expands advisory board by adding former top bureaucrats

July 15: Sampark Foundation, a leading NGO working towards improving learning outcomes in primary education, has appointed eminent personalities from different fields to its advisory board. The board members will guide the organization to improve the quality of education for two crore children by 2025 across 2 lakh schools in 10 states. 

Sampark has already been able to positively impact one crore children across 1 lakh schools in 6 states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana.

The current board already includes distinguished personalities, including Ms. Linda A. Hill, Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School and Shri Rajesh Hasija, Member of Committee of Courses & Assessment of CBSE and NCERT.

Sampark’s goal is to ensure every child receives optimal primary education through frugal innovation in teaching practices, tools and methodologies. The new board members are leaders, educationists, academicians and eminent retired Civil Service officers. Their rich years of experience working in the field of education and various other sectors will ensure that Sampark continues to make a positive impact.

“I am delighted to welcome all the distinguished leaders as our new board members, who will bring in their expansive knowledge and insight to the work that Sampark is doing,” said Mr. Vineet Nayar, Founder-Chairman of Sampark Foundation. “The new additions to the board are experts in their respective fields, particularly in education, the rural sector and governance. I am excited to channel their expertise and wisdom in furthering our mission of large-scale improvement of learning outcomes for millions of children in government schools.”  

Sampark Foundation has added Former Advisor to PM, Shri Amarjeet Sinha, Shri N. Ravi Shanker, Former Chief Secretary, Uttarakhand, Shri K.V. Chowdary, Former Chief Vigilance Officer of India and Shri Jayant Kumar Banthia, Former Chief Secretary, Maharashtra.

Advisory Board Members Profile:

Shri Amarjeet Sinha is a 1983 batch IAS Officer of the Bihar Cadre. He retired in December 2019 as Secretary, Department of Rural Development, Government of India. On re-employment, he was posted as an Advisor to the Prime Minister, in the rank of Secretary to Government of India till July 2021. He has 38 years of experience in Government, largely in the rural and social sectors. He has had the unique distinction of having played a major role in designing Sarva Siksha Abhiyan (India’s main programme for universal education), the National Rural Health Mission, and in bringing about governance reforms in programmes for rural areas covering livelihoods, employment, housing, social security, skills, urban development and road construction.

Shri N. Ravi Shanker is a former Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, Government of Uttarakhand and is a 1980 batch IAS Officer. He also was the Secretary Department of Administrative Reforms, Government of India and also handled e-learning, e-infrastructure and internet governance as the Joint Secretary and Additional Secretary in the Department of IT, Government of India. As Secretary of Basic Education in the Government of Uttar Pradesh, he was instrumental in leading the School Chalo Abhiyan – an initiative in pursuit of the theme of Universalization of School Education. He also held the position of Former Secretary (Education) in the Government of Uttarakhand. At present, he is Chancellor of DIT University, Dehradun.

Shri Jayant Kumar Banthia is a former Chief Secretary of the Government of Maharashtra and a 1977 batch IAS officer. He was the Registrar General and Census Commissioner of India from 1999 to 2004. His core interest includes the girl child, data-driven governance, public health and major infrastructure projects. Presently he is the Chairman of the Vital Statistics and Civil Registration System Committee in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and a member of the Census of India 2021 Technical Committee.

Shri K. V. Chowdary is a former 1978 batch Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer. He retired as Chairman of the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in 2014 after serving the Income tax department in different capacities and posts. He was appointed as the Central Vigilance Commissioner in June 2015 for four years. 

Dr. Rajesh Hassija is an educationist par excellence. He is a member of distinguished education bodies such as the Committee of Courses & Assessment of both CBSE and NCERT and of the Executive Committees of the National Accreditation Board for Education and Quality Council of India. He has authored more than 50 books on mathematics and computer science, and his contribution to the field of education has made him a Pedagogical Grandmaster. He is also the Managing Director of Indraprastha Schools.

Linda A. Hill is the Wallace Brett Donham Professor of Business Administration at the Harvard Business School and chair of the Leadership Initiative. Hill is regarded as one of the world’s top experts on leadership. In 2014, she co-founded Paradox Strategies, an advisory and research firm that advises organizations and boards on leadership, innovation, and diversity and inclusion. 

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