Rukmini Banerji is the CEO of Pratham, where she has been part of the leadership team since 1996. Since 2005, she has led the Annual Status of Education Report (ASER). In 2008 Rukmini was the inaugural recipient of the Maulana Abul Kalam Shiksha Puraskar Award conferred by the Government of Bihar, India. She is internationally recognised as a champion and expert in foundational learning. Dr. Rukmini Banerji was awarded the 2021 Yidan Prize, the world’s highest education accolade, recognising ground-breaking work addressing a crucial piece of the education puzzle: improving the quality of education and outcomes for learners at scale.