Winner of the CIES 2010 International Travel Award Announced

As announced previously, George Soros and the Open Society Institute have initiated an endowment that will allow the Comparative and International Education Society to attract distinguished researchers and practitioners from developing countries to present at CIES conferences. The newly established CIES International Travel Award for Distinguished Service in Educational Service attempts to increase the presence of educational experts who serve in countries where international projects are implemented. Other international organizations and philanthropies are invited to contribute to this inter-agency endowment fund, initiated by CIES and OSI.

The members of the review committee are Dr. Mark Ginsburg, past CIES president and Education Quality Specialist at the Academy of Educational Development; Dr. Lynn Murphy, Senior Fellow at the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation; Dr. Aleesha Taylor, Senior Program Manager at OSI’s Education Support Program and Dr. Portia Williams, Director of International Affairs at Teachers College, Columbia University.

Join us in congratulating the winner of the CIES 2010 International Travel Award:

Dr. Subba Rao Ilapavuluri

I have held leadership positions in educational policy making in India for nearly eight years providing me a unique opportunity to contribute to the national efforts to expand children’s access to quality elementary education and adults’ access to lifelong learning opportunities.

As Director of Elementary Education and Teacher Education Division in Government of India from 1992 to 1996, I had initiated a number of reforms in curriculum and assessment intended to improve the quality of school education. These initiatives have since become a part of the educational policy matrix across the country. The key elements of this reform process were a clear emphasis on learning outcomes and making the teaching- learning process more learner-centric, activity- oriented and joyful. This was achieved through a synergistic combination of effective teacher orientation, better textbooks, and changes in learner assessment strategies. Recognizing the centrality of good quality teacher education to the national endeavor of achieving the Education for All (EFA) goals, I helped set up a national institution for teacher education- National Council for Teacher Education- to foster a culture of excellence in teacher education. I provided technical support to the District Primary Education Program, the first major comprehensive nation-wide effort to universalize access to quality elementary education. Working in close collaboration with the Ministry of Labor, I ensured that the linkage between child labor and universal elementary education is appreciated and appropriate coordinated programs are put in place to simultaneously address both these national concerns affecting child rights. I evolved the national School lunch program and oversaw its initial implementation across the country. This program is now being implemented in all the states in India.

For nearly four years, from 2000 to 2004, I was the Principal Secretary to the Government of Andhra Pradesh (the fifth largest state in India with a population of 80 million) heading the Department of School Education. I brought education to the centre stage of developmental agenda of the state. Enrollment in schools went up, dropout rates declined significantly and quality of learning became the focus of concerted action. Teacher training programs were revamped and collaborative mechanisms were established to empower teachers to become reflective practitioners. Innovative programs to involve communities, forging partnerships with non-governmental bodies, addressing systemic inadequacies and barriers to encourage first generation learners to enter and stay on in school helped the state to move rapidly towards EFA goals. Use of ICT in schools got a big boost with more than 1000 schools using computer-aided learning methods in the classrooms. Community learning centers were established as forums for life long learning incorporating adult literacy and non-formal, vocational education.

I have been closely associated with the policy dialogues on basic education, lifelong learning and assessment of learning outcomes facilitated by UNESCO, UNICEF and the World Bank. In addition, I continue to be associated with my alma mater, University of Pennsylvania, as a member of the Executive Board of International Literacy Institute at Philadelphia.

Dr. Subba Rao Ilapavuluri, India.