Safeena Husain (File photo)
NEW DELHI: India’s non-profit, Educate Girls, has been named a 2025 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee — Asia’s premier honour — becoming the first Indian organisation to receive the prize. Founded in 2007, the group has worked across 30,000 villages to enrol more than 2 million girls back in school and support over 2.4 million children in remedial learning.The award citation lauded Educate Girls for “addressing cultural stereotyping through the education of girls and young women, liberating them from the bondage of illiteracy and giving them skills, courage, and agency to achieve their full human potential.”For founder Safeena Husain, the announcement was deeply personal. “When they announced Educate Girls had been chosen, I was crying. The last 18 years flashed before my eyes. It was emotional and overwhelming,” she told TOI.Husain’s own educational struggles shaped her mission. “My schooling was interrupted for three years, but a woman supported me, took me into her home, and encouraged me to return. That changed my life — I became the first in my family to study abroad at the London School of Economics. It made me want to ensure that no girl is denied that chance.”Despite near-universal enrolment at the primary level, dropouts, especially among girls remain high in multiple states such as West Bengal, Karnataka, Asaam, Gujarat, and Madhya Pradesh at secondary stages. Husain said Educate Girls deliberately works in “the most rural, remote, tribal areas where the problem is most acute,” including districts in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar.According to her, the barriers are clear: “Two things keep girls out of school — poverty and patriarchy. Poverty forces girls into work, but it is patriarchy that deprioritises them when families decide who gets educated. Our work is about changing that mindset through community volunteers called Team Balika.”Husain hopes the award gives fresh momentum to the cause. “No girl says she wants to stay home, marry early, or graze goats. Every girl wants to study, have friends, and opportunities. I hope this recognition gives us the tailwind to bring every last girl back to school.”She also pointed to the National Education Policy 2020 as a strong foundation. “It has provisions for second-chance programmes and distance learning. But policy alone is not enough. Society too must change its mindset. Sons and daughters must be treated equally.”Looking ahead, Educate Girls plans to expand its footprint. “The bad news of winning an award like this,” Husain said with a laugh, “is that it makes you dream bigger. Our target is 10 million learners in the next decade, including older girls who missed school. We also hope to move into new geographies, including the Northeast.”The Ramon Magsaysay Awards will be presented in Manila on November 7.
