New Delhi, 07.07.2022: 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 organisation in its goal of improving quality of education for 2 crore children by 2025 across 2 lakh schools in 10 states. So far, Sampark has been able to impact 1 crore children across 1 lakh schools in 6 states.

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 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.”

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 sector. 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 Universalisation 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 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 Vital Statistics and Civil Registration System Committee in 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. He currently serves as an independent director in some large companies and is associated with many charitable organisations.

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 in the field of education has made him a Pedagogical Grandmaster. In recognition of his contribution in the education segment, Dr. Hassija was bestowed with the prestigious National Teachers Award in 2003. 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. Hill is the author or co-author of several award-winning articles and books on leadership.

About Sampark Foundation: Sampark Foundation was founded by  Anupama Nayar and Vineet Nayar  (Former Vice Chairman and CEO of  HCL Technologies and author of  Harvard Business Press bestseller  "Employees First, Customer Second")  with a committed investment of INR 700 Crore with a belief that “frugal innovation”  and its effective implementation in  partnership with the government can  drive large-scale improvement in  learning outcomes.

Currently, the Sampark Smart Shala program is impacting over 1 crore children through its  implementation in 84,000 primary government schools in 6 states (Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand). Many third-party surveys have shown that in the schools, where the Sampark Smart Shala has been implemented, there is a marked increase in the number of children who answered grade level questions in Math and English. For example, according to Feedback Consulting, a research organisation, in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Haryana, there has been a 34, 39 and 61 percent improvement respectively in performance of children in 2019- 20.

About Vineet Nayar: Vineet Nayar is the Founder, Chairman of Sampark Foundation. He is the former CEO of HCL Technologies, a leading IT firm. He is known for transforming HCL from a $0.7 billion company in 2005 to a $4.7 Billion company in 2013, which led HCL’s management practices to be taught as a case study in Harvard Business School. Vineet is also author of the highly acclaimed management book, “Employee First, Customers Second – Turning Conventional Management Upside Down”, which has sold 100,000 copies till date. Vineet has been cited in “Forbes 48 Heroes of Philanthropy, 2016”, for the pedagogical innovations the Foundation has brought into classrooms. He is also an acknowledged management visionary and a radical thinker and has been included in the elite “Thinkers 50 List” in 2011-2012, which is a listing of the world’s top 50 business leaders.