Professor Usha GOSWAMI and Sir Fazle Hasan ABED named Yidan Prize Laureates for 2019

Professor GOSWAMI's neuroscience research has made great strides in understanding brain function, which allows educators to design different teaching pedagogy, techniques and tools to help children with dyslexia and special needs to learn languages more effectively. As the Founder and Chair Emeritus of BRAC, the world's largest non-governmental organization, Sir Fazle's work of innovative Play Labs allows the poorest and the most vulnerable children to obtain high-quality and low-cost early childhood education.

The two laureates will receive their awards at the Yidan Prize Awards Presentation Ceremony. Distinguished guests from around the world will witness this memorable moment at a widely anticipated international education event.

This year's laureates were chosen by the Yidan Prize Judging Committee during a six-month judging process from an overwhelming number of strong candidates to the two laureates. The geographical reach of the nominated projects this year covers 129 countries or regions such as China, the United States, India, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Brazil and many others, indicating the growing significance of the Yidan Prize on the global stage. The 13 new countries on the list include Saudi Arabia, Belarus, North Macedonia, El Salvador, Gambia, Togo, Lesotho, Belize and others, representing a rich tapestry of different cultures and geographic regions.

Dr. Charles CHEN Yidan, Founder of the Yidan Prize, expressed his heartfelt thanks to the Yidan Prize Judging Committee for their completion of the judging process in Hong Kong. He said: "I congratulate Professor Usha GOSWAMI and Sir Fazle Hasan ABED, KCMG on their outstanding achievements and commitment to improving education. Knowledge attainment is an area that transcends racial, religious, economic and national boundaries, affecting everything from human health and the environment to well-being and personal fulfillment. I hope every country and region can benefit from the results of the best research and education development work, helping to create a better world through education."

Dr. CHEN added, "I believe, in the future, education will continue to evolve - alongside with technological breakthrough and social change - and we will have deeper understanding on education. To me, education itself is not an end goal; it is an ongoing process to help mankind pursue long-term individual well-being and sustainable social development."

Yidan Prize Judging Committee is led by Dr. Koichiro MATSUURA, former Director-General of UNESCO. Mr. Andreas SCHLEICHER, Director for the OECD's Directorate of Education and Skills, heads the panel judging the Yidan Prize for Education Research, while Ms. Dorothy K. GORDON, Chair of UNESCO IFAP, leads the panel judging the Yidan Prize for Education Development.

Dr. MATSUURA, Chairman of Yidan Prize Judging Committee commented: "This is the third year the Yidan Prize has been awarded and we are pleased with the result. Our Committee is delighted to see that the laureates' inspiring projects are helping transform education in different communities, improving learning in a meaningful and sustainable manner."

Professor Usha GOSWAMI, Laureate of Yidan Prize for Education Research, is a world-leading researcher in the fields of literacy, neuroscience and education. She is Professor of Cognitive Developmental Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow of St John's College Cambridge. Her research has identified the importance of children's awareness of linguistic rhythm patterns for their reading acquisition, and has also revealed the brain basis of rhythm perception, showing how this neural process is impaired in developmental dyslexia.

In 1972, Sir Fazle Hasan ABED, KCMG, Laureate of Yidan Prize for Education Development, founded BRAC, an international organization with a focus on empowering the poor, especially women and girls, to achieve their full potential through education. Since then, BRAC has grown to be one of the most effective development organizations in the world, working each year with over 100 million people globally.