About Us

Board of Trustees as on March 31, 2010

Dr. Venita Kaul

Dr. Venita is a founder Trustee of Pratham Delhi Education Initiative.She took the charge of Managing Trustee on October 8, 2010.

Dr.Venita has done her doctorate in Educational Psychology from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. She retired from the World Bank as Senior Education Specialist in 2008 after rendering her services for about 10 years in this capacity. Before joining the World Bank, she was Professor and Head of Department of Preschool and Elementary Education at the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). In 2000 and 2007 she led the preparation of the Country paper on status and progress on ECCE in India for UNESCO. She has written several books and papers in reputed journals.

At present, Dr. Venita is Visiting Professor of Education in Ambedkar University, Delhi and is engaged in setting up a Center for Early Childhood Education and Development (CECED) in the University for Policy Research, Capacity building, Advocacy and networking in ECED. 

Mr. Romesh Kapoor

Mr. Kapoor joined Pratham Delhi Education Initiative Trust on June 8, 2004 and has been the Treasurer of the Trust since July 1, 2004. He is a member of the Institute of Charted Accountants in England and Wales. He was senior Vice President of Zuari Agro and President of Goa Management Association (GMA). He took keen interest in professional and community activities in Goa and besides being Chairman of GMA, was also Chairman of the Fertilizer Association of India (Western Region) and Goa Cricket Association. He was also Council Member of All India Management Association, FAI’s Marketing Advisory Committee, Goa Chamber of Commerce, Salgoacar Management Institute, College of Engineering and Agnel Ashram. He is also associated with Indian National Trust for Arts and Cultural Heritage (INTACH) and is Honorary Financial Advisor to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital Trust and Chair Kamla Choudhary Charitable Trust.

Mr. Syed Shahid Mahdi

Mr. Mahdi is one of the founder Trustee of Pratham Delhi Education Initiative (PDEI) Trust. A retired member of Indian Administrative Service (IAS), he has served in various positions in Bihar and Government of India. He was India’s Alternate Permanent representative in FAO of United Nations and Member of several FAO Inter Governmental Committees. For more than a decade he has been in the senior most professional position (D2) with FAO of the United Nations at Headquarters and Director of country offices in Nepal, Yemen, and Ethiopia.

Mr. Mahdi was Vice Chancellor of Jamia Millia Islamia (a Central university) and is credited for quantum improvements and expansion in Academics, Infrastructure and Information Technology during his tenure. He is member of many educational bodies and institutions.

At present, Mr. Mahdi is Vice President of Indian Council for Cultural Relations (ICCR).

Mr. Vinod C Khanna

Mr. Khanna launched Pratham Delhi Education Initiative (PDEI) in 1999 and was its first Managing Trustee. He is retired member of Indian Foreign Service and has served as India’s ambassador to Cuba, Indonesia and Bhutan. Mr. Khanna holds degree from Oxford University and has studied law from University of Delhi.

He is Honorary Executive Chairman of Council for Social Development and Principal Consultant of Tech Mahindra Foundation.

Prof. R. Govinda

Prof. Govinda is a founder Trustee of Pratham Delhi Education Initiative. He retired from the board after completing the term of 3 years and rejoined the board in July 2005.

Prof. Govinda is Vice Chancellor of National University of Education Planning and Administration (NUEPA). He has taught at the Centre of Advanced Study in Education, Baroda and was on the Faculty of International Institute for Educational Planning, UNESCO, Paris and Institute for Social and Economic Change, Bangalore. He is Consultant for UNESCO, UNICEF, ACCU, NORAD, the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. He has published several books and professional papers in Indian and international journals. He specializes in Policy Analysis, Decentralized Management, Basic Education, Non-formal Education and Educational Evaluation.  

Ms. Shailaja Chandra

Ms. Shailaja joined PDEI Trust on June 10, 2006. She has been a career civil servant with over 40 years of experience in the Central and State Governments in India. Ms. Chandra became Secretary to the Government of India in 1999 and later distinguished herself as Delhi’s first woman Chief Secretary in 2002.

As Chief Secretary of Delhi, she was closely associated with ‘Bhagidari’ a government- citizen partnership which won the United Nations Public Service Award for improving transparency, accountability, and responsiveness in the public service category.

In 2006 the Government of India appointed her as the first Executive Director of the National Population Stabilization Fund. Ms Chandra has functioned as the Chairperson of Delhi’s Public Grievances Commission and as the Appellate authority under the Right Information Act. Since 2007, Ms. Chandra is the Chairperson of the Delhi Public Library Board, an autonomous organization of the Ministry of Culture that runs a large network of libraries across the city. She is also the Chairperson of the Governing Body of Dyal Singh College of the Delhi University.

Mr Vikram Lal

Mr. Lal joined PDEI Trust on June 10, 2006. He is a member of the audit committee of the Trust. He studied engineering in Germany after his schooling in the Doon School, and in 1966 joined Eicher Tractors, started by his father. He retired from the Chairmanship of the Eicher Group in 1997, and has since then been involved in a number of voluntary organizations. He is the President of Common Cause, a Public Interest Organization. He is active in running the Shroff Charity Eye Hospital in Delhi and the Goodearth Education Foundation, which runs over 70 Balwadis and schools in Alwar district. He is also Trustee of Vikram Sarabhai Foundation. As a hobby he publishes high quality maps of Indian cities and tourist guides for various places of interest in India.

Dr. Neerja Sharma

Dr. Sharma joined PDEI Trust on June 10, 2006. She is Associate Professor at the Department of Human Development and Childhood Studies, Lady Irwin College, University of Delhi. She specializes in the areas of adolescence, disability, mental health, education and research methods. Apart from publishing several research papers and book chapters, Dr. Sharma has authored three books: Understanding Adolescence (NBT), Identity of the Adolescent girl, and Evaluating Children in Primary Education (both Discovery). In 2008 she co-edited a book titled ‘Researching Families and Children: Culturally Appropriate Methods’ (Sage). In 2009, Dr. Sharma has published a chapter with Nandita Chaudhary titled ‘Human Development: Contexts and Processes’ in an ICSSR sponsored volume ‘Psychology in India’ (Pearson Education). She is on the Reference Group of the International Association of Universities under UNESCO.  In 2008-09 she served as an advisor-cum-editor for the NCERT class XI textbook on ‘Human Ecology and Family Sciences’. Apart from being a trustee at Pratham, Dr. Sharma is an advisor to RAK Child Study Centre at Lady Irwin College, Snehi (mental health), Karuna Vihar, Dehradun (disability) and Springdales School (inclusive education).

Ms. Annie Koshi

Ms. Annie Koshi joined PDEI Trust on March 20, 2010. She is Principal of St. Mary's School, New Delhi. A devoted social worker, she actively advocates the cause of the disabled and has worked hard to introduce an Inclusive education system which involves a schooling where physically, mentally, emotionally and financially-challenged children study in the mainstream, a school where 'difference' is accepted and celebrated. As a social activist, she has been instrumental in bringing in legislation to change methods of assessment for the visually-challenged in the Board Examinations as well as legislation that restrains the use of Government school teachers for out of schoolwork like election duty and census. Ms. Koshi received the prestigious National Award for Teachers, conferred by the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India, in the year 2004. She has also been felicitated by the National Literacy Mission for her leadership in the field of literacy, awarded the National Child Care Award, India Development Education Award and the Freelance Journalists & Writers' Association Award, twice, for her contributions in the fields of education, art and culture. She has authored various books and writes poetry.

The Trustees who retired, after completing their respective terms or resigned, rendering distinguished services to the PDEI Trust are as follows:

  1. Ms. Farah Naqvi, Educationist
  2. Mr. Satish Kaura, Chairmen & Managing Director, Samtel Corporate Office
  3. Mr. P. P. Chauhan, IAS (Retd.)
  4. Mr. B.G. Varghese, Senior Journalist.
  5. Mr. Lalit Narula, Chairman, Narula’s
  6. Ms. Manju Bharatram, Founder, Sri Ram Schools
  7. Ms. Brinda Singh, Social Worker
  8. Ms. Vimala Ramachandran, Educationist
  9. Ms. Ramni Narula, ICICI Bank
  10. Mr. Vinay Shankar, IAS (Retd.)
  11. Mr. M. Rajan, Senior Executive (Retd.), UNICEF
  12. Ms. C.P Sujaya, IAS (Retd.)
  13. Mr. Sandeep Malhotra, ICICI Bank