Baela Raza Jamil, a trailblazing advocate for education, has been awarded the prestigious Asia Education Medal 2024, recognizing her four decades of tireless work to revolutionize education across Pakistan. This is a significant milestone, as she becomes the first Pakistani to receive this honor, marking both a national and global achievement.

The Asia Education Medal, founded by T4 Education and HP, is one of three World Education Medals that acknowledge leaders who create transformative educational opportunities for the next generation.

The jury acknowledges Baela Raza Jamil’s unwavering dedication and tireless efforts to enhance the quality of education and to spearhead a nationwide movement for progressive, inclusive learning. Her commitment to equipping children, adolescents, and youth with life skills and fostering educational equity has been pivotal in reshaping the landscape of education. Through her visionary leadership, Baela has transformed education into a platform for innovation, inclusion, and empowerment, ensuring that future generations have the tools they need to thrive in an ever-evolving world.

As a public policy specialist and activist, she has led initiatives in early childhood education, girls’ education, and education in emergencies. Her impact on education has earned her a nomination for the Sitara-e-Imtiaz, one of Pakistan’s highest civilian honors.

As the founder of the Children’s and Teachers’ Literature Festival, now known as the Pakistan Learning Festival, Jamil has promoted reading and creative learning for all children. Her organization has distributed over 1.2 million books to more than 10,000 schools and libraries, reaching over two million children nationwide. She is the global Champion for the Learning Generation Initiative, also serving on the IBE Council UNESCO, the People’s Action for Learning (PAL) Network, and is on the Advisory Committee for the Yidan Prize Foundation.

Her work has been pivotal in advancing early childhood and girls’ education, with a strong emphasis on life skills and foundational learning. Through initiatives like ASER Pakistan, a citizen-led assessment for accountability, and her leadership in over 100 learning festivals, Jamil has driven large-scale learning innovations. Her efforts to promote equity, inclusion, and teacher development have left a lasting legacy in Pakistan and beyond.

Baela’s evidence-based advocacy work has led to a steady increase in learning outcomes with a 15% increase in reading and mathematics skills among grade 5 students between 2014 and 2020, an increase in enrollment of adolescent girls. Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi has reached more than 17 million beneficiaries and has spearheaded the training of over 25000 teachers.

Jamil’s advocacy has led to the establishment of new schools and large programmes at post-primary level especially for girls, providing access to quality education and active learning for thousands of children in underserved communities. She has empowered more than 60,000 adolescent girls to become changemakers in their communities, ending child marriages with many pursuing higher education, and 11,000+ provided with skills with entrepreneurial and tech-based leadership becoming role models for others.

Baela Jamil’s dedication to educational reform continues to inspire many, both in Pakistan and internationally, as she serves as the global Champion for the Learning Generation Initiative.