2017–2018 Fellows Meet with 2017 Echidna Global Scholars at the Brookings Institution
On November 3rd, our cohort met with Echidna Global Scholars at the Brookings Institution in Washington, DC.
The Echidna Global Scholars Program is a visiting fellowship hosted by the Center for Universal Education (CUE) at the Brookings Institution. The program aims to build the research and analytical skills of NGO leaders and academics who have substantial experience and ties to developing countries. Echidna Scholars spend four to six months at Brookings pursuing research on global education issues, with a specific focus on improving learning opportunities and outcomes for girls in the developing world.
Last year, the Brookings Institution hosted our cohort to meet with 2016 Echidna Global Scholars including Mr. Ganga Gautam of Nepal, a 2010–2011 BU Humphgrey Fellow.
This year, the Fellows enjoyed a vibrant discussion with Brookings’ four new Echidna Global Scholars:
Dasmine Kennedy | Jamaica
Assistant Chief Education Officer, Educational Planning Unit in the Ministry of Education
Dasmine’s work spans approximately 22 years in the field of education, both at the classroom and policy levels. She has been instrumental in several research undertakings to ensure system-wide improvement in educational quality, including an analysis of the multigrade system in Jamaica. While at Brookings, Ms. Kennedy has been assessing the effectiveness of the Jamaican Policy for the Reintegration of School-Aged Mothers.
Armene Modi | India
Founder, Ashta No Kai
Armene founded Ashta No Kai (ANK), a non-profit organization to educate and empower rural women and girls in 10 villages near Pune, India, in 1998. Ms. Modi’s research at Brookings evaluates the impact of ANK’s interventions over the last fifteen years to empower and improve the educational outcomes of adolescent girls, while also preventing their early marriages. It also focuses on examining changing gender perceptions in the rural communities in which ANK works.
Maria Cristina Osorio Vázquez | Mexico
Professor, Universidad Anáhuac Mayab, School of Economics and Business
Professor of Public Administration, School of Economics at Universidad Autónoma de Yucatán in Mérida
Maria Cristina has led several projects in women’s economic empowerment, and is the author of several research papers focused on the advancement of women’s and indigenous people’s participation in education, business, and politics in Mexico as a way to create equal opportunity for all of Mexican society. Ms. Osorio’s research at Brookings aims to fill an important gap in girls’ education research by addressing the challenges and barriers to girls’ education in Mexico, particularly for Maya girls living in remote areas of the Yucatán peninsula.
Damaris Seleina Parsitau | Kenya
Associate Professor and Researcher and the Director of the Institute of Women, Gender, and Development Studies, Egerton University
Dr. Parsitau has over twenty years’ experience in teaching, research, leadership training, advocacy, affirmative action, and mentorship. Dr. Parsitau is the founder and convener of the Kenya Women Rising, and the Youth and Transformational Leadership Development Programs, both leadership and mentorship incubation programs that invest in women and youth. Her research at Brookings will contribute much-needed data on the status of girls’ education in Maasailand, as well as stakeholder perceptions on the value of girls’ education in the face of Maasai culture and change.
The Fellows and Echidna Global Scholars enjoyed a wide-ranging discussion that addressed broad, philosophical dimensions of gender equality as well as the specific research that the Echidna Global Scholars are pursuing at the Brookings Institution. The Fellows also reported on issues related to the education of girls and women in their respective countries as well as the relevance to economic development.
It was a fruitful discussion that left both Fellows and Scholars interested in each others’ programs!