The London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) has awarded honorary doctorate to Safeena Husain, an alumnus of LSE and founder of Educate Girls, in recognition of her exemplary contribution to girls’ education in India. The ceremony was held on May 29, 2024, in London.
Educate Girls, a nonprofit founded in 2007, is dedicated to expanding access to girls’ education in India’s underserved villages. The organisation has mobilised over 18 lakh girls for school enrolment and provided remedial learning support to over 22 lakh students through the efforts of nearly 20,000 community-based gender champions in India’s most marginalised communities.
Safeena joins a distinguished group of LSE honorary doctorate recipients, including Prof. Muhammad Yunus (founder of Grameen Bank and Nobel Peace Prize laureate), Prof. Tim Berners-Lee (inventor of the internet), and Prof. Klaus Schwab (Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum). Raghuram Rajan and Jagdish Bhagwati are also among the recipients.
LSE President and Vice Chancellor Professor Larry Kramer, who presented the award to Safeena, said: “Safeena Husain is a champion for the pressing cause of girls’ education and a pioneering social entrepreneur – in the language of LSE’s 100x Accelerator, she has built a “social unicorn,” or an enterprise that, through its combination of technical innovation and cultural intelligence, is making a significant positive impact on society on a massive scale. LSE could not be prouder of her, both as an alum and as a humanitarian fulfilling the promise of our School’s mission.”
Safeena expressed her gratitude for the honour and emphasised the profound impact of her LSE education during her acceptance speech. She added, “Education is a girl’s fundamental human right and a powerful catalyst for change, positively impacting issues like child marriage, poverty, health, and climate change. It influences nine out of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals. Given the size of the challenge today, our goal is to enhance access to quality education for 10 million learners within the next 10 years.”
