The 2023 Ramon Magsaysay award is going to be presented to Korvi Rakshand in recognition of his outstanding contributions to making education accessible to individuals in his home country Bangladesh.
In Bangladesh, education is widely regarded as crucial in alleviating pervasive poverty, while spurring sustained economic progress.
And Rakshand is being honored by the Ramon Magsaysay Awards, regarded as Asia's own Noble Prize Award, as a person passionate about helping others.
He established the JAAGO Foundation, adopting a Bangla word that means "wake up", and had use of no more than a carpet, a blackboard, and a box of chalks so that he could teach a handful of local students.
After years of hard work and struggle, JAAGO is now a prominent local non-profit organization that has grown exponentially, and now provides free and government-recognized education.
His foundation has evolved from that initial batch of 17 students occupying one classroom, to 30,000 students being accommodated in 206 classrooms, offering English-language education throughout Bangladesh.
He was the first Bangladeshi to receive the "Emergent Leadership" award, which is presented to individuals 40 years old and below.
Rakshand emphasized in a press conference on Monday, Sept. 4, held for Magsaysay awardees, the importance of "creating a group" in which members strive to always listen to one another in order to identify the problem and develop a solution.
"When you talk about leadership, I think it's important that if you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together," Rakshand said.
He also shared the organization's plan for the future to ensure the optimum utilization of resources in today's youth.
"To maximize efficiency, we have planned to conduct sessions in Department for Youth Development (DYD) centers, employing local resources. Finally, we are working with the Youth Ministry to launch youth development programs and provide skill-based training to 55,000 young people without formal education," he added.
Rakshand continued by saying this program will be based in Dhaka and Chattogram, and will run for the next five years. It also involves "addressing the skill gap issue and ensuring effective training for the youth."