Sajitha Bashir is former adviser for the Global Director of the Education Practice in the World Bank and former education practice manager for over 20 countries in Africa, responsible for policy dialogue and management of a large portfolio of projects.
She led the work on digital skills as part of the Digital Economy initiatives of the World Bank. She also pioneered the World Bank’s support for science and technology in Africa, including financing of the Africa Centres of Excellence regional project, creating the Partnership for skills in Applied Sciences, Engineering and Technology, and establishing the first pan-African science fund, the PASET Regional Scholarship and Innovation Fund.
She is the co-author of The Converging Technology Revolution and Human Capital – Potential and Implications for South Asia and of Facing Forward: Schooling for Learning in Africa, and of numerous other publications. She has worked on the human development sectors in Africa, Latin America, South Asia and the Middle East. Prior to joining the World Bank, she headed the national research and evaluation unit of the Government of India’s primary education program. She holds a B.Sc., M.Sc. and Ph.D in economics from the London School of Economics.
