The Yidan Prize Foundation today announced new appointments to its independent Judging Committee. Andreas Schleicher, OECD’s Director for Education and Skills, has been appointed Chair of the Yidan Prize Judging Committee. Dr Elizabeth M. King, former Director of Education at the World Bank, will lead the Yidan Prize for Education Research Judging Panel, and Professor Ju-Ho Lee, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education of South Korea, rejoins the Committee. The Yidan Prize Judging Committee is committed to identifying and spotlighting changemakers behind best-of-class innovations in education research and development. 

Dr Charles CHEN Yidan, Founder of the Yidan Prize, said: “To find a single individual with a shared commitment is fortunate; to gather a community of such unparalleled expertise and experience is exceptional. Andreas Schleicher is one of the world’s leading thought leaders in global education. Through his work at OECD, specifically PISA, he has transformed how we measure progress in education to build better schools and systems globally. I am also grateful for the chairmanship of Dr Koichiro Matsuura, former Director-General of UNESCO, who helped establish the Yidan Prize as a lighthouse for best ideas and practices in education over the past decade. Together, this community of bright minds will propel our mission forward to create a better world through education.” 

Andreas Schleicher has served as Head of the Yidan Prize for Education Research Judging Panel since 2018. A mathematician and statistician by training, Andreas is a strong advocate for evidence-based policymaking to improve quality, equity, and efficiency in education. His commitment to education as a foundation for human flourishing is both visionary and rigorous. Through PISA and other international instruments, he has created platforms for policymakers, researchers, and educators to innovate and transform educational policies and practices globally. His holistic approach to building an equitable future aligns deeply with the Yidan Prize’s mission. 

"The Yidan Prize is uniquely positioned to bring together evidence-based innovations from across disciplines. As a Yidan Prize judge, I am constantly inspired by the bright ideas from all corners of the world that are pushing the frontiers of education,” said Andreas Schleicher. “I am honored to play a bigger role in steering this Committee of global experts as we continue to seek future-oriented, innovative, transformative, and sustainable research and practices that are driving real-world change for learners everywhere.” 

Dr Elizabeth M. King will assume the role of Head of the Judging Panel for the Yidan Prize for Education Research. A panel member since 2021, Elizabeth brings deep research and policy expertise on development topics such as education, poverty, labor markets, the care economy, and gender inequality. She is currently a non-resident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, served on the editorial boards of professional journals, and was formerly the global Director for Education at the World Bank. Elizabeth has decades of experience championing programs that uplift underserved learners globally, including in Bangladesh, Colombia, Ghana, Indonesia, Laos, Nicaragua, Pakistan, and the Philippines. 

Professor Ju-Ho Lee rejoins the Yidan Prize for Education Research Judging Panel after serving as South Korea’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education from 2022 to 2025. During his tenure, he spearheaded national education reforms, harmonizing progress by integrating future-oriented change with human values to improve education equity. As an economist, Ju-Ho brings a unique perspective on human capital development from academia to public policy. He is currently a professor at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management. In April, he will join Arizona State University’s Mary Lou Fulton College for Teaching and Learning Innovation as Professor of Practice, bridging his ministerial experience with research advancing the science of teaching and learning. 

Nominations for the 2026 Yidan Prize are now open and will close on 3 March 2026. Submissions from all disciplines and domains are welcome. Learn more about the nomination process here. The Yidan Prize continues to spotlight individuals who are transforming education and society as a whole. Read more in Dr Charles CHEN Yidan’s open letter on International Day of Education.