On the sidelines of the Yidan Prize for Education Foundation Summit, held in Hong Kong on December 5 and 6, 2025, Senegal was honored with the award given to Mamadou Amadou Ly, Executive Director of the NGO ARED (Associates in Research and Education for Development). Considered the most prestigious international award in the field of education, the Yidan Prize for Educational Development was awarded this year to Mamadou Amadou Ly in recognition of the work carried out by the NGO ARED in developing bilingual education that combines national languages and French.

This pioneering initiative by ARED inspired public authorities, notably through the "Reading for All" program, launched on May 18, 2017, at the Waly Fata Ndiaye Elementary School in Kaffrine by Serigne Mbaye Thiam, then Minister of National Education. Largely based on the work developed by ARED, this program enshrined the strategic choice of using national languages as both the medium and the subject of instruction, alongside French. Its results subsequently led to its expansion nationwide through the RELIT project (Strengthening Initial Reading for All).

It is this pioneering role in improving learning that the Yidan Prize for Educational Development wanted to honor this year.

The Yidan Prize for Educational Research was awarded to Professor Uri Wilensky, a specialist in learning sciences, computer science and complex systems at Northwestern University in the United States.

In his capacity as High-Level Envoy of the Global Partnership for Education (GPE), and former Minister of Education of Senegal who supported and recommended the candidacy of Mamadou Amadou Ly, Serigne Mbaye Thiam was invited to this international summit, during which the prize was officially awarded to our compatriot.

During this meeting which brought together nearly 800 personalities from 53 countries, the GPE High-Level Envoy delivered a message highlighting the partnership between ARED and the Senegalese Ministry of National Education.

At the national level, this distinction was also welcomed by the current Minister of National Education of Senegal, Moustapha Mamba Guirassy, who paid tribute to Mamadou Amadou Ly and to the honor bestowed upon Senegal during the vote on his department's budget.

With this award, Mamadou Amadou Ly becomes the first French-speaking person, the first West African national, and the second African to receive the Yidan Prize.

It is worth recalling that the Yidan World Foundation's mission is to contribute to building a better world through education. It awards two prizes each year:

• The Yidan Prize for Educational Research, which recognizes research on learning theories (science, psychology, statistics). This prize was awarded to Professor Uri Wilensky, a specialist in learning sciences, computer science, and complex systems at Northwestern University in the United States.

• The Yidan Prize for Educational Development, which recognizes concrete initiatives, innovative methods and effective approaches aimed at making education more accessible and inclusive, is awarded to Mamadou Amadou Ly.