Each human being is a citizen of the world. We have many identities, of which one of the identities is our human identity. And that's something that the schools can provide, but that requires again a vision rather than being centers of hatred. It could be an enormous opportunity to give that mission.

I have not had any serious non-academic job.

One has to bring the multidimensional impact that schooling makes in the lives of people. There's nothing like it, and I think the importance of it has to be shaken into people's understanding and determination.

I guess some of the most delightful moments of my teenage years were when I was trying not just to educate myself but trying to educate others. And I could see how the lives of children could be transformed in that.

From the mid-1970s, I also started work on the causation and prevention of famines.

Economic growth without investment in human development is unsustainable - and unethical.

Human ordeals thrive on ignorance. To understand a problem with clarity is already half way towards solving it.