Rangachar Govinda is Distinguished Professor at the Council for Social Development and former Vice-Chancellor of the National Institute of Educational Planning and Administration, New Delhi, India. He was the J. P. Naik National Fellow for Studies in Education and Culture, Indian Council for Social Science Research. He has been a visiting professor at the Institute of Education, University of London, and the International Institute for Educational Planning, Paris. His areas of interest include primary education, decentralised management, leadership development, policy analysis, human rights and democracy.

Poornima M. is Assistant Professor at the Council for Social Development, New Delhi, India. She holds a doctorate from the Centre for the Study of Law and Governance, Jawaharlal Nehru University. She has completed about four to five research and evaluation studies and is currently heading an ICSSR-sponsored Research Study on "Reviving Government Schools". Her research interests include governance, elementary education, public sector reforms, local government, public policies and gender issues.