MUMBAI: News Corporation has appointed Dr Rod Paige, the former US Secretary of Education to the board of directors with immediate effect. The addition of Dr. Paige increases the number of directors to 15.

News Corporation chairman and chief executive officer Rupert Murdoch said, "Rod Paige’s life has been dedicated to raising standards and demanding accountability in education in the United States. In addition to his outstanding record of achievement as an educator and reformer, he has a great understanding of how big, complex institutions work – an expertise that will be invaluable to our board."

During his tenure at the US Department of Education from 2001 to 2005, Dr Paige was a fierce and innovative champion of education reform who led the way in setting new standards of achievement for all students in our education system. He spearheaded the implementation of the historic No Child Left Behind Act, with its goal of reinvigorating America’s education system.

Dr. Paige has devoted his life to transforming the state of education by improving the way that children learn on all levels, a passion that has manifested itself most recently when he co-founded the bi-partisan Chartwell Education Group, LLC. This group is a consulting firm devoted to offering solutions to the 21st Century challenges faced by the public and private sector enterprises that focus on pre-K, K-12 and post-secondary education, both in the United States and throughout the world.

Prior to his time at Chartwell, and after he left the administration in 2005, Dr. Paige served as a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. There he was able to explore a more global perspective of education