Kabir Shaikh, CBE

Since 1 September 2017 until 31 January 2018, Mr Kabir Shaikh has been Director ad interim of the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning (UIL), Hamburg, Germany.

In 2013, he set up UNESCO’s first Category 1 Institute for Asia and Pacific region in New Delhi, India - the Mahatma Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace and Sustainable Development (MGIEP).

Mr Shaikh was until 2009 Director of Education  for UNESCO/UNRWA, responsible for half a million Palestine refugee children. Before that, he held various other education posts in England including Chief Inspector and Director of Education.

He served on several national and international committees and was the Chair of the Partnership Board for Leicester City Education. He was a member of the Advisory Forum to the Royal Naval School of Educational Training and Technology and chaired the steering group of local education authorities for the provision of science services.

Mr Shaikh has extensive international experience and was Vice-President of the Commonwealth Association of Science, Technology and Mathematics Educators. He has contributed to a number of international events on education.

In 2003, he was awarded a CBE (Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for services to education. In 2010, he received an honorary doctorate from the Open University, UK.