We are a team of 300 people from more than 30 different nationalities. We share a passion for education and a commitment to ensure that each student in Dubai has access to high quality education. We focus on what’s working locally and internationally, and convene educators to share positive practice for the benefit of all schools and universities in Dubai.
Our Team
Dr. Abdulla Al Karam
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General
Dr. Abdulla Al Karam
Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General
Dr. Abdulla Al Karam is Chairman of the Board of Directors and Director General of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), responsible for the quality and growth of Dubai’s private education sector, including early learning centres, schools, universities and training institutes.
Dr. Al Karam is a board member of the Education and Human Resources Council and the National Qualifications Authority of the UAE Federal Government, as well as United Arab Emirates University.
He is a board member of the Social Sector, Government of Dubai and is a member of the Higher Committee for Protection of the Rights of People with Disabilities. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Dubai Future Foundation and the Mohammed Bin Rashid University of Medicine and Health Sciences.
Previously, Dr. Abdulla held positions in various government sectors, including that of Vice Chairman and Secretary General for the Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Award for Distinguished Academic Performance, Chairman of the Dubai Government’s Human Resources Committee and board member of the Dubai Knowledge Fund.
Prior to the formation of KHDA, Dr. Abdulla held the post of CEO of Dubai Knowledge Village and was also Head of Research at Dubai Internet City. He began his career as a software engineer in the United States and France.
Dr. Abdulla holds a PhD in computer engineering from the University of South Carolina.
Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors and Deputy Director General
Dr. Ahmad Al Sharif
Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors and Deputy Director General
Prior to joining KHDA, Dr Ahmad Al Sharif was Secretary General of Dubai Sports Council and Secretary General of Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Creative Sports Award.
Dr. Ahmad Al Sharif began his career as a teacher, eventually progressing to Assistant Undersecretary at the UAE Ministry of Education, a post he held from 2000-07.
Dr. Al Sharif has published 12 research papers in international periodicals, including four with an emphasis on sports in the UAE. He is a recipient of the Al Owais Creative Award for Studies and Scientific Innovation.
Dr. Ahmad has been a member of a number of organising committees for international conferences. He is the Middle East Vice President of the International Council for Health, Physical Education, Recreation, Sport, and Dance, and a Cont. President of International Sport for All Federation.
Dr. Ahmad has a PhD in sports management, as well as a diploma from the International Olympic Committee. He is a member of the Arabic Sports Council, and the technical committee at Sheikh Nasser bin Hamad Al Khalifa Scientific Research.
His dream is to see the UAE flag flying at all international sports events. “I’m not being optimistic,” he says. “This is a dream that we can achieve together.”
Well known as a larger-than-life character, AbdulRahman Nassir reflects his effervescent personality on to every aspect of his role at KHDA.
As Chief of Business Support, Nassir is responsible for the operations of five departments at KHDA, including finance, procurement, IT, Events and Hospitality and Heart to Hearts (formerly HR). But his way of working is anything but conventional.
A streamlined approach means that each department is responsible for the operations and services it provides, and this move away from a constrained centralised system to a more modern, tech-savvy and limitless way of working conveys precisely what KHDA is all about.
Today, support service effectiveness, including that of smart services, web processes and logistics has reached 97% from 66% in 2015.
Nassir also achieved similar success in his previous role as Chief of Customer Relations, where his unique approach led to KHDA’s renowned ‘boutique style’ service and raised levels of customer satisfaction from 76.8% to 95.1% in just two and a half years.
With a background in HR and a Masters in Quality Management from Wollongong University, Nassir advocates communication skills as the secret behind the success.
Indeed, you will rarely find him staring at a computer screen; it is simply not the way he works. His personal, face-to-face approach means KHDA customers’ continue to experience a one-on-one service that delivers the outcomes they need.
“We just want to ensure that we make life as simple as possible for our customers, and our services as convenient as possible,” Nassir explains.
“Making people happy is my business and I can honestly say, hand on heart, I come to KHDA every day with the belief that every task I undertake should result in putting a smile on someone’s face.”
Established to protect consumers and providers of private education in Dubai, The Compliance and Resolution Commission was officially launched by Amal Bel Hasa in January 2013.
“The main areas of concern for the department include creating communication channels for students and parents, raising awareness, protecting the rights of all stakeholders, and ensuring educational service providers are in compliance with the rules and regulations of KHDA,” explains Bel Hasa.
After spending seven years working for the H.H Sheikh Mohamed bin Rashid Al Maktoum IT Education Project, the initiative became part of the Knowledge and Human Development Authority in 2007. With 21 years of work experience, Bel Hasa has considerable knowledge of Dubai’s education sector.
“My experience working in different areas has helped me to lead the Compliance and Resolution Commission,” she explains. “I have spent lots of time speaking to different customers in the education sector which has given me an understanding of their needs.”
One of the team’s greatest successes has been the implementation of Parent School Contracts, an innovative programme designed to create clarity and transparency. Ensuring that both schools and parents are aware of their duties, rights and responsibilities, the contract is an essential tool for developing cooperative relationships. “It fully outlines the expectations and responsibilities of both parties, protects their rights, and serves as a reference guide for solving any misunderstandings that may arise,” adds Bel Hasa.
The other key role of the department is to ensure all education providers are complying with the rules and regulations of KHDA. “We run regular compliance visits to early childhood education centres and schools, as well as higher education and training institutes.”
By operating these visits and encouraging communication between all stakeholders, The Compliance and Resolution Commission has successfully managed to improve relations within the education sector.
From
former school teacher and principal to current policy maker and thought
leader, Ms. Fatma Al Marri has been involved in all facets of
education. As CEO, Dubai School Agency, Ms. Al Marri played
a major role in innovative teaching and learning in Dubai’s public
schools from 2007 to 2011. “We have seen great improvement over this
time period,” she said. “The main change we saw was the acceptance of
change.”
Using evidence-based indicators to achieve
holistic, community-minded goals, Ms. Al Marri helped change the culture
of education in schools. “For the first time, strategic plans were not
just pieces of paper. People really started thinking about how they
would implement them.” One of her main objectives is supporting
students enrolled in private education in Dubai. Her priorities lie in
helping Emirati parents make confident, informed choices for their
children’s schools, promoting Emirati national identity in private
schools and recruiting more Emirati teachers to the private education
sector. “National identity is not only about celebrating
national days,” she said. “It’s in daily life; it’s in the exposure
Emirati students have to a teacher, to a curriculum. It’s how we
interact with each other, with the world. ” From 2007 to 2011, Ms. Al Marri was one of nine
women appointed as a member of the Federal National Council (FNC). “It
was a very enlightening experience,” she said, “because it gave me the
opportunity to look at education issues from another angle – I was able
to understand them more clearly.” Since 2010, Ms. Al Marri has been a member of
the Board of Trustee of Hamdan bin Mohammed e-University as well as a
member of the Dubai Government Traffic Safety Committee. She is also a
member of the Dubai Appreciation Award for Community Services committee -
this award honours those people who have made a positive impact in
community service in medicine, education, social welfare and other
fields. Ms. Al Marri envisions an education landscape
where all schools in Dubai work together. “It’s true that techniques and
approaches are different,” she said, “but this is something we should
take advantage of. We all have the same objectives, after all.”
Jameela
runs the inspection team responsible for assuring and raising the
quality and standards in Dubai’s private schools. The inspection results
are published so that schools and parents can work together to improve
the education available to Dubai’s children.
She has more than 10 years experience in various
policy making and advisory positions in organizations such as Dubai
Education Council and the Ministry of Education before being appointed a
Director in Dubai Knowledge Village.
She is a graduate of management from UAE University in Al Ain.
Behind KHDA’s development, studies, partnerships and communications, is Jo Maher.
“I’m always on the lookout for things that are
working,” she said. “Whether it’s parents who are happy with their
child’s education, or employers who find suitable graduates, investors
who understand Dubai’s needs. I look for things that are working and try
to identify what contributed to the success. I also look for evidence
that tells us how learners are making their choices, and what is driving
that choice.”
Part of her work involves preparing policy
briefs, research papers and reports that detail the state of education
in Dubai and put its development in an international context. “I want to
make sure that the conversation about how to improve education is based
on facts, because when people have facts and data, they have a solid
reference point from which to move forward,” she added.
The experience she has gained at KHDA does not
compare to her previous work as an educator and policy maker, she
continued. “This job is not about where you’ve been; it’s about where
you are now and where Dubai aspires to be. No other places have the
education landscape that we do here, so all the things that we may bring
with us from other systems and cultures that may have been relevant in
the past or somewhere else, need to be unlearned and relearned.”
As she continues to drive and shape Dubai’s
private education sector, she encourages her team to be pioneering in
their search for solutions. “Listen to Dubai’s community and look
within Dubai and around the world for examples of success that may
trigger ideas and share those ideas back with the community,” she says,
“I ask people to think innovatively, never to be constrained by
“pre-sets’.”
Through the challenges and rewards her
day-to-day job presents, Ms Maher keeps her main goal in clear view:
“Let’s find out what is working for learners, the community and
employers in our educations system. And let’s grow it together.”
Hind Al Mualla is a people person. As KHDA’s Chief of Creativity, Happiness and Innovation (CHI), her passion for people ensures that the organisation nurtures the best talent, builds valuable working relationships and makes the most of innovative ideas.
Her team not only embodies the Chinese meaning of the word chi- life force- but forms the basis of the way we work, having positive relationships with our customers and each other, and being happier in our work and in our lives. “The Chi team’s role is to harness creativity to build a more positive education sector with happiness at the heart of everything we do,” she said.
Hind believes diversity is one of the most exciting aspects of her role. “We all share the same vision; to give students in Dubai a high-quality education. Everyone in education is passionate about what they do and keen to promote change and development.”
Mohammed
Darwish, Chief of the Regulations and Permits Commission at KHDA, is
clear about his role. “My ultimate goal is to witness the day when
education in Dubai is a benchmark for advanced countries,” he said. To
this end, he and his team make sure that early learning centres,
schools, universities and training institutes comply with the
regulations KHDA has put into place.
“The private education sector in Dubai is still quite young,
so regulation makes sure that it offers students and parents in Dubai
with a wide range of high quality schools,” he continued.
His Commission issues permits to new early learning centres,
schools, universities and training institutes in Dubai, regulates
school fees through a comprehensive framework, and ensures private
education providers adhere to KHDA’s guidelines, while supporting them
in their ambition to serve Dubai’s residents.
“KHDA is unique in this respect,” said Mr Darwish. “We
regulate the schools, but we don’t own their curriculums or resources.”
Along with several Dubai government entities, Mr Darwish and
his team have formulated the long-term Dubai fees framework for private
schools.
“We are very proud of this framework we have developed,” he
said. “Everyone in the team showed how well they can work together to
accomplish a task. We also got the opportunity to work with other
government departments, and it was very rewarding to formulate something
so far-reaching.”
His day-to-day work brings him into frequent contact with
the public, an aspect of his job Mr Darwish greatly enjoys. “I meet
people from so many different backgrounds, who all bring their own ideas
about what education is all about - it makes the education landscape in
Dubai very rich.”
Mohammed is a graduate of the Dubai Leadership Programme
from Wharton, USA and INSEAD’s Young Managers Programme in France. He
also holds a degree in Mass Communications from UAE University in
addition to professional qualification from CIPS –UK. He has a wealth of
experience with organisations such as DUBAL and Dubai World.
KHDA’s Chief of Engagement is clear about her role: “We want to enable parents, teachers, students and investors in Dubai to be happier,” says Mouza Al Suwaidi. The true impact of engagement, she continues, goes beyond the act of engagement. “Our strength is as conveners, and my role is about people – we are in a privileged position to bring together the people in our community who are passionate and committed to improving student outcomes and education in Dubai,” she says.
Whether it’s through enabling connections and learning between teachers at What Works events; using custom social media networks to connect Dubai’s school leaders and principals; or engaging in dialogue with more parents, students and teachers through social media, Ms Al Suwaidi recognises that her team’s greatest strengths are in the relationships they help others to build.
When people connect with each other, they learn more, they open their minds to new experiences and perspectives, they innovate, and they become happier.
Ms Al Suwaidi brings to KHDA 20 years’ experience in government and semi-government organisations, working across a range of roles and functions.
She earned an MBA from the United States, an experience which taught her much about communication and the value of diversity. “The education I got there went beyond what I learned in the classroom,” she said. “I learned that the success of organisations, and society, depend on how well people are able to talk to each other.”
“We work in education, and the heart of education is heart,” she says.
Dr. Warren H. Fox
Chief of Higher Education, Universities & Colleges Agency
Dr. Warren H. Fox
Chief of Higher Education, Universities & Colleges Agency
A
quick tour of Dubai International Academic City and Knowledge Village
will reveal a host of international university branch campuses. Their
presence in Dubai’s Free Zones is down to the work of The Knowledge and
Human Development Authority’s Higher Education Department, which is led
by Dr. Warren Fox. As well as encouraging international universities to
establish campuses in the emirate, Dr. Fox’s team ensures that their
programmes cater to the needs of the labour market and Dubai’s strategic
plan.
“This is actually our biggest challenge –
improving the alignment of academic programmes in the Free Zones with
Dubai’s economic needs,” he said.
In 2008, Dr Fox chaired the team responsible for
establishing the University Quality Assurance International Board
(UQAIB), a 12 member panel of international experts who ensure that
programmes offered by branch universities in Dubai meet the standards of
their home campuses. “This is the first equivalency model in the world
that has been established for international branch campuses,” he said.
“It helps universities and colleges, but also lets students and their
families know that they are attending reputable institutions with high
quality programmes.”
Dr Fox plans to create a higher education
landscape that will offer Emirati, expatriate and international students
a wide range of choices for starting or continuing their university
studies. “We would like to expand access so that students need look no
further than Dubai for all the qualifications their careers here
require.”
His growth plans for the sector include
encouraging more research-based postgraduate programmes to fuel Dubai’s
knowledge economy. “The work we’re doing here is having an impact not
only in Dubai, but worldwide,” he said. “It’s very rewarding to work in
such an exciting, multicultural setting; it’s a good time to be part of
all this.”
As an organisation, KHDA depends on clear and transparent processes to allow it to interact with its stakeholders efficiently. As Chief of Strategy and Excellence, Dr Wafi Dawood was responsible for establishing and streamlining these processes.
A graduate of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s leadership programme, with a PhD in performance management, Dr Dawood applied his skills to the unique task of establishing the back office systems of an education authority. “It was certainly a unique experience within the context of education,” he said. “We were basically a start-up, and had to do everything from the ground up.” During this time Dr Dawood was able to draw on his international work experience, which he gained in the UK and Singapore.
Together with his team, he established the Shared Services department in 2007, which comprised human resources, finance, information technology and procurement, among others. Three years later, he was responsible for successfully launching KHDA’s customer service department.
His current work focuses on performance management and organisational excellence. Specifically, Dr Dawood ensures that KHDA meets and exceeds the standards of excellence set by the Dubai Government Excellence Programme (DGEP), which recognises and rewards government employees, departments and initiatives.
Dr Dawood makes sure that the people across each department of KHDA are aware of how they fit into its organisational structure and of the role they play in meeting Dubai’s strategic objectives. “We set and monitor the strategy map of KHDA with departments, making sure that KHDA is aligned with Dubai’s Strategic Plan,” he said.
As well as leading KHDA’s strategy management office and excellence team, Dr Dawood is an assistant professor in strategy management at the British University in Dubai, serves as a lecturer at the Judicial Institute of Dubai and is a performance and strategy advisor to international management consultant firm PwC. An experienced conference speaker on the subject of performance and quality management, he also has work published in numerous academic journals. In 2004, Dr Dawood was named the Distinguished Employee of Dubai in the Dubai Government Excellence Program by H.H. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
