Professor Emeritus
Dr Sadrudin Pardhan
This year, the Board of Trustees is honouring a second retired faculty member with the title, Professor Emeritus. It is my pleasure to invite Dr. Sadrudin Pardhan to come on stage.
Dr. Pardhan’s contribution to the Aga Khan University Institute for Educational Development dates back to 1988, when Dr. Pardhan, then the Chief Executive Officer of Aga Khan Education Services, Pakistan, was selected to be a member of the first Task Force of AKU-IED. Dr. Pardhan’s wisdom, field knowledge and practical experience helped AKU to conceive the vision for a vibrant Institute for Educational Development, one that would become responsible for taking a lead role in education reform in developing countries and for enhancing efficiency and effectiveness of education systems.
Using his experience in management of a school system, his knowledge of institutional development, as well as his vibrant personality, infectious enthusiasm, collaborative approach and persistently positive attitude, Dr. Pardhan played a key role in setting the stage for the Institute - bringing key stakeholders in the public and private sectors on board. He presented the Task Force’s report to the University’s Board of Trustees; this report led to IED’s establishment in 1993.
Dr. Pardhan also played an important role in securing land for IED at the Sultan Mohamed Shah School, Karimabad. The School, one of the best in the country, and the Institute are thus permanently paired, bringing to life AKDN’s philosophy of the interdependence between research and its application to practice.
As a founding member of the Institute, Dr. Pardhan was instrumental in bringing IED’s vision to reality – building an institute in Pakistan of high caliber that quickly became a reference point for the pursuit of excellence in education. Today, the Institute not only generates knowledge to support educational reform, but also plays an active role in preparing and enabling educators to engage students in a positive educational experience as well as raising standards.
In addition to his contribution to IED in Pakistan, Dr. Pardhan helped to conceptualize and establish the Professional Development Centre in East Africa, a venture that proved to be so successful that it was transitioned to the Institute for Educational Development in Eastern Africa.
Prior to his retirement from IED in 2011, Dr. Pardhan held the position of Professor and Director of the Institute’s Outreach Programmes and Activities. His career at the Institute involved curriculum planning, teaching, financial planning and resource development, strategic planning, partnership development, and overall administration.
Dr. Pardhan completed his PhD in Chemistry from Uppsala University in Sweden and studied for a postgraduate Diploma in Education from the same university. He later completed an MBA at the University of Alberta. His teaching subjects were chemistry, physics and mathematics. He was the Principal Lecturer at the Kenya Science Teachers College and served as the Deputy Principal of the Kenya Teacher’s College in Nairobi, Kenya for a period of 10 years. Dr. Pardhan has also published in the areas of chemistry, teacher education, education leadership and management, and school improvement.
After retirement from AKU-IED, Dr. Pardhan has continued to give generously of his time and knowledge for the further development of the Institute. And today, bringing his career to a full circle, Dr. Pardhan is once again serving as the CEO of the Aga Khan Education Services, Pakistan. He is also the Director of the Civil Society Resource Centre, a project of Aga Khan Foundation.
Ladies and gentlemen, it gives me great pleasure on behalf of the Chancellor and members of the Board of Trustees to confer the title of Professor Emeritus on Dr. Sadrudin Pardhan.
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