Professor Jane Rarieya has been appointed Dean, Institute for Educational Development, East Africa (IED-EA), effective May 1, 2023.
An accomplished leader with more than a decade of experience in higher education, Professor Rarieya has served as the Interim Dean of IED-EA since November 2021. Throughout her career, her research interests have focused on gender, educational leadership, and faculty development. Professor Rarieya holds an Executive Doctorate in Gender in Educational Management from Keele University (UK) and a Master's in Teaching Education from the Aga Khan University (Pakistan). She maintains an active research portfolio, sits on several editorial boards, and has numerous publications in peer reviewed journals.
Professor Rarieya's vision for IED-EA is to be a "go-to educational resource hub in East Africa and beyond". To achieve this goal, she aims to elevate the region's educational leaders to be creative, innovative, and to think of strategies that get learners to think critically.
Living proof of AKU's capacity to nurture in-house talent, Professor Rarieya has been associated with AKU for 20 years, during which she has contributed to our institution's activities and success as a student, alumna, faculty member, and now dean.
Prior to her work with IED, Professor Rarieya was Director, Teaching and Learning within AKU's Quality, Teaching, and Learning (QTL) Network. At a time of great institutional growth overshadowed by the global pandemic, she was a key part of QTL's exceptional work bringing many of AKU's programmes online, while also providing foundational training for hundreds of faculty.
Active in service, Professor Rarieya is a fellow of the Commonwealth Centre for Education at Cambridge University, UK and a Trustee for Children in Freedom Trust, UK. She is also a member of the Forum for African Women Educationalists (FAWE) and a member of the Fellowship and Accreditation Expert Advisory Group of the Advance HE, UK. In 2020, Professor Rarieya was named Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) for demonstrating excellence in teaching.
A collaborative leader, Professor Rarieya has built meaningful and lasting relations with government representatives through the region, most notably, the Ministries of Education in Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya. Her work has resulted in several partnership agreements with these ministries, as well as other government agencies, ensuring widespread support for IED-EA's activities.
In her various roles with AKU, Professor Rarieya has worked closely with IED-Pakistan and other Aga Khan Development Network (AKDN) agencies, including Aga Khan Schools, Aga Khan Foundation, and Ismali Tariqah and Religious Education Board (ITREB), where she has made insightful contributions to enable IED-EA and AKU achieve its mandate effectively. Her deep knowledge of the region's educational sector combined with her understanding and commitment to our Chancellor's mission means that Professor Rarieya will be able to advance IED-EA's programmes, as well as its research and research-related activities. Meanwhile, as long-time mentor, Professor Rarieya remains deeply committed to providing incentives and opportunities for improving staff and faculty performance.
