School of Education - Beaconhouse National University (BNU)

The role of the SE International Advisory Council will be to:

• review curricula and suggest innovations based on market trends
• highlight areas of capacity building for SE faculty
• guide SE faculty towards meaningful use of technology for teaching and learning
• formulate procedures to promote diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging at SE
• steer SE towards innovation, incubation and entrepreneurship
• analyze educational policy and plans, and recommend improvements
• assist in community outreach initiatives
• share insights into innovative pedagogical approaches
• provide strategic direction, in terms of mission, vision, and goals.
• foster collaboration with global education leaders
• inform about grants and other funded research and project opportunities
• identify relevant gaps between academia and industry
• provide a global outlook, facilitating cross-cultural understanding and international collaborations
• advise on international best practices and ethics of research

Honorary Senior Research Fellow, School of Education, University of Leeds

Dr. Hywel Coleman is an Indonesian citizen and an Honorary Senior Research Fellow at the School of Education, University of Leeds. Based in West Java, he conducts research in the fields of Sociolinguistics, Language Policy & Planning, and Language & Development. His current research projects include analyzing the use of local languages in households through Census data and examining literacy levels using OECD PISA data. Additionally, Dr. Coleman has a keen interest in researching and collecting traditional Indonesian textiles.

Associate Head of School for Research and Knowledge Exchange, The Open University, UK

Dr. Alison Fox is an accomplished academic and educational leader at The Open University, UK, where she serves as Associate Head of School for Research and Knowledge Exchange in the School of Education, Childhood, Youth, and Sport. She is also the Chair of the University’s Human Research Ethics Committee. Originally trained as a secondary school science teacher, Dr. Fox transitioned into teacher education, focusing her research and teaching on supporting beginning teachers.

With over 20 years of experience, Dr. Fox has led research initiatives on professional learning, networking for educators—including the impact of social media—and recently partnered with a School-Centred Initial Teacher Training provider to develop evidence-based practices aimed at reducing new teacher attrition and enhancing retention. Currently, she is an Ethics Advisor for a three-year EU-funded project, using arts-based education to foster cultural literacy and social inclusion.

Dr. Fox is an active member of the Council for the British Educational Research Association (BERA), where she plays a key role in reviewing ethical guidelines for educational research, edits the BERA blog, and serves on the Publications Committee. Additionally, she is a fellow of CollectivED, the Centre for Mentoring, Coaching, and Professional Learning at Leeds Beckett Carnegie School of Education..

Dean, Faculty of Arts and Head, Department of Linguistics, University of Delhi, India

Prof. Dr. Rama Kant Agnihotri is the former Professor and Head of the Department of Linguistics at the University of Delhi. He has authored and published several books through renowned publishers such as Routledge, Oxford University Press, Multilingual Matters, Orient Black Swan, and Ratna Sagar. He also served as Chairperson of the National Focus Group on the Teaching of Indian Languages at the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT). Currently, he is a Professor Emeritus at Vidya Bhawan Society, Udaipur.

Visiting Professor at Universities across Europe, Australia, Canada, and America

Prof. Dr. Anvita Abbi is an internationally renowned linguist and social scientist, celebrated for her groundbreaking work in documenting indigenous languages. She identified a new language family, the Great Andamanese, which plays a crucial role in understanding the people of Asia and Oceania. Prof. Abbi has been at the forefront of research into unwritten languages preserved through oral tradition and has raised awareness about the link between biodiversity and the languages of South Asia. A former professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), she currently serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Linguistics at Simon Fraser University, Vancouver. Additionally, she is a member of the Expert Committee for the UNESCO World Atlas of Languages. Prof. Abbi was awarded the Padma Shri in 2013 for her contributions to linguistics.

Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, Media Studies, Art & Design, Lahore School of Economics, Pakistan

Dr. Shahid Siddiqui is a renowned educationist, linguist, teacher, researcher, academic administrator, and prolific writer. He earned his PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Toronto, Canada, an M.Ed. in TESOL from the University of Manchester, UK, and completed postdoctoral research at Oxford University. He has held academic and administrative positions at prestigious institutions, including AKU, LUMS, GIKI, and NUML. Dr. Siddiqui served as Vice Chancellor of Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) from 2014 to 2018 and is currently the Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, Media Studies, Art, and Design at Lahore School of Economics.

His notable books include Dreams Don't Die, Pakistan, Education, and 21st Century (Urdu), Rethinking Education in Pakistan: Perception, Practices, and Possibilities, Education, Inequalities, and Freedom: A Sociopolitical Critique, Language, Gender, and Power: The Politics of Representation and Hegemony in South Asia, Education Policies in Pakistan: Politics, Projections, and Practices, Aadhay Adhooray Khwab (a novel), Zair-e-Aasmaan (Urdu), Toronto, Dubai aur Manchester, Mausam e Khush Rang (Urdu), Potohar: Khitta-e-Dilruba (Urdu), Ad Pora Khawab (Sindhi), and Neem Ghari Khaboona (Pashto).

Associate Professor of Economics, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS), Pakistan

Dr. Faisal Bari is currently the Dean of the LUMS School of Education and an Associate Professor with a joint appointment in Education and Economics. His research covers various areas, including disability inclusion, gender representation in textbooks, the use of education technology for teacher professional development (TPD), teacher politics, the political economy of teacher recruitment and retention, and the private sector's role in education reform. He is a member of the Higher Education Commission and previously served on the Board of the Punjab Examination Commission, where he contributed to reforming Punjab’s examination systems, focusing on school-based formative assessments.

Dr. Bari has led performance evaluations for DFID’s PESP II program, collaborated with researchers from the University of Cambridge on inclusive education, and helped revise the Non-Salary Budget for Public Schools in Punjab. His contributions to social protection programs were pivotal in the development of the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP). He also writes a bi-weekly column for DAWN, a leading English daily.

Dr. Bari earned his Doctorate in Economics from McGill University and holds a Master’s degree in Philosophy from the University of Punjab. Additionally, he has two Bachelor's degrees—one from the University of Oxford and another from Government College, Lahore.