XI NIS International Research-to-Practice Conference

Inspirational Speakers

International Speakers

Abdul Rashid

Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Pegasus Education Group

Dr. Abdul Rashid is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of Pegasus Education Group. He earned his Doctorate Degree in Education Management from Edith Cowan University, Australia. He also holds a Master’s Degree in International Marketing from the University of Strathclyde, Scotland. Dr. Rashid oversees overall operations in Pegasus International College campuses in Danang and Hanoi, Vietnam, which specialise in Tourism and Hospitality training and also spearheads business expansion and partnerships of the Group beyond Vietnam, for example in Australia, China, Indonesia, Myanmar, Thailand and the United States of America. Prior to his career in vocational education, Dr Rashid had many years of C-Suite experience in many industries ranging from Hospitality, Theme Parks, Food & Beverage to Advertising & PR and Shipping. He also has had many years of teaching experience as an Adjunct Lecturer for the University of Wales (UK), James Cook University (Singapore), University of Wollongong (Australia), and other institutions of higher learning. Dr. Rashid also serves as a member of the Education Governing Council of KinderWorld International Group, the largest owner-operator of international schools in Vietnam. He provides recommendation on matters such as implementation of education programmes with due consideration for international, regional, national policies and trends of the industry, strategic development of the group, and partnership with practitioners in the education field.

XI NIS International Research-to-Practice Conference, 24-25 October 2019: Keynote Speech

Becoming an Education Hub: Schooling for a Changing World

We are now living in a world that changes at the faster rate more than ever seen before. It has been predicted that the quick advancement and proliferation of technology may result in 50% of the current jobs being replaced in the future, while at the same time the young people of today are faced with more challenges caused by environmental and social problems. Consequently, the pressing question for educators today is how schools can prepare our young students for a rapidly changing world where technology advances as we sleep. This presentation discusses the vision that the Kazakhstan government has laid out in response to this challenge, and offers a case study of Singapore – a small island state that is now one of the most successful education hubs in Asia. As the government of Kazakhstan has chosen to look eastward for educational reforms, we believe educators will find many valuable and useful insights in exploring the Singapore model, which may help create change in the classroom today.