COLOMBO : Prominent educationist and former Principal of Zahira College, Gampola Dr.Uvais Ahamed,(82),passed away on Tuesday and was laid to rest at the Dehiwela Muslim Burial Ground on the same day after Asar prayers.
Dr. Uvais Ahamed was educated at St. Mathews College, Colombo. He started his professional career as Teacher immediately after school, being trained as a first class English Trained Teacher.
Subsequently, he obtained his BA (English, Economics, Philosophy), receiving second class Honours at the Sri Jayawardenapura University, post – graduate diploma in applied Linguistics from the University of Edinburgh, winning a British Government Scholarship and his PhD from Columbia Pacific University, majoring in Education. He also obtained a Post-Graduate Diploma in School Administration from the Moray House College of Education UK, and a Diploma in Educational Media from the Asia - Pacific Institute for Broadcasting Development in Malaysia.
In 1978, Dr. Ahamed was appointed by UNESCO as Expert in Educational Media and Education Technology. In this capacity, he served at the regional centers in Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok with responsibility for all countries in Asia and the Pacific. He had the unique distinction of being invited to serve as a member of the International Jury for the Japan Prize Educational Contest, organized by National Broadcasting System of Japan (NHK).He also functioned as consultant to the International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) in Paris. In 1983, he joined the UN/FAO as their Consultant in Development Communication and Non-formal Education in Nigeria, Zambia, Uganda, Ethiopia, Pakistan, Thailand and the kingdom of Tonga. He has also served the Commonwealth Secretariat, London, as their Consultant in Teacher Education and was a Visiting Fellow at the Australian National University, Canbera. Dr. Ahamed was Vice President of the World Future Studies Federation and member of the Club of Rome's Project on Learning. Dr. Ahamed retired from the United Nations, but later served the UN as a short-term consultant in his field.
