Dato’ Dr Mehander Singh Nahar Singh

Education Adviser National Education Advisory Council, Ministry of Education (Malaysia)

Dato’ Dr Mehander Singh retired from the civil service in October 2019, with his final position as the Director of Institut Aminuddin Baki, Ministry of Education Malaysia (MOE). Dr Mehander  currently supports various organisations as an Education Adviser, which includes the role of Coordinator (Educational Leadership and Management) with Connecting Dots Learning (CDL), an establishment initiated to support the development of education in Malaysia. During his tenure in the Ministry, he had served in various Divisions in the Ministry of Education, including the post of Director of the Sports Division MOE. He began his career in 1980 as a Teacher and later served as a Lecturer in a number of institutions, including the Royal Military College, Teacher Education Institute and Institut Aminuddin Baki. In 2007, Dr Mehander was posted to the Policy and International Relations Division in the Ministry of Education Malaysia and was entrusted in coordinating the organisation of the 17th Conference of Commonwealth Education Ministers which was hosted by Malaysia in 2009. From 2010 to 2015 he took up the role of Principal Assistant Director and Deputy Director in various Divisions which included the Teacher Education Division and Raja Melewar Teacher Education Institute respectively. 

Dr Mehander completed his Teacher training at the Ilmu Khas Teacher Training Institute in 1979. He then pursued his Bachelor's of Education degree at University Putra Malaysia and later continued with his Master's in Education at the University of Houston, Texas in 1994. Dr Mehander received his PhD from University Science Malaysia in 2005. In the education fraternity, he is often invited as a guest speaker to share his expertise in the field of education namely, in educational management, leadership, sports, teacher education and professional development. Among his many contributions in education, is his lead role, expertise and ideas in the preparation of the Malaysian Education Blueprint 2013-2025 as one of the specially selected Lab leaders. 

For his various contributions and services to education, Dr Mehander was awarded the Darjah Dato’ Paduka Mahkota Perak (DPMP) which carries the title of Dato’ by his HRH Paduka Seri Sultan Perak in November 2019. In January 2023, Dr Mehander was appointed as one of the members of the National Education Advisory Council by the Honorable Minister of Education, Malaysia.