LONDON, 08 December 2022 - UWC (United World Colleges) International is delighted to announce the appointment of Radha Pillay as its new Director of Education. 

Radha brings over three decades of experience to the role, working most recently as the Head of Learning and Teaching for a network of IB schools in Africa. Formerly Head of a multicampus school, and Associate Director at the National Department of Education in South Africa, Radha describes herself as a teacher at heart. She was awarded Teacher of the Year in 1994 by the Peel Board of Education, Canada where she taught English and Mathematical Literacy.

As Director of Education, Radha will work very closely with Heads of UWC schools and colleges, as well as the UWC International Board’s Education and Schools & Colleges committees to drive strategic alignment on high quality educational outcomes across the UWC movement. She will have oversight of the end-to-end process of student selections to International Baccalaureate programmes at UWC schools & colleges, support the development of curriculum innovations across the UWC movement, and coordinate leadership development initiatives for educational and senior leadership staff across UWC.

Thoroughly immersed in the teaching and development of the International Baccalaureate programmes, Radha taught English Language & Literature and Theory of Knowledge at Waterford Kamhlaba UWC of Southern Africa from 2015-2017. She has also designed an end-to-end curriculum of professional development to enable teachers, trained in local curricula, to teach the IB Diploma Programme and Middle Years Programme as well as Cambridge IGCSE and A Levels. She is an IB examiner, accredited facilitator and coach.

“I am honoured to have been appointed Director of Education at the UWC International Office for the same reasons as I have carefully chosen other positions in my career,” Radha explains. “As a teacher at UWC Waterford Kamhlaba, I immersed myself in the transformational mission of UWC. I was born into a system that discriminated on the basis of skin colour. I have, since, always been an education activist. I am also that educator who entered the world of teaching and learning to make a meaningful difference to every student I come across - and their teachers. It is with profound delight, therefore that I take up this position, to lead, support and be a part of a team whose focus is the best interests of the students and the future of the planet.”

Radha is a scholar, writer and thought leader and has authored two English textbooks used widely in Southern Africa. She has also written many study guides, most notably the Mind the Gap series aimed at Grade 12 students who do not have access to teachers in their classrooms. 

“We are immensely thrilled to be welcoming Radha as Director of Education at such a pivotal moment for the UWC movement”, says UWC International's Executive Director Faith Abiodun. “Radha’s depth of experience in various settings, knowledge of the UWC learning environment, leadership ethos and commitment to collaborative development make her a perfect fit for this role. She will be a tremendous support to the UWC Heads and a valuable member of the senior leadership team at UWC International.”

Radha will officially join UWC International in early 2023 and will be based in London.