Dr Ritesh Shah

Biography

Born and raised in the United States to immigrant parents from India, Ritesh completed his undergraduate degree at Stanford University in Earth Systems (an interdisciplinary degree combining environmental science, policy and economics).  He then taught in primary and middle schools in Los Angeles for five years.  In 2005, he arrived in New Zealand as a Fulbright Graduate Student and completed his Masters in Development Studies in 2007.  In 2013, Ritesh joined the Faculty of Education and Social Work's academic staff after completing his doctorate.  

Most of his research occurs in international settings where changes in political, economic or social regimes driven by crises and/or conflict have lead to calls for significant reform to a nation’s education system. In the past decade, Ritesh has conducted research and consultancy work in Latin America, Southeast Asia, Oceania and the Middle East.  He has been contracted as an education and evaluation expert to a number of agencies including New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade's aid programme (formerly the NZ Aid Programme), Australia's Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade aid programme (Australian Aid), the World Bank, UNICEF, UNHCR, War Child, CARE, and Save the Children.   

Research | Current

My research is driven by the key global ambition, signalled in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), that all children inherit a world that is more just, equitable and peaceful than the one we inhabit today. I investigate how quality, relevant, inclusive education in conflict-affected contexts can contribute to this goal. Leading the Faculty’s work on Comparative and International Education (CIE) research, I bridge several disciplines—including sociology, politics, international relations, and anthropology—and two broad fields of study, education and development studies, to do so.  A significant aspect of my work involves bridging the academic-practice divide through applied research (commissioned reports and evaluations), which have demonstrable impact on communities of practice internationally.  The commendation for my Early Career Research Excellence Award awarded in 2017 notes, “he undertakes this innovative andgroundbreaking research and scholarship, not because it will further his career but because he wishes to make a difference to vulnerable populations caught up in the aftermath of international conflicts and disasters.”

At present, I am working on a range of different research projects which include:

• The role of teachers/supporting teachers well-being in times of conflict
• Private philanthropy within education in emergency settings
• The role of CIE coursework in shaping student identities
• Consequences of school based management reforms in conflict-affected contexts
• Alternative learning pathways for out of school children and youth in humanitarian settings
• Multi-stakeholder partnerships in education (i.e. Education Cannot Wait, Global Partnership for Education)
• Alternative paradigms to the "literacy crisis" in Oceania

Teaching | Current

My teaching is heavily influenced by constructivist and critical pedagogies. Several key attributes are part of this include:

1. Learning must be relevant and contextualised in experiences of both the teacher and the learner;
2. Good teaching is about passion and deep knowledge of content and the theoretical debates underpinning that content;
3. Teaching practice needs to be reflexive and reflective through appropriate utilisation of student feedback, peer observation, and research on ones’ own teaching, as well as contemporary knowledge of research on teaching praxis;
4. Good teaching needs to inspire students to ask critical and thoughtful questions of the world they live in, and to develop the skills to effectively explore such questions independently; and
5. Good teaching is underpinned by appropriate scaffolding and support for all learners’ needs.

At present I teach on the following courses in the Faculty of Education and Social Work:

• EDUC 705 (Education and Development Policy)
• EDUC 766 (Education and the Development Process)
• EDPROFST 754 (Critical Research Methodologies in Education)
• EDUC 113 (Current Issues in New Zealand).
• EDUC 321 (Politics and Philosophy of Education)
• EDUC 213 (Education and Social Justice)
• EDPROFST 774 (Education and Empowerment)

Postgraduate supervision

I believe that good supervision practice involves:

1. Providing students with timely and ongoing feedback;
2. Directing students to relevant resources, individuals, institutions and support networks;
3. Fostering intellectual independence through a carefully scaffolded process by which the student gains increasing ownership of their research project; and
4. Successful completion to high standards that affords students opportunities for further study and/or employment opportunities

Below are a list of the students and the range of topics I have and continue to supervise to date.  

Summary of completed supervisions

Summary of current supervisions

Distinctions/Honours

• 2017 Early Career Research Excellence Award: One of six academics across the University of Auckland recognised for excellence in research.
• 2011 U21 Student Mobility Scholarship: Award granted by University of Auckland to undertake collaborative research with a colleague at the University of Amsterdam for ten days.
• 2010 New Zealand Aid Postgraduate Research Grant: Award granted for costs incurred while conducting fieldwork.
• 2009 TEC Bright Futures Scheme Top Achiever Doctoral Scholarship: A fully funded scholarship to complete doctoral study at The University of Auckland. This scholarship is awarded to the top 10% of all doctoral candidates in New Zealand.
• 2005 Fulbright US Graduate Student Award: Awarded one of ten scholarships (out of a total of 250 applications) to study in New Zealand for one year as an American postgraduate scholar at The University of Auckland.

Responsibilities

• Chair, CRSTIE Research Committee
• Member, CRSTIE Senior Leadership Team
• Member, Development Studies Programme Advisory Board
• Member, Latin American Studies Programme Advisory Board
• Member, Faculty Research Committee
• Former member, CRSTIE Postgraduate Committee
• Member, Research Unit for Pacific and International Education
• Former member, Faculty of Education Postgraduate Research Approvals and Examinations Committee

Areas of expertise

• Education and international development
• Comparative and International Education
• Education and globalsation
• Governance of education
• Education, peacebuilding and social justice
• Educational policy studies
• Monitoring and evaluation

Committees/Professional groups/Services

• Former vice-President, Australia-New Zealand Comparative and International Education Society
• Steering Committee Member, Network for Research in Education, Conflict and Emergencies
• Member, International Network of Education in Emergencies
• Member, Dubai Cares/INEE Education in Emergencies Research Advisory Panel
• Advisor to inter-agency Accelerated Education Working Group
• Reviewer, Austrian Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, International Journal of Educational Development, Ethnicities