Meet Dr. Mariam Shaikh, an eminent professional in the education field based in the UAE with more than three decades of experience and continued success. As a strong, resilient, and futuristic leader, Dr. Mariam’s deep expertise covers Student Recruitment, Academic and Career Counseling, Marketing, Strategic Development, Student Experience, and International Relations. She has held multiple key positions in various reputed and prominent universities in the UAE and has worked religiously to attract aspiring students looking to pursue higher education from all over the world to the UAE.
Her professional journey in the world of education began during the early 80s when she owned a Nursery School, which was inspired by her children. At a later stage, she went on to head a prominent school as a Principal, where she played an instrumental role in the school’s growth.
Following that, she joined the Higher Education sector to help students fulfill their academic and career aspirations. Later in a pioneering move, she sponsored a foreign campus for The University of New Brunswick at Knowledge Village, which eventually encouraged many foreign universities to set up their campuses in UAE. Dr. Mariam has actively contributed to the successful development
of these foreign branch campuses. She has held several key positions with The Canadian University of Dubai, Heriot-Watt University, and Amity University in Dubai.
As a lifelong advocate of education, Dr. Mariam works closely with the UNHCR to provide scholarships for displaced students. She firmly believes that regardless of place, children must go to school. She says, “For Boys and girls forced to flee violence and persecution, an opportunity to study will provide them hope to define their future and realize their potential.”
Recently, Harvard Affiliate Mother Theresa University honored Dr. Mariam with an Honorary Doctorate in Transformational Educational Leadership for her study paper on International Education opportunities for students from all over the world aspiring to develop their career goals from the best the world has to offer.
In 2020, Dr. Mariam founded MS Education Consultants with a vision to support students, Education Institutions, and Innovative Learning Programs to meet the demands of the fast-paced world.
“We are a bespoke Education Services Consulting company with Student Success at the core of all our partnerships. I am delighted to share that MS Education Consultants is the official Middle Strategist for the prestigious University of Guelph, located in Ontario, Canada, to assist students in the Middle East with their admission into the University.”– she says. The University of Guelph is a leading Higher Education Institution in Canada with three majors ranked top 20 in the world, in combination with Student Satisfaction which is consistently top-ranked in Canada. The University of Guelph is one of Canada’s top comprehensive and research-intensive universities. They are known as Canada’s Food University. Established in 1964, the University enjoys a reputation for innovation and excellence
dating back more than 150 years to its founding colleges: Ontario Veterinary College, Ontario Agricultural College, and Macdonald Institute.
The University of Guelph’s commitment to internationalization is reflected in collaboration with Dr. Mariam Shaikh as U of G’s Middle East Strategist. “We are extremely excited about having Dr. Mariam Shaikh onboard to assist us with our student recruitment efforts in the MENA region. We want students to have direct access to our staff members globally, and this is a move in that direction,” says U of G’s Regional Operations Manager for the Middle East and South Asia, Jimmi Hemmenbach.
As an example of its innovative academics, this year, U of G is presenting a new One Health undergraduate major as a response to the ongoing pandemic. Dr. Scott Wease, pathobiology professor at U of G, states that “This pandemic has shown how we need this broad intersection approach to infectious diseases. It cannot just be medicine and veterinary medicine, and it cannot just be science, it [also] has to be social science, it is behavior.”
Known for its beautiful, safe campuses and welcoming, supportive culture, U of G blends historical and modern architecture with cutting-edge technology. Student engagement is fundamental to learning and research at U of G. By focusing on the “whole student,” the University of Guelph gives graduates the tools and skills to make a difference in our ever-changing world.
Helping Students to Achieve Their Dreams
Led by Dr. Mariam, MS Education Consultants presently offer services in University Admissions, Student Recruitment, New Campus Set-up Consultancy, Online Training Programs, and Student Cultural Exchange Programs.
● University Admissions: With its extensive experience with Undergraduate and Graduate applications, MS Education assists students in pursuing higher education in more than 400 Universities spread across UAE, UK, Canada, US, Europe, and Australia.
● Education Consultancy: The firm promotes UAE as an education hub and encourages the growth of various educational institutions in new markets by advising and consulting on New Campus startups and developing student recruitment plans and outreach strategies locally and internationally. It also helps with effective marketing budget utilization and planning, growth and retention solutions, government accreditation, training, and the development of student recruitment teams to create positive student experiences.
● Online Training Programs: By utilizing its valuable partnerships, MS Education Consultants facilitates various training courses by industry officials to boost the interest, knowledge, and skills of students.
● Student Cultural Exchange Programs: Now, students can reap the benefits of MS Education’s Cultural Exchange Program by visiting the state-of-the-art International Campuses in UAE to experience the learning environment and the available Program & Degree options.
Mission and Vision
Dr. Mariam’s primary mission is to develop worldwide educational affiliations, which can help students achieve their dreams with the GPS that will be provided by her own company in Dubai named ‘MS Education Consultants.’ Since its inception, the organization has developed a Student Cultural Exchange Program, which helps students from Europe, the US, Canada, Africa, China, and India to spend their time in Dubai, experiencing a day in top international universities of the region along with visits to Expo City Dubai, Museum of the Future and other cultural attractions in UAE.
The primary vision of MS Education Consultants is to assist global students in meeting their academic and career goals. The firm facilitates the establishment and growth of educational institutions and seeks important partnerships with various new innovative learning programs, specialized initiatives in line with the Government’s vision, and corporate collaborations to arm students with the skills needed in this era of innovation and change.
Future Roadmap
When it comes to the future, Dr. Mariam plans to continue mentoring and empowering students of different backgrounds and nationalities, helping them with their career choices, and encouraging them to pursue their dreams. Under her leadership, MS Education Consultants plans to launch internship opportunities and an innovative learning program for students and teachers.
Dr. Mariam explains, “I am pleased to share our upcoming launches with your readers, such as the Student Cultural and Higher Education Experience Program, for students across the globe to experience UAE culture and heritage and the multinational Higher Education options provided by the leading University Campuses from all over the world based here in Dubai International Academic City. We have already seen very successful visits with student groups from the USA, Europe, and China and look forward to welcoming students from India, Africa, Malaysia and other parts of the world for the cultural exchange visit!”
Giving it Back to the Society
Dr. Mariam feels pleased to support and be affiliated with Ladies in Business Global Community Group, International Women Entrepreneurs Group, Indian Women in Dubai, the UAE Africa Education Initiative, and World Education Community. Additionally, she has also joined IIT E-Cell Mumbai as the Youth Empowerment Mentor and the Youth United Council of India as an International Advisor. She supports UNHCR in providing scholarships for their displaced students. Dr. Mariam also runs and operates an orphanage in Mumbai, India.