Dr. G.R. Kiran Appointed as Senior Quality Assurance Expert at Accreditation Authority, Government of Oman

Oman: Dr. G.R. Kiran has been appointed as Senior Quality Assurance Expert at the authority that provides accreditation for higher education institutions such as colleges and universities in the Sultanate of Oman. There are a total of 64 higher education institutions in Oman, of which 36 are government institutions and 28 are private institutions. Among them, there are 2 public universities and 9 private universities. About 30,000 students enter higher education every year.

Dr. Kiran’s new appointment comes after eight years as Dean of the Middle East University College, one of the largest university colleges in the Sultanate of Oman. During Dr. Kiran’s tenure as Dean of Middle East College, Middle East University College was recognized as the best college in the country in terms of teaching quality, research performance and post-graduate employability. Dr. Kiran has 27 years of experience in the field of higher education. He has contributed to the development of higher education management, teaching, research, employability initiatives, strategic policy development, quality assurance, governance reforms, e-governance and ICT. He has chaired and participated in several panels for accreditation of universities and colleges and their programs in Oman and various countries. Currently, Dr. Kiran serves as Vice- President of the Barcelona-based OBREAL Global Higher Education Association Network. He has managed government e-governance and ICT projects in Kerala, including the largest ICT development project globally, the Akshaya Telecentre Project, while working as the IT Mission Coordinator of the State Government of Kerala. His international travels have enabled him to present and publish papers around the world and gain a broad understanding of the global educational landscape. PhD in Management from London School of Economics, Dr. Kiran has made a name for himself as an outstanding academic professional in the Middle East. He completed MPhil in Applied Economics from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, MBA from Kerala University as University Topper and B.Tech in Electronics and Communication Engineering from Trivandrum College of Engineering (CET). Dr. Kiran is also the author of two books. He also serves as the Patron of the Santhigiri Ashram Advisory Committee’s Education Department. Dr. Kiran actively participates in all the special programs of the Ashram and has participated in many important pilgrimages of the Ashram Gurusthaniya Abhivandya Sishyapoojitha.

He is the son of former Editor of Government of India Yojana, South India Director of Press Information Bureau and Director of Public Relations Late P. Gopakumar (IIS(Retd.)) and Rajalakshmi Gopakumar. Dr. Smitha Kiran, Associate Professor in the Department of Medicine at Gokulam Medical College, is his wife. Son Adityan K. is a final year student of MA in Economics and daughter Archana K is a first year English student at Mar Evanious College. Sister Dr. Bindu Suresh Kumar is Former Principal of Engineering College Thrissur and husband Dr. Suresh Kumar S. P. is serving as Endocrinology and Diabetics Consultant at Fort Hospital. Dr. G.R Kiran is a resident at Anandapuram near Santhigiri Ashram.