Halima Begum is a British civil servant, international development professional and Director Education of East Asia at the British Council.
Education
In 1996, Begum graduated with a Master of Science in International Relations (with distinction) and a Bachelor of Science in Government and History at the London School of Economics. In 2004, she completed a Doctor of Philosophy in Human Geography at Queen Mary University of London.
Career
She was previously first secretary for development at the Department for International Development (DIFD). From 2003 to 2012, Begum worked for the Department for International Development (Department for International Development). Begum worked in a diplomatic role overseas for the British government based in various offices in Asia.
She led the United Kingdom"s bilateral education aid assistance in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, and worked on public diplomacy in Department for International Development China, and tracking China"s growing role in Africa and South-South co-operation.
Foreign her in-country Department for International Development posts, Begum worked on programmes, covering a £50 million education sector programme in Nepal, £200 million programme in Bangladesh, oversaw United Kingdom government"s bilateral education assistance to Pakistan, rising to £650 million. In Pakistan she worked with Sir Michael Barber and McKinsey Global Education to develop an private-public, low-cost education model in Karachi, piloting a model of catalytic support in mega cities.
Early on in her Department for International Development career, at headquarters in London, she helped design, with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and European Commission, among others, the funding instruments, governance and management of the Global Partnership on Education. Begum has also worked at the Centre for Civil Society, a think-tank at the London School of Economics, and at ActionAid in London, where she helped launch the Global Campaign for Education, a civil-society movement working to end the global education crisis.
In August 2012, Begum joined the British Council.
She is responsible for shaping British Council strategies for education in 14 countries in East Asia. Her particular focus is business partnerships and collaborations, adding value to the Council"s bilateral, trilateral and multilateral activities. She produces the Global Education Dialogue, Asia Series, six high-level dialogues aimed at accelerating education reform and catalysing opportunities in East Asia.
She has also shaped the new British government"s United Kingdom-Association of Southeast Asian Nations Knowledge Partnership.