As the first student ofNasra School in 1949, subsequently in later life as a Trustee, she has maintained a life-long commitment to the Trust Schools which strive to provide quality education for all. Shahnaz Wazir Ali has an illustrious career as an educationist, development policy specialist, a member of the Pakistan People’s Party twice elected to National Assembly of Pakistan, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Social Sector and as a well-known women’s right activist. She served as a Senior Education Specialist with the World Bank; held the position of Minister of State for Education, Govt. of Pakistan; serves on the Boards of a number of prestigious national and international organizations, trusts and advisory councils. She is a member of the national and Sindh Higher Education Commissions and is on the polio and family planning task forces of the Government of Sindh. She has served as a member of the Executive Board of UNESCO representing Pakistan, for three terms. She is currently the Vice Chairperson of Social Policy Development Centre.
Shahnaz Wazir Ali has represented Pakistan at international conferences and is a highly valued speaker
for National seminars, forums, conferences on education, health, women development, population, and
poverty alleviation. She has been a champion of numerous social causes such as education for all,
women’s rights, family planning and Polio eradication in Pakistan.
Currently she is the President of SZABIST University with campuses in Pakistan and Dubai. She is the
Honorary Provincial Coordinator for the Government of Sindh for all primary health care programs
including maternal and child health and Family Planning Programs. These two positions reflect her deep,
abiding and long-term commitment to Health & Education.
As a social activist dedicated to the cause of advancing women’s rights along with human rights in the
early 1980’s, she was in the van guard of the women’s rights movement in Pakistan that fought against
the 11-year long dictatorship of General Zia-ul-Haq.
Ms. Wazir Ali holds a Master’s Degree in Education from the University of Arkansas, USA and also a
certification in Education Administration from Trenton College, New Jersey, USA. In addition, she has a
Principal’s Certification from Harvard University, Cambridge, USA. Her Bachelor’s degree in Mass
Communication is from the American University, Washington, D.C.
