Riaz Rhemtulla

Riaz Rhemtulla is the Co-Head (Interim) of the Department of Community Relations: Teacher Education at IIS. In this role, Riaz is responsible for working with the Ismaili Tariqa and Religious Education Boards (ITREBs) globally to facilitate the sharing of knowledge and expertise across ITREBs to ensure the effective implementation of the IIS Primary, Secondary and Early Childhood Curricula according to the best academic, educational and practice driven standards. He is also a classical Indian Kathak dancer in the Lucknow gharana style whose journey of training and performance under the tutelage of Padmashri Pratap Pawar has continued over the past two decades.

With a diverse background in drama/theatre, genetics, social work and education, Riaz joined IIS as an Education Officer in 2000 to manage the teacher education programmes for the Taʿlim primary education curriculum. He then transitioned into the role of the STEP Liaison Manager with the primary focus to work alongside the ITREBs to develop sustainable and intentional programming to support the professional development of all STEP teachers globally.

Prior to joining IIS, he worked for the Toronto District School Board in Canada for several years as a teacher and a teacher-educator at ECD, primary and secondary levels. He is currently pursuing a Doctoral programme in Art-Education at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver on the role of the performing arts and specifically Kathak dance in Islamic-based religious education.