The Secretary
Murat Dizdar PSM is the Secretary of the NSW Department of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø, which delivers quality education and training services for the people of New South Wales. This includes the Early Childhood ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø and Care (ECEC) sector, government and non-government schools, and the Vocational ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø and Training sector.
Murat’s career began as a social sciences teacher at Ashcroft High School. He has experience in a range of school leadership roles, including senior principal of Belmore and Punchbowl Boys High Schools.
Prior to commencing as Secretary, Murat co-led the School Performance division. This team provides support to 95,000 teachers and school leaders – across more than 2,200 schools – to deliver a high-quality education for more than 790,000 students.
Murat presided over the Bushfire Strategy that supported communities devastated by the 2019/2020 fires, as well as the Connected Communities directorate that strengthens the educational outcomes for Aboriginal students.
Murat holds a Bachelor of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø (Secondary Humanities) majoring in Economics and Geography from the University of Sydney, and has undertaken a ‘Leadership for the 21st Century’ course at Harvard Kennedy School. He currently serves as Adjunct Professor in the School of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø at Western Sydney University.
He was awarded the Australia Day Public Service Medal in 2016, an Australian Council of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍøal Leaders (ACEL) NSW Fellowship in 2019, an ACEL National Fellowship in 2020 and the Nanga Mai Department of ÌÇÐÄvlog¹ÙÍø and NSW AECG Inc Partnership Award 2021.
Murat is also a proud graduate of the NSW public education system. He never forgets the impact that Mr Griffiths, Ms Johanson, Mr Baker and Mr Sturm had on his life as a young student at Fort Street High School.
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