Malcolm Preston Skilbeck (22 September 1932 – 17 June 2022) was an Australian educator who worked in educational policy analysis, curriculum,

tertiary Tertiary ( ) is a widely used but obsolete term for the geologic period from 66 million to 2.6 million years ago. The period began with the demise of the non-avian dinosaurs in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, at the start ...

and secondary education, the teaching profession and educational innovation. Some of this work was done with the

Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD; french: Organisation de coopération et de développement économiques, ''OCDE'') is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental organisation with 38 member countries ...

(OECD) and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

). Born on 22 September 1932 in Northam, Western Australia, Skilbeck was educated at

North Sydney Boys High School North Sydney Boys High School (abbreviated as NSBHS) is a government-funded, single-sex, academically selective secondary day school for boys, located at Crows Nest, on the Lower North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. In 2022, Nor ...

. he received his B.A. from

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

, his M.A. from the

University of Illinois The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (U of I, Illinois, University of Illinois, or UIUC) is a public land-grant research university in Illinois in the twin cities of Champaign and Urbana. It is the flagship institution of the University ...

, and Ph.D. from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. He published many papers, articles, books and reports on academic issues such as curriculum theory and development, educational policy and youth training, in the secondary and tertiary sectors. He authored the books ''Loving and Studying Nature: Celebrating the Earth Through History, Culture and Education'' (2021), ''School Based Curriculum Development'' and ''The Vocational Quest''; co-authored the ''Curriculum Reform'' and the influential survey ''Industry-university partnerships in the curriculum: trends and developments in OECD countries''. In the

2014 Australia Day Honours The 2014 Australia Day Honours were announced on 26 January 2014 by the Governor General of Australia, Quentin Bryce. The Australia Day Honours are the first of the two major annual honours lists, announced on Australia Day (26 January), with the o ...

, Skilbeck was made an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AO). With his first wife, Elizabeth (nee Robbins), he had four children, Ruth, Clare, Paul and Lucy; and with his second wife, Helen Connell, he had one child, Brigit. Skilbeck died at the age of 89 on 17 June 2022.

Positions held

*Professor and Dean of Education,

University of Ulster sco, Ulstèr Universitie , image = Ulster University coat of arms.png , caption = , motto_lang = , mottoeng = , latin_name = Universitas Ulidiae , established = 1865 – Magee College 1953 - Magee Un ...

, from 1971 to 1975 *Consultant Centre for Educational Research and Innovation (CERI) in Paris and as a participant in its European programs *Director of the Australian Curriculum Development Centre from 1976 to 1981 *Director of Studies of the Schools Council for Curriculum and Examinations for England and Wales from 1981 to 1983 *Professor of Curriculum Studies at the Institute of Education,

, from 1981 to 1985 *Vice-chancellor and president, Deakin University, Australia, from 1986 to 1991 *Deputy Director for Education of the Directorate for Education, Employment, Labour and Social Affairs in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in Paris *Consultant to UNESCO and the British Council *Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in Australia

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Skilbeck, Malcolm 1932 births 2022 deaths Alumni of the University of London Academics of the UCL Institute of Education Academics of Ulster University Fellows of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia People educated at North Sydney Boys High School People from Northam, Western Australia Officers of the Order of Australia