Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mazlina Che Mustafa
Director, National Child Development Research Centre (NCDRC), Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris
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biography
ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR DR. MAZLINA CHE MUSTAFA currently serves as the Director of the National Child Development Research Centre (NCDRC) and has been a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Early Childhood Education, Faculty of Human Development, Sultan Idris Education University (UPSI), Malaysia, since 2008.
Dr. Mazlina earned her Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Education from the University of Canterbury, New Zealand, in 2015. She holds a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia (2004), and began her academic journey with a Bachelor of Education with Honors (B.Ed. Hons) in Teaching English as a Second Language (TESL) from Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK (1998).
Dr. Mazlina is an active member of several national committees, including the National Quality Assurance of Early Childhood, the National Preschool Progress Coordination Committee, and the Technical Committee on Child Well-being under the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Health. She also serves as a training advisor to the Persatuan Pengasuhan dan Pendidikan Awal Kanak-Kanak (PPBM). Her involvement in these committees underscores her dedication to shaping policies and initiatives that enhance the lives of children and families in Malaysia.
On the international stage, Dr. Mazlina was recently appointed as Malaysia’s Board Member for the Child Research Network Asia (CRNA), Japan. She also serves as a Global Data Fellow with Chillight, University of Edinburgh, contributing to research on child sexual exploitation and abuse (CSEA). Additionally, she leads the Malaysian component of the collaborative Inclusive Teaching (INCO 2024–2025) project, funded by the Finnish Education Agency, in partnership with Cempaka International School, the University of Helsinki, the University of Eastern Finland, and UNIDA, Indonesia.
Over the past five years, Dr. Mazlina has successfully led and completed six major research projects. Among her most impactful work is the development of the Comprehensive and Integrated Framework of Quality Malaysian ECCE (2015–2020), funded by the Ministry of Education, which now serves as Malaysia’s National Early Childhood Quality Framework. In 2021, she spearheaded a multinational collaborative research project funded by CRNA, Japan, to study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s resilience across eight countries.
Dr. Mazlina is a sought-after keynote speaker, having delivered addresses at both national and international conferences since 2016. She is also the Editor-in-Chief of the South East Asia Early Childhood Journal. A passionate educator and accomplished researcher, Dr. Mazlina remains deeply committed to advancing early childhood education and contributing to impactful academic and policy-driven initiatives.