Developing disability-inclusive EMIS

Therrezinha brings over fifteen years of international experience in the field of education, during which she has managed complex portfolios of activities and supervised teams of experts. 

Before joining IIEP, she served as the Regional Director for West Africa at the African Virtual University, an intergovernmental organization. During this time, she also completed a master’s degree in Sector Policies and Management of Educational Systems offered by IIEP-UNESCO in Africa in collaboration with UCAD-FASTEF (Université Cheikh Anta Diop - Faculté des Sciences et Technologies de l'Éducation et de la Formation). In 2015, Therrezinha joined the team at IIEP-UNESCO in Africa as the head of its regional training programme.

Daniel Mont is the CEO and Co-founder of the Center for Inclusive Policy. He has extensive experience in the area of disability and inclusive development, especially in the area of social protection. While working as a Senior Economist for the World Bank, he served as chair of the analytical working group of the UN Statistical Commission’s Washington Group on Disability Statistics and has been involved with disability surveys in many countries.  He has assisted UNDP, OHCR, and ESCAP on developing indicator frameworks for reporting on the CRPD and has worked with UNICEF and UNESCO on developing Education Management Information Systems that can support inclusive education. He has also worked on developing disability determination tools for program eligibility in several countries and has published many articles on disability and its relation to poverty, social protection, education and employment.

Silvia Testa is an education specialist with a focus on inclusion. 

In September 2025, she joined the IIEP-UNESCO team in Africa to coordinate the "Planning for Inclusive Education. Regional Programme in West Africa", funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). She has over 15 years of experience in designing and managing development projects, with a strong specialisation in inclusive education. 

Before joining IIEP, Silvia was involved in promoting gender equality and inclusion in and through education with UNICEF in the DRC and the Central African Republic, where she coordinated an intersectoral pilot project to promote girls' education and a pilot project on inclusive education, respectively. In addition, she has several years of teaching experience in Italy, with a particular focus on inclusive education, especially for students with special educational needs, and more than a decade of experience in the field of development cooperation in Africa (Senegal, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Burundi) on behalf of German cooperation (GIZ).

Esther is the Community of Practice Manager for the Community of Practice on Disability-Inclusive Education Sector Planning (CoP-DIESP). As a consultant for the IIEP-UNESCO in Africa, she is responsible for facilitating peer learning and collaboration within the CoP-DIESP. Esther brings nine years of experience advancing disability-inclusive education through grassroot implementation, research, programme management and policy development across East and Southern Africa (Kenya, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe) and the Middle East and North Africa (Lebanon) contexts. Before joining the IIEP- UNESCO in Africa, she worked as an Inclusive Education Consultant with UNICEF Lebanon, contributing to national disability-inclusive education policy reform, implementation and sector planning in close partnership with the Ministry of Education.

Martín is a Peruvian sociologist who served as the Minister of Education at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. He oversaw the country's pre-primary, primary, secondary, and higher education systems and designed the national strategy for distance education in response to the pandemic. Between 2018 and 2020, he served as the head of Peru’s National Superintendence of Higher University Education (SUNEDU), the regulatory body of Peru's university system, where he led the reform for improving the quality of higher education. From 2015 to 2018, Martín was also a member of its Board of Directors.

Giovanni Grandi is a senior executive with extensive experience in global finance, developed at major international and Italian investment banking institutions. After graduating with a degree in Economics in 1985, he began his career in the Corporate Finance Division of Barclays Bank. In 1987, he joined AKROS as a Partner. 

In 1997, he moved to Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, where he served as Executive Director and Head of the International Private Clients Group (IPCG) in Italy. In 2005, he became Chairman of Rasini & C., one of the leading institutions specializing in the selection of hedge fund managers. Over the past ten years, Giovanni has served as a full-time advisor to the Italian Government on financial matters related to Development Cooperation. In this role, he has been directly involved in the planning and implementation of development policies, as well as in the management of Development Aid. 

Since its establishment in 2015, Giovanni has been part of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS). From October 2020 to August 2022, he served as Director of the AICS headquarters in Kabul. Subsequently, from March 2022 to December 2024, he headed the regional headquarters in Nairobi. In January 2025, he was appointed Director of the AICS Regional Headquarters in Dakar.

Anna Nancy Mendy holds a Master’s degree in Special Education from Roehampton University and is a Hubert H. Humphrey Fellow. She is a team leader supporting the implementation of Early Childhood and Inclusive Education policies and serves as a member of the National Advisory Council for Persons with Disabilities. With over two decades of experience in special education, Anna began her career as a teacher for children with hearing impairments. She specializes in supporting diverse categories of learners with special needs and has extensive experience in teacher training and providing technical support for Early Childhood and Inclusive Education programmes. Anna is deeply passionate about disability issues and is committed to improving the lives of vulnerable populations, particularly individuals with disabilities. Her current role focuses on coordinating and implementing Early Childhood and Inclusive Education policies and programmes.

Artak Poghosyan has led the National Center for Educational Technologies for over 15 years. Under his experienced and high-level leadership, some of the most significant reforms in the Republic of Armenia’s education sector have been implemented, particularly in the areas of education management, education policy, digital transformation, and the introduction of integrated information systems. 

Throughout his tenure, Artak has led and coordinated large-scale national programs and projects, including the development and implementation of the Education Management Information System (EMIS), distance learning platforms, teacher certification systems, electronic journals, and other key initiatives aimed at the digitalization of the education system. He played a pivotal role in organizing centralized remote learning during the COVID-19 pandemic, ensuring the continuity of education for approximately 90 percent of pupils nationwide. 

Artak has also maintained effective collaboration with government institutions, international organizations, and consulting partners, including UNESCO, the World Bank, and others. As an international consultant, he contributed to the analysis and presentation of national policies and programs on the use of technology in education for the Global Education Monitoring Report.

Marie Schoeman is a respected disability and inclusive education expert with over 30 years of experience working at the intersection of policy, practice, and data systems in South Africa, across Africa, and globally. She has played a pivotal role in shaping South Africa’s inclusive education national policies, funding norms, and integrated data systems that track access, participation, and support for learners with disabilities across education, health, and social development. Marie has led and advised on the use of disability-disaggregated data, most recently through large-scale programmes such as Girls’ Education South Sudan. A former senior official in the Department of Education and a current member of South Africa’s Ministerial Task Team reviewing Inclusive Education policy, Marie brings deep technical insight and practical experience on how robust, inclusive data systems can drive systemic change and realise the right to education for all.