Embedding disability inclusion across the education sector planning cycle

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.

Since joining UNESCO’s International Institute for Educational Planning (IIEP) in January 2018, Jennifer has served as an Inclusive Education Specialist and currently works as a consultant. Her work centers on developing and coordinating the design and delivery of training programs in disability-inclusive education sector planning, as well as providing technical expertise to the implementation of a regional program on disability-inclusive education. 

With a background in teaching and a Master’s in Education Policy and Human Development from The George Washington University (Washington, D.C.), she brings over two decades of experience in the education sector. At the World Bank, she specialized in policy research on equity and access to education, particularly for children and youth with disabilities. Internationally, she led capacity-development initiatives in Liberia and Iraq supporting education project implementation. For Sightsavers, she evaluated inclusive education projects in Kenya and Cameroon. At UNICEF, she developed a specialized training course on inclusion in education. 

In collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Henry Dunant Foundation in Santiago, Chile, she also oversaw the development of a suite of distance education courses focused on disability, human rights, and gender, supporting the work of Ministries of Education, Social Protection, and Gender Equality across Latin America.

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).

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.

Oswald has served as Head of Technical Cooperation at IIEP-UNESCO Dakar since September 1, 2024, and as Senior Education Policy Analyst and Planner since July 1, 2024. From January 2017 to June 2024, he worked as an Education Policy Analyst at IIEP-UNESCO Dakar, contributing to training programs, technical cooperation, and research and development.

Project and programme management specialist, Daouda Thiaw holds a Master’s degree in History, an MBA in Project Management from the African Centre for Higher Studies in Management (CESAG), and certificates in Sectoral Policies and Management of Education Systems and in Foundations of Disability-Inclusive Education Sector Planning (IIPE-UNESCO). 

With 30 years’ experience in the education and training sector, he has served successively as a history and geography teacher, Head of the Strategic Monitoring Unit, and Technical Adviser to the Directorate of Educational Planning and Reform (DPRE) at the Senegalese Ministry of National Education, with recognised expertise in planning, strategic monitoring and evaluation. 

He has actively contributed to the development of the Programme for the Improvement of Quality, Equity and Transparency – Education and Training (PAQUET-EF 2018–2030) and has overseen the monitoring and evaluation of numerous major projects and programmes, such as the Project to Support the Development of Secondary Education (ADEM), the Project to Improve Quality and Equity in Basic Education (PAQUEEB), and the Programme to Support the Basic Education System (PASEB). 

He currently holds the position of Technical Adviser in charge of the National Group of Education and Training Partners (GNPEF) and is the Monitoring and Evaluation Manager for the Basic Education System Support Programme (PASEB). His recognised expertise in the design, monitoring and evaluation of educational projects makes him a leading figure in the field of educational planning and reform in Senegal.

Abdulai Dumbuya is a distinguished leader with over 15 years of experience dedicated to transforming the lives of persons with disabilities. As the founder of the Dorothy Springer Trust, he has been at the forefront of expanding education and employment opportunities and championing systemic inclusion across Sierra Leone. 

Throughout his career, Abdulai has served as a strategic advisor to the World Bank, CHAI, Sightsavers, and various government ministries. His expertise spans national policy development and the implementation planning of inclusive frameworks designed to remove barriers to participation. As the Technical Lead for Disability Inclusion for the FCDO-funded Secondary Education Improvement Project (Phase 2), he was instrumental in strengthening Sierra Leone’s educational systems. His work has contributed directly to global targets for gender and disability equity in education, focusing on improving learning outcomes for marginalized learners. He has successfully established inclusive education structures at national, district, and school levels, mainstreaming disability rights into the core of public policy. 

Abdulai’s profound dedication has earned him international acclaim, most notably the Queen Elizabeth Commonwealth Points of Light Award, recognizing his impactful contributions to social inclusion and systemic change.