Teachers: the cornerstone of disability-inclusive education

Nidhi Singal is a Professor of Disability and Inclusive Education at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge and Vice President of Hughes Hall College. Her research focuses on advancing equitable education and life opportunities for children and young people with disabilities, predominantly across South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa. She has collaborated with international organisations such as the Qatar Foundation, FCDO, World Bank and UNESCO to advance inclusive education policies and programmes. She has published extensively, and a selected list of her publications can be found here.

Amy Bellinger is Director of the Learning Generation Initiative (LGI) at Education Development Center (EDC). She leads LGI’s strategy, team, and core programs, including the Education Workforce Initiative, High Touch High Tech Initiative, and the Sustainable Financing Initiative for School Health and Nutrition (SFI), and oversees system delivery. LGI improves learning in low- and middle-income countries through research, flagship reports, policy engagement with governments and national partners, and strategic partnerships.

Amy has over 15 years of experience in international education. She previously served as Director of Programmes at The Education Commission, Head of International Education at Ark, and Deputy Chief Executive of Future Leaders, and has consulted for the UK FCDO and Results for Development.

Previously, she was a management consultant at Deloitte, IBM, and PwC. She holds a BA (Hons) in Geography from the University of Exeter and is based in Bristol, UK.

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

Prior to joining IIEP-UNESCO, he worked at the CONFEMEN Program for the Analysis of Education Systems (PASEC) from 2010 to 2016 and at the World Bank office in Dakar from 2008 to 2010, where he held roles in coordination and technical advisory.

Nafisa Baboo is a global leader in disability-inclusive education and systems transformation, with over 17 years of experience across Africa and internationally. Although she is presenting the capacity as an expert, she is the Head of Disability Inclusion at the Mastercard Foundation, where she works to embed inclusion across education systems, digital access, and large-scale programmes. Nafisa has advised governments, development partners, and civil society on education sector planning, financing, and policy reform to ensure systems reach those most often left behind. She is a co-author of influential publications including Costing Equity: The Case for Inclusive Education Financing and Leave No Child Behind: Invest in the Early Years, which have helped shape global thinking on inclusive education financing.

Known for her collaborative, values-driven leadership, Nafisa brings a strong commitment to equity, practical systems change and amplifying the voices of marginalized groups in education sector planning processes. Her work focuses on integrating disability inclusion into education sector planning cycles and strengthening systems to deliver quality education for all.

Nafisa has held leadership roles in shaping global dialogue on inclusive education, including contributing to the GEM Report, advancing the Inclusive Education Initiative of the World Bank and supporting inclusion work within the Global Campaign for Education.