Nareadi Phasha is Professor and Chair of the Department of Inclusive Education at the University of South Africa [UNISA]. She obtained her PhD from the University of Cambridge in the UK. Phasha’s work relates to South Africa’s commitment to education for all, a principle which is at the centre of Inclusive Education. Her research focuses on why some learners find it difficult to learn in the current education system and on the high rate of sexual victimisation among the school-age population. 

Her work promotes an understanding of the links between the emotional consequences of sexual victimisation and school functioning, thereby positioning educators to find solutions, help learners cope educationally and eradicate the huge challenge of sexual exploitation. She was recognized as a distinguished researcher for the contribution of her research on violence towards children and women during the Women in Research Awards in 2013. Professor Phasha has recently published two co-edited books regarding inclusive education in an African context.

Professor Phasha leads the UNISA team which has partnered with the British Council on the EU co-funded project ‘Teaching for All: Mainstreaming Inclusive Education in South Africa’. Teaching for All is an ambitious teacher development project that aims to provide all teachers in South Africa with the skills to teach inclusively in diverse classrooms in diverse communities.