Short bios lecturers

Dr. Jeebanlata Salam

Dr. Jeebanlata Salam is an academic-researcher, trained in the area of Sociology and Social Anthropology. She obtained her Master’s Degree in Sociology from Delhi School of Economics, University of Delhi and PhD degree in Sociology from Jawaharlal Nehru University. New Delhi. Her PhD thesis entitled, State, Civil Society and Right to Education is an outcome of her participatory journey in educated related policy issue of the government of India. She has contributed research studies and critical policy intervention in the area of social exclusion and education of the underprivileged children, youth and women of India. Being born and brought up in conflict ridden Northeast India, through her academic and research writings, publications and protest in various forms, Dr. Jeebanlata Salam has never stopped raising her concerns of building a violent free world. Her other area of research interest and engagement include protection of child rights, educational reconstruction during and post conflict emergencies, social exclusion, human rights protection, promotion of quality education, vocational and skill development policies, skilling youth & youth employment and education of the underprivileged.

Dr. Salam is currently with the School of Social Sciences, National Institute of Advanced Studies, IISc Campus, Bangalore, India. Her current research engagement is in the area of Vocational and Higher Education in India, focusing on policy issues, motivations and aspirations of vocationally trained graduates.

Dr. Mieke Lopes Cardozo

Dr. Mieke Lopes Cardozo is assistant professor in International Development Studies at the Amsterdam Institute for Social Science Research of the University of Amsterdam. Her academic research and teaching focuses on the role of education in processes of peacebuilding and social justice in the contexts of Sri Lanka, Aceh/Indonesia, Bolivia and Myanmar. She coordinates a range of research projects, and recently co-directed the Research Consortium on Education and Peacebuilding together prof. Mario Novelli (University of Sussex) and prof. Alan Smith (University of Ulster) in collaboration with UNICEF. She is appointed as Advisor for the Security Council mandated Progress Study on Resolution 2250 on Youth, Peace and Security, a member of the Working Group on Education and Policy of the International Network for Education in Emergencies, and acts as a co-chair for the Conflict, Education and Emergencies SIG (Special Interest Group) of the Comparative and International Education Societies (CIES).

Prof. Dr. Victor J. Friedman

Victor J. Friedman, B.A., M.A., Ed.D. (Harvard University) is Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior and director of the Action Research Center for Social Justice at the Max Stern Yezreel Valley College, Israel. His life’s work is helping individuals, organizations, and communities learn through "action science" – theory building, experimentation and critical reflection in everyday life. He has co-authored books including From Exclusion to Excellence: Building Restorative Relationships to Create Inclusive Schools Demystifying Organizational Learning, He serves as Associate Editor of the Action Research Journal and has published over 50 academic papers/book chapters.

Dr. Michal Razer

Michal Razer is the director of the Department of Education Training and a Senior Lecturer in the Graduate Faculty of Oranim Academic College of Education, where she founded the M.Ed. program in Inclusive Education as well as the Shaveh Center for Equity and Social Inclusion. She has published extensively on inclusive education and in-service training in inclusion, in addition to developing and leading school intervention programs to enhance inclusive practices in education. Dr. Razer holds a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from the Technion, Israel institute of Technology.

Dr. Margaret Angucia

Margaret Angucia is an Associate Professor of Governance and Peace Studies at Uganda Martyrs University. After her PhD from the University of Groningen – The Netherlands- based on her research on the social reintegration of formerly abducted children in northern Uganda, she has continued to do extensive research on post conflict reconstruction in general and post conflict youth in particular in the same region. A former Director of the School of Postgraduate Studies at Uganda Martyrs University, Margaret is well travelled and has good multicultural

Gloria Almeyda Stemper, MSc.

Ms. Almeyda is currently at Alamo Colleges District/Office of International Programs (San Antonio, Texas) collaborating with international training in workforce development. She has over fifteen years of international development and over twelve years of experience with youth workforce development in Latin America as regional and senior coordinator with the Cooperative Association of States for Scholarship (CASS) and Scholarships for Education &Economic Development (SEED) programs funded by USAID and managed by Georgetown University – Center for Intercultural Education and Development (CIED). Ms. Almeyda was also the manager of the Indigenous and Afrolatino Scholarships (IALS) Program financed by the IDB for youth from Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru that built the capacity of local academic institutions and integrate traditional excluded youth to tertiary education. Through these programs, Ms. Almeyda has collaborated with a diverse range of networks and stakeholders including leaders in local communities, private sector enterprises, and ministries . Over the years, she has supervised and managed an teams responsible for operations at the country level and/or with technical colleges and other academic institutions responsible for training youth. Ms. Almeyda provided technical guidance to academic institutions. Ms. Almeyda is a gender specialist and has participated in a variety projects to mainstream gender. At the IDB she formed part of project teams involved in national policy reforms among other in labor market and finance. She conducted research for the IDB, World Bank and IFAD to assess the capabilities of local financial institutions to provide adequate financial services, particularly to rural and urban poor women. She conducted additional microenterprise and rural microfinance international assignments for USAID, Peace Corps, Sustainable Banking with the Poor Program (WB), the Swedish International Development Agency (Asdi) and the Spanish International Development Agency (AECI).She is a Certified Leadership Coach from Georgetown University. She was the Americas representative to the board of directors of Aflatoun, an NGO specializing in children/youth social and financial inclusion, and she participates in the Working Research Committee of Children/Youth International Finance. Ms. Almeyda holds a MS in Financial and International Business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is a Colombian native.

Izabel S. Ramadan, MSc.

Ms. Ramadan is lecturer and practicum instructor in the M,Ed. Program in Inclusive Education at Oranim Academic College of Education, Israel. She is also the Coordinator of “Sanad” a program to prevent dropping out and promote inclusion for Arab students, K-12, in Israel. Ms. Ramadan holds a B.A. and M.A. in Educational Counseling and is currently an advanced doctoral student at AM University in Poland.

Dr. Cuthbert Tukunande

Dr. Cuthbert Tukundane is a Senior Lecturer in the School of Arts and Social Sciences at Uganda Martyrs University. He received his PhD in Behavioural and Social Sciences from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands. He also holds a Master’s degree in Development Economics and a Bachelor’s degree in Development Studies. His research interests are in the areas of vocational skills development, youth and the labour market, social exclusion/inclusion, action research, livelihoods management and poverty reduction. He has published several papers in international journals on the subject of youth, education and work.

Miguel Arturo Fajardo Rojas, MSc.

Miguel Fajardo is the Director of the Center for Studies in Solidarity Economics of the Universidad de San Gil-Unisangil (Santander, Colombia), former president of Unisangil, university professor, founder of several cooperative and social organisations in Colombia.

Simone Datzberger

I am a Marie-Curie Research Fellow at the Department of Human Geography, Planning and International Development (GPIO). My present research project (see Democratization through Education) – which is generously funded by the European Commission (Horizon 2020 programme) – focuses on the role of education in increasing civil agency and voice in the sub-Saharan African context. Previously, I worked as a post-doctoral researcher (research associate) at the UNESCO Centre – Ulster University (School of Education), where I was part of a research consortium in partnership with UNICEF on Education and Peacebuilding. During that time, I acted as the lead researcher for the country case study on Uganda (see Peacebuilding and Education).

I obtained my PhD from the London School of Economics and Political Science (2010–2014) in International Relations, where I also taught the courses ‘Democracy and Democratization’ and ‘International Organizations’. My thesis focused on the depoliticization of civil society during the peacebuilding and development process in Sierra Leone from 2007-13.

Prior to my doctoral studies, I worked for the United Nations Peacebuilding Support Office in New York (2007–2010), for which I conducted research and in-depth analysis on several countries in transition from conflict to peace. Over the past decade, I have gained extensive field research experience in Sierra Leone, Uganda and Mexico. More information about my work can be found on my personal website:www.politicsandvoice.com

See also: http://www.uva.nl/profiel/d/a/s.datzberger/s.datzberger.html

Abdel Rahman

Abdel Rahman Adam 41 years, a Sudanese journalist has a great area of interest in the field of research related to education, migration and relief work. During his study time in Juba university in Khartoum (1999 -2005), Abdel Rahman was a political and human rights activities. After he graduated form the university he continued heavily on human rights work as an activist and as a professional through his work with Norwegian Church Aid- ACT/Caritas in Darfur as a humanitarian worker, then with Sudan Social Development Organization (SUDO) as head of the office in Nyala- South Darfur Area. And later Abdel Rahman joined Free Press Unlimited worked in Radio Dabanga as Sudan Field Coordinator as well as journalist and reporter.

Along this way, Abdel gained a set of numerous skills such as journalism, radio making, report and proposal writing and community mobilization.

With risk of his life, eventually has happened, Abdel and his team arrested and subjected to a torture for long period of time in the prison.

After joint efforts of human rights activist, NGOs and INGOs due to the pressure put on the government the team and Abdel have been released.

After his release Abdel re-continued working with Free Press Unlimited from the central desk in The Netherlands and later he attained a master degree on Social Policy for Development with special focus to education and poverty from the International Institute of Social Studied of Erasmus Rotterdam University, Abdel granted a political asylum where he is now resident. In The Netherlands, Abdel joined the voluntary work through several Dutch organizations such as U Centraal, One Melodie, now he is working as EU Fund reporter and auditor in Stichting New Dutch Connections in a project calls The Future Academy which is targeting the refugees between the ages 16 to 29 year, in addition to Abdel works as a contact person for the new comers in the municipality of Utrechtse Heuvelrug where he lives with his wife and three children.