Professor Emeritus in the School of Education, Nithi Muthukrishna has been appointed by the Minister of Basic Education Mrs Angie Motshekga to serve as a member of the task team to review Education White Paper 6 on Special Needs Education: Building an Inclusive Education and Training System.

Muthukrishna said, ‘I am honoured to be yet again appointed to participate in a significant policy-making process in the country, and to contribute to the agenda of social justice, equity and quality education for all.’

Amongst the tasks she will be involved in are the development and management of the implementation framework and management plan for the review of the White Paper; creating a future vision, principles and strategies to build an inclusive education and training system; and investigating the implications for the education system as a whole, including curriculum and institutional development.

To the task team, Motshekga said, ‘I wish you success in carrying out this historic national task and I am sure that you will perform your duties with innovation, sensitivity, dedication, and the necessary vision that it deserves.’

Muthukrishna is a Professor extraordinarius in the College of Education, University of South Africa (UNISA). She has been active in policy development in South Africa since 1994. In 1995, she was appointed by the Minister of Education to serve on the National Review Committee on the Organisation, Governance, and Funding of Schools (Hunter Committee). This process informed the development of the South African Schools Act of 1996. In 1996-1997, she was appointed by former South African President Nelson Mandela to serve as a member of the National Commission on Special Needs in Education and Training.

Her research interests lie in the areas of social justice education; critical diversity studies; social inclusion/exclusion and childhood studies. She continues to publish in local and international peer-reviewed journals and is engaged in postgraduate supervision. Over the years, she has served as an education consultant for national and international institutions and organizations in the field of education.