Beatrice Matafwali

Beatrice Matafwali is an Associate Professor of Early Childhood Development in the Department of Educational Psychology, Sociology, and Special Education at the University of Zambia, with over 18 years of experience in the field of Special Education and Early Childhood Development. From 2017 to 2019, she served as an Early Years Fellow with the World Bank, supporting Early Childhood Development (ECD) initiatives in Malawi and Zambia. She currently serves as an ECD Consultant for the World Bank in Zambia. Her research interests span Early Childhood Development, Specific Learning Difficulties, Language and Literacy, Child Assessment, and Child Rights. She has served as Co-Principal Investigator on numerous national and collaborative research projects and has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters in her areas of expertise. Throughout her career, Beatrice been especially passionate about strengthening systems for the early identification and intervention of children with Specific Learning Disabilities, with the aim of ensuring inclusive and equitable learning outcomes.