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Shaping Inclusive Futures: Malta Hosts a Global Dialogue on Inclusive Education

International experts and practitioners in the field of inclusive education gathered at the University of Malta’s Valletta Campus from Thursday 9 until Saturday 11 April 2026 for the International SIPeS Conference 2026, under the theme Global Learning, Inclusive Futures: Embracing Diversity Through Education.

The high‑profile event was hosted by the University of Malta in collaboration with the University of Salerno and the Italian Society of Special Pedagogy (SIPeS), with the support of Malta’s Ministry for Inclusion and the Voluntary Sector.

It brought together scholars, policymakers, educators, and community leaders committed to advancing inclusive education in a world characterised by mobility, diversity, and rapid change.

World-renowned thought leaders contributed to the conference, including:

• Prof. Catia Giaconi, Full Professor of Didactic and Special Pedagogy at the Faculty of Education of the University of Macerata and President of SIPeS, Italy,
• Prof. Paola Aiello, Full Professor of Didactics and Special Pedagogy and Director of the Department of Humanities, Philosophy and Education at the University of Salerno, Italy,
• Ms Roselyn Cason Marcus, Global Director of Senior Talent Attraction and Affinity at McKinsey & Company,
• Dr Rosa M. Colon‑Kolacko, President and Founder of Global Equity Learning, and
• Dr Alistair De Gaetano, Chairperson of the Malta Autism Advisory Council.

The Conference also featured the participation of several members of the UM and UNISA community, including Prof. Frank Bezzina, Prof. Colin Calleja, Dr Phyllisienne Vassallo Gauci, Dr Louis J. Camilleri, Prof. Margaret Mangion, Dr Stephanie Bugeja, and Dr Damian Spiteri, Dr Emanuel Mizzi, Ms Karen Buttigieg, , Dr Jonathan Borg, along with a number of other scholars, Master’s and PhD students who participated as presenting authors from various universities in Italy and other countries such as Turkey, Spain, Poland and the United States (abstracts can be accessed online). 

Prof. Colin Calleja, Dean of the Faculty of Education at UM, said “The International SIPeS Conference 2026 was a unique opportunity for the Faculty of Education to engage with global leaders in inclusive education; and it reinforced our commitment to future-oriented education systems, where diversity is valued as a priority.”

Over three days, the conference featured keynote addresses, roundtables, workshops, and breakout sessions that explored inclusive pedagogies, leadership and governance, disability and neurodiversity, digital transformation, transitions across the life course, and partnerships across family, community, and education systems. It connected research, practice, policy, and lived experience in a way that stayed focused on what matters, rights, participation, wellbeing, and measurable system change.

The calibre of speakers, the depth of discussion in round tables and parallel sessions, and the practical value of the workshops created a shared sense of purpose and urgency. It was not only a conference about inclusion. It was a clear demonstration of how inclusive futures are built through collaboration, accountability, and sustained professional dialogue.

Some highlights from the programme included Roundtable Sessions on how workplaces can be more inclusive of diversity, a keynote about how Artificial Intelligence can help measure human-centric leadership, a discussion on inclusion from the perspective of those it is meant to serve, a workshop about inclusion by design and the launch of a publication by the Faculty of Education, Engaging with the MRER 20th Anniversary Archive: Reflections on Three Educational Journeys. 

More information is available at the conference website.