Maximus Monaheng Sefotho: Educational Psychologist and Inclusion Advocate

Maximus Monaheng Sefotho is a South African academic whose work spans educational psychology, disability studies, inclusive education, and career development. Born in Maseru, Lesotho, he has built a career across Southern Africa and beyond, combining teaching, research, postgraduate supervision, and institutional leadership within higher education.

He is currently a Full Professor in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Johannesburg (UJ), where he has served since 2019. In addition to this appointment, he holds honorary and adjunct academic roles, including Professor Extraordinarius in the Department of Psychology of Education at the University of South Africa (UNISA) and Honorary Associate Professor in Disability Studies within the Faculty of Health Sciences at the University of Cape Town (UCT). His academic standing is further reflected in his National Research Foundation (NRF) rating of C2, valid from January 2023, recognising sustained research productivity and impact.

Academic training and formation

Professor Sefotho’s academic background is interdisciplinary and international. He holds a PhD in Learning Support, Guidance and Counselling from the University of Pretoria, completed in 2014. In the same year, he earned a BA Honours degree in Linguistics and Translation Studies (English to Spanish) from the University of South Africa. His postgraduate training also includes a Postgraduate Diploma in Disability Studies from the University of Cape Town (2017), alongside earlier qualifications in educational psychology, counselling, linguistics, and computer studies obtained from institutions in Botswana (University of Botswana) and Mexico (La Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, UNAM) and (La Universidad Veracruzana, UV). This diverse academic formation has shaped his engagement with inclusive education, disability, and career development across cultural and linguistic contexts.

Academic appointments and professional experience

Before joining the University of Johannesburg, Professor Sefotho held several academic positions at the University of Pretoria, progressing from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer, and serving in management and student development roles. Earlier in his career, he lectured at the National University of Lesotho for a decade and worked in development-oriented roles, including as a Field Officer with FAO/UNDP. These experiences informed his later academic focus on education, social justice, and disability in developing contexts.

At the University of Johannesburg, (UJ) he has held leadership responsibilities, including Deputy Head of Department in Educational Psychology between 2023 and 2024. He is also a co-founder and coordinator of the Centre for Neurodiversity at UJ, established to advance research, teaching, and advocacy related to neurodiversity in education and society. Beyond UJ, he has contributed to academic development through visiting lectureships and workshops at universities across Africa, Europe, and the Americas.

Teaching and postgraduate supervision

Professor Sefotho has taught across undergraduate and postgraduate levels, with courses covering educational psychology, inclusive education, counselling, career guidance, and philosophy of education. Several of these courses were developed by him and introduced as faculty-wide or programme-specific offerings. He has also contributed to academic writing and pedagogical training in non-university contexts, including theological seminaries such as the St. John Vianney Major Seminary in Pretoria.

A significant aspect of his academic work is postgraduate supervision. To date, he has supervised or co-supervised more than 35 master’s dissertations to completion and over 20 doctoral theses, in fields such as educational psychology, inclusive education, disability studies, learning support and neurodiversity. In addition, he has mentored postdoctoral fellows from institutions in South Africa and other African countries, contributing to capacity development in higher education and research.

Research focus and scholarly output

Professor Sefotho’s research addresses inclusive education, disability, neurodiversity, career development, and the philosophical foundations of research and education. His work often engages African and Global South perspectives, including indigenous knowledge systems and concepts such as Ubuntu and Botho. He has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals and edited volumes, with research spanning empirical studies, theoretical analyses, and policy-oriented discussions.

His publication record includes articles in journals such as School Psychology International, African Journal of Disability, South African Journal of Education, International Journal of Inclusive Education, and Heliyon. He has also authored and edited academic books and contributed chapters to international handbooks on disability, education, and global health. His research has been supported by funding from bodies such as the National Research Foundation, the Department of Higher Education and Training, the European Union, and the Fulbright Specialist Program.

Professional service and international engagement

In addition to research and teaching, Professor Sefotho has played an active role in academic service. He has served on editorial boards of several international journals and currently holds associate editor roles in established peer-reviewed publications. He has also contributed to national and international professional associations related to counselling, educational psychology, and career development, including leadership roles within the South African Career Development Association.

Internationally, he has been invited to deliver lectures, workshops, and keynote addresses in countries including Colombia, Mexico, the United States, Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe. Many of these engagements have been conducted in Spanish, reflecting his multilingual academic background and cross-cultural orientation.

Contribution to higher education

Across his career, Professor Maximus Monaheng Sefotho has combined scholarship, teaching, supervision, and service within higher education. His work reflects a sustained engagement with questions of access, inclusion, disability, and social justice in education, particularly within African contexts. Through his academic leadership, research outputs, and postgraduate mentorship, he has contributed to the development of educational psychology and disability studies as evolving fields within South African and international scholarship.