Yusef Waghid is a distinguished African philosopher of education, holding three doctorates in education, policy, and philosophy from the University of the Western Cape and Stellenbosch University, South Africa. A tenured professor since 2002, he was named a Distinguished Professor at Stellenbosch University (2014–2023) and conferred Emeritus Professor status in 2024.

His prolific scholarship includes 453 publications, comprising 66 academic books and edited volumes, 97 invited book contributions, and 245 journal articles. He has successfully supervised 35 PhD candidates and examined 64 doctorates. In recognition of his academic mentorship, he received the prestigious Education Research in Africa Award from the Association for the Development of Education in Africa in 2015.

Waghid has also held key administrative roles at Stellenbosch University, including Chair of the Department of Education Policy Studies (2003–2007, 2022) and Dean of the Faculty of Education (2007–2012, 2017–2018). His career began in secondary education as a science teacher (1979–1996) before transitioning into higher education as a senior teaching advisor at UNISA (1996–1997). Most recently, he has been appointed as Professor Extraordinarius, Department of Educational Foundations, College of Education, UNISA (2025-2028); and visiting professor at Sol Plaatje University [2025-2028].

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