Paul Chiwaya

Ruth First Scholar (2017-18)

Paul Chiwaya is from Malawi.

He graduated from University of Malawi (Chancellor College) in 2012 with a BEd (Science). At university he set up Chanco Active Scholars Initiative, a community action group offering career guidance and tutoring to secondary school students, and organising human rights awareness campaigns and back-to-school initiatives aimed at young people.

He has worked as a secondary school teacher in Malawi, and has done voluntary work as an educational book editor and an educational researcher. He has also led various initiatives designed to reduce drug and substance abuse amongst young people and to help dropouts to be able to return to school. 

At Durham, Paul took an MA in Educational Assessment. He was a member of St Chad’s College, which supports the Scholarship by providing subsidized accommodation for all Ruth First Scholars. While at Durham, he gave an inspiring Ruth First Scholar Seminar about positive youth development entitled ‘The Plight of Malawian Youth: Seeking Solutions’.

He has returned to Malawi, and plans to expand his roles as teacher, educational researcher and community activist, particularly through Destiny Builders Research and Education Consultants and the Positive Youth Development Initiative, a youth-led organisation that he helped to found.

Update May 2019: “I am working as a project coordinator and part-time lecturer in Science Education at Chancellor College. Recently I was also contracted as a National Consultant for Itad (a UK-based firm that monitors international development projects), which was evaluating how Global Partnership for Education (GPE) support has helped the education sector in Malawi.”

Update February 2022: Paul has taken up a post as Lecturer in the School of Education at the University of Malawi.

Updated March 2022 Mike Thompson [email protected]

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