

His rice field that got washed away by Cyclone Freddy
* Ironically, he is a victim of the same climate change affecting Malawi as Tropical Cyclone Freddy in March destroyed his rice farm
* Which earned him enough to finance his past two years of study at University of Zambia
By Duncan Mlanjira
Khongoloni Secondary School Geography teacher in Phalombe, Duncan Wadson — who incorporates disaster risk management & climate change in his teaching sessions — is in his final year pursuing a PhD in Curriculum Studies with University of Zambia.

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His PhD research, which has reached discussion chapter, is on ‘Climate Change Education in Senior Secondary School Curriculum in the Southern Region of Malawi’.
Ironically, he is a victim of the same climate change affecting Malawi as Tropical Cyclone Freddy in March destroyed his rice farm, which earned him enough to finance his past two years of study at University of Zambia.
Thus he is struggling financially ahead of his final year and pleads for K2 million support from well-wishers for his PhD programme or help him to link up with those who can facilitate for him to acquire his scholarship opportunities.
“I depend on rice production to support my education,” he said in an interview after Maravi Express reached out to him. “But unfortunately, I lost all my rice fields due to the Cyclone Freddy. I had about 10 hectares of land that I planted rice but it was all washed away and up to now the land is submerged in water.

His rice field reached this stage before Cyclone Freddy
“I harvest about 300 bags of rice per year and I raise about K4 million in a year — that’s why I was able to pay for my studies as the whole programme is K6 million and I already paid for 2 years, remaining with K2 million for the final year.”
His rice fields — situated at Lake Chilwa, commonly known as Malo or Chikawonga area — has the water body of the Lake reclaiming the land and nobody cannot plant on that site as it is now being utilized by fishermen.
He said he enrolled for the programme in 2021 after taking cognizance of the extent climate change is affecting Malawi, saying: “I got inspired to examine how climate change education can be incorporated in our secondary school curriculum.
“Climate change is an emergency issue that needs to be taught in all the subjects. So I got inspired to enroll for the programme so that I can research on this and see how the gaps can addressed in the curriculum.”
Wadson, who attained his first degree at Mzuzu University in 2016 in Bachelor of Arts (Education) and Geography as a major, has taught at Khongoloni Secondary School for 15 years and started teaching when he only possessed T2 Certificate.
For his research, Wadson said he chose the topic ‘Implementation of Climate Change Education in Senior Secondary School Curriculum in the Southern Region of Malawi’ — “because climate change is mostly affecting the Southern Region”.
“For instance, Cyclone Ana [2022], Cyclone Gombe [2022] and Cyclone Freddy [2023] mostly affected the Southern Region of Malawi — so there is a need for us to do something about it.
“Our curriculum should be designed in such a way that it will assist our students to acquire knowledge for mitigation, adaptation and resilience — failing which, the consequences will be catastrophic.”

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He further emphasized that “climate change education is really an answer to Malawi. However, the teaching of climate change should emphasize on practice.
“Students should learn through practice, for instance, through projects like water harvesting, tree planting and waste management. Climate change education can transform the students on how they interact with the environment.
“They can also team community members about climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience. Whole school approach can also be the best in the teaching of climate change.”
In his teachings in Geography lessons at Khongoloni Secondary School, Wadson also inculcates on his student the culture of environmental conservation, saying: “I had a project of planting trees with my students in the last rainy season where we planted 250 tree seedlings.”
He impressed that his study is very important “because it may assist the curriculum developers to include climate change content in all the subjects.
“It may also assist policy makers to make clear policies that will encourage climate change education in the school curriculum. Education is really a powerful tool for combating climate change.
“Teachers who are end users of the curriculum need also to be trained. Let me assure you that I shall introduce climate change projects in schools especially in Shire Highlands Education Division soon after my studies — climate change is not doing good to us.”
His PhD programme at University of Zambia is a full time and he attended classes physically in his first year and proceeded working on his research but has to go back for his final year — thus his appeal since he is at his wits’ end where to find the resources from following the destruction of his rice farm.

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