University recognises community leader with honorary degree

A charity leader who has spent more than a decade widening access to education and support for migrant and refugee women in Reading has received an honorary degree from the University of Reading.

Aisha Malik, Chief Executive Officer of Reading Community Learning Centre, received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Letters in a ceremony on Wednesday 29 July.

Since 2010, Malik has led the transformation of the Centre from a charity supporting 140 learners into an organisation that now supports almost 600 women from 41 countries each year, delivering more than 140 courses and over 2,000 information, advice and guidance sessions annually.

Malik began her career in community education in 2001 as an ESOL Course Manager with the London Training Agency. She went on to manage family literacy and numeracy programmes for Ealing Borough Council's Sure Start Children's Centres, before becoming Community Engagement and First Steps Manager and later ESOL Community Team Manager. 

She studied Geography at Queen Mary and Westfield College, London, before completing an MA in Lifelong Learning at the Institute of Education.

Under Malik's leadership, the Centre has diversified its funding, relocated to larger premises and built partnerships with many local organisations. During the pandemic, she moved classes online to keep women connected, and worked with health partners to promote vaccination uptake among affected communities.

The Centre has also built strong links with the University of Reading, supporting participatory research into social connectivity, health inequalities and transnational family wellbeing, and welcoming University staff onto its trustee board.

Dr Sally Lloyd-Evans, from the Department of Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Reading, said: "Aisha Malik has demonstrated an unwavering dedication to what she describes as her lifetime aspiration, to empower all women to grow, spread their wings and access the support and services they deserve to live beautiful lives.

"Her outstanding vision, compassion, infectious enthusiasm and determination to create lasting change for refugee, migrant and ethnic minority women, while inspiring collaboration across Reading, make her an exceptional candidate for an honorary degree."