About

Kiruba Murugaiah, Ph.D.

I founded Kalvi Advisors, LLC as an independent consultancy offering specialized support for education programs in conflict-affected contexts.

My mission is to seek practical approaches toward a just and culturally revitalizing education, one that empowers educators and learners alike — particularly where systems have been disrupted by war and conflict, displacement, and other forms of emergencies.

My research interrogates the colonial matrix of power in education and how it forecloses epistemic pluralism. This scholarship grounds my consulting practice, bringing rigor and contextual sensitivity to my work.

I bring over a decade of experience across fragile and conflict-affected contexts in K-12 and higher education. This includes Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh, Cameroon, Chad, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Iraq, Lebanon, Mali, Niger, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka and Tanzania.

I am fluent in English & French, my mother tongue is Tamil. I am a United States citizen of Sri Lankan Tamil heritage.

Work With Me

My Expertise

  • Develop curricular standards, lesson plans, and teacher training manuals.

    Advise on Ministry-led initiatives to align with SDG 4 minimum standards of the Global Proficiency Framework.

  • Deliver professional development and in-service training on differentiated learning , coaching and mentoring, and strengthening curriculum.

    Notable projects during my tenure at the International Rescue Committee:

    • Dubai Cares Education in Emergencies: Evidence for Action (3EA) (Niger, Lebanon)

    • UKAID Girls’ Education Challenge: Every Adolescent Girl Empowered and Resilient (EAGER) (Sierra Leone)

    • UKAID Girls’ Education Challenge: Valorisation de la Scolarisation de la Fille! (DRC)

  • Utilize quantitative and qualitative methods grounded in participatory critical and decolonial theory and methods.

    Knowledge of Nvivo, MaxQDA and Dedoose.