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Education
Students must pay fees from Grade 8 onward;
therefore, many students do not continue with their
schooling after Grade 7. What’s more, the ages of
children in any grade tend to vary enormously, as
difficult home circumstances may cause students to
miss years of schooling.
Zambia introduced a new school curriculum in 2014,
and it was developed in response to technologic
changes, new learning areas, new priorities, and
a change in teaching and learning systems. It was
created to meet individual needs, social expecta-
tions, labor market demands, social and economic
changes, and global changes.
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
There are a number of areas in the Zambian educa-
tional system that are in dire need of improvement.
At the moment, girls are more likely to drop out of
school than boys. Only 30 percent of girls make the
transition to secondary school. An even lower per-
centage of such girls will go on to complete their edu-
cation. This is usually do to the fact that an alarming
number of girls, one in every five, by the age of 17
will become pregnant, which generally inhibits their
ability to finish schooling.
An iPad-like invention called the ZEduPad has been
designed for Zambian use by the inventor Mark Ben-
nett. This has been configured to teach grades one
to seven on a variety of topics, which will help un-
trained teachers teach in rural areas.
OVERVIEW
The Zambian education system is divided into five
different levels: Early Childhood Care, Development
and Education, Basic Education, High School, Ter-
tiary Education, and Adult Literacy and Skills Devel-
opment.
Colleges, universities, and skills development are
part of the country’s tertiary education system, many
of which fall under the jurisdiction of the Ministry
of Education. Under the guidance of this ministry,
there are public and private universities, and out of
the country’s 14 Colleges of Education, 12 cater to
training teachers for basic schools and two cater to
training teachers for high schools. There are also
institutions registered with the Technical Education,
Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority,
which are led by the Ministry of Science Technology
and Vocational Training. Education is offered at four
levels: trade test, craft or certificate, technician or
advanced certificate, and diploma or technologist
levels.
There are also a number of non-formal options for
Zambians to educate themselves. There are sev-
eral alternative approaches to basic education that
are officially recognized by the government. These
include community school that use interactive radio
instruction and open learning centers that take place
in existing basic and high schools.
Schools in rural areas often struggle the most. There
is an acute shortage of classrooms, and existing
ones are often in need of significant refurbishment.
Teaching is often done in shifts to make up for the
shortage of space. There is also a severe shortage
of textbooks and teaching aids.
Credit: M
opani Copper M
ines P
l
c
Introduction to IT at Mufulira Primary School
