Early childhood education

 

The concept of early childhood education for children between the ages of 0 to 8 is still

relatively new in Zambia and as a result of this limited importance is given to sending children

to the early childhood centre in their early years of life.  The government doesn’t provide

funding for early childhood education anywhere in the country so as a result of this all early

childhood education is provided privately at a preschool or as part of a primary school

education.  In Zambia only 6% of children aged between 3 and 5 are enrolled in pre-school

and only 17.1% of children enrolled in grade 1 in 2007 had pre-school experience.  Urban

provinces have the highest rates of new school entrants with prior early childhood education.

The rates for Lusaka and Copperbelt provinces are the highest in the country with 51.4%,

whilst the lowest proportion is Western province with 2.2% (UNICEF, 2007).

 

Children start preschool from the age of 2 or 3 years to 5 years and occasionally they finish

at 7 years old. In early childhood education the emphasis is usually on constructive play,

character building and learning.

 

The formal educational system in Zambia is split into two levels, lower education and higher

education.

 

Lower education

 

Lower education is split into three levels:

 

• Primary – from grades 1 to 7

• Junior secondary – from grades 8 to 9

• Upper/Senior Secondary – from grades 10 to 12

 

Types of Schools

 

In Zambia you will find four types of schools, government schools, community schools, private schools and international schools.  For the purpose of this website we will provide you with information on government schools, community schools and private schools.  Government schools are funded by the government and provide education across the country.  Community schools are supported by individuals, businesses, farms and or churches in the local area, some of these schools may or may not receive funding from the government.  Private schools are run by individuals, businesses and churches, they receive no funding from the government.

 

Admission

 

Children start preschool age 2 or 3 and finish at age 5, although occasionally children can finish preschool at age 7, they tend to start primary school (grade 1) between age 5 and age 7, secondary school (grade 8) between age 11 and age 14, completing secondary school (grade 12) around age 18 or older.  Although we have listed the ages of when students may be admitted to school at different levels, the actual age of admission is dependent on the type of school, in government schools students will start primary school age 7 whilst other schools my be a bit more liberal and will admit children at age 5, in government schools students will start secondary school at age 14 whilst other schools will admit children at age 11.  In some schools it can be found that in any one class the students will be of widely varying ages due to various reasons such as missing out on several years of school or starting school late etc. 

 

As listed above Zambian schools teach from grade 1 to 7 at primary level and grades 8 to 12 or form 1 to 5 at secondary level.  In Zambia you will also find what are known as basic schools, which teach from grades 1 to 9, covering grades 1 to 7 for primary school level and grades 8 to 9 for junior secondary school level. 

 

Curriculum

 

Schools in Zambia operate under the GRZ (government of the republic of Zambia) curriculum.  However some private schools can operate under a mixture of the Zambian and an international curriculum (either the British or the American curriculum). 

 

At primary school subjects such as English, Maths, integrated Science, Religious Education etc. amongst others are taught, in private primary schools subjects such as development studies, general knowledge, physical education, creative skills, ICT, modern languages and music etc. are also taught.  At secondary school core subjects such as Maths, Science (biology, chemistry and physics), English are taught alongside other subjects such as Geography, History, Civics, book keeping, accounting to name a few, in private secondary schools subjects such as agricultural and environmental science, technical drawing, modern languages etc are also taught.  This list of subjects is not exhaustive as a result subjects can also vary depending on the school.  If a student is following an international curriculum subjects offered at IGCSE level include English as a second language, modern languages, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Business studies, Design technology, Religious studies, Geography, History, Information and communication technology etc. amongst other subjects.  At A’ level subjects offered include English, Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Art, Business studies, Geography, History, computer studies etc. amongst other subjects.

 

In January 2014 the government of Zambia implemented a revised curriculum.  At early childhood education level the changes would lead to a greater emphasis on play and pre-learning activities. At primary education level, there would be changes in the medium of instruction, language instruction from grades one to four in all learning areas would be in one of the official seven local languages (Bemba, Nyanja, Lozi, Tonga, Kaonde, Luvale and Lunda), whilst English would be used from grade five upwards.  At junior secondary level, students would choose either an academic or technical pathway, the academic pathway would encompass eight compulsory subjects, among them business studies and Information and Communication Technology with three optional foreign language subjects (French, Chinese or Portuguese), whilst the vocational and training pathway, on the other hand would offer five subject options namely agriculture, technology, expressive arts, physical education and sports as well as home economics and hospitality.  Similarly, the senior secondary education would also involve academic and technical pathways, but they will only be two options under each pathway, the academic pathway would consist of social sciences, business studies and natural resources, whilst the technical pathway would offer the same options as those at junior secondary level.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clubs

 

Schools offer various extracurricular activities which allow students to develop other talents outside of their academic study.  Various clubs are offered as part of an extracurricular activities program and the number and types of clubs available to students can be dependent on the school.  Clubs offered include Scripture Union, Peer Educators, Young Farmers, Wild Life Conservation, Chongololo, Scout Movement, Red Cross, Girl Guides, Junior Achievement, Anti-AIDS, Anti-Drug, Child Rights, Zambia Model United Nations, Art, Junior Engineers, Technicians and Scientists (JETS), ICT, Writers, Hand Writing, Debating, Fine Arts, Current Affairs, Young Writers, Mathematics, French, Chess, Martial Arts, Aerobics, Needle Work, Junior Librarians etc.

 

School fees

 

Free primary education was implemented by the Zambian government in 2002, which makes public education free between grades 1 to grade 7.  From grades 8 to 12 education is private and is tuition based; as a result of this some students never progress further than grade 7 because they can’t afford to pay for their education.  Government and community schools often command the lowest fees whilst private schools command higher fees.  The fees charged by these schools cover costs such as tuition fees, school books, text books, stationary costs, examination fees, additional costs will include uniform (if required), boarding fees (if required), enrolment fees, PTA fees, Sports fees etc.

 

Day or Boarding School?

 

Schools in Zambia are either day schools, boarding schools or offer both day and boarding options.

 

Uniform

 

At government, community and private schools students are expected to wear a school uniform, which must be provided by each individual student.  Some community schools do not require their students to wear a school uniform e.g. when students are unable to afford to buy the school uniform thus in this case a student will attend school in their own clothes.

 

School year/day

 

Zambian schools have a school year that runs from January through to December, with three month school terms interspaced with holidays for 1 month prior to to each term, between April and May; August and September; and December and January. Some schools also have a mid-term break for 1 week in February, June and October.  So students are in school for 40 weeks per year.  In most schools the school day runs between 08:00am and 16:00pm, though the length of the school day can vary depending on the school.  In rural and some urban government and community schools teaching is often done in shifts due to overcrowded and large class sizes, with some classes coming in the morning and others in the afternoon, for example the school day can start at 7am and finishes by lunchtime for some students or starts at midday and finishes at 3pm for other students.

 

Class size

 

Class sizes can vary depending on the school, with classes as small as 20 students or fewer and as large as 40 students or in excess of 100 students to one teacher.

 

Infrastructure

 

The school infrastructure and facilities vary depending on the school. Government and community schools in rural areas suffer from a shortage of classrooms with the existing ones usually in need of significant refurbishment, whilst government, community and private schools in more urbanised areas will tend to have better infrastructure and facilities.  The schools where you will find better infrastructure will have a sufficient number of classrooms for their students and some schools will also have facilities for science, sports and IT.

 

Educational resources

 

In government and community schools in the rural settings and some urban areas educational resources such as text books and teaching aids are in short supply and can often be out of date and it is not unusual for there to be just one textbook for the whole class available only to the teacher.  Private schools tend to be very well equipped with educational resources and teaching aids which are available to all students.

 

Examinations

 

At government, community and private school students sit national exams (GRZ) at grade 7 known as the certificate of primary education, at grade 9 known as the junior secondary certificate and grade 12 known as the grade 12 certificate. At some private schools students can also sit international examinations such as the IGCSE, A ‘levels or the international baccalaureate (IB).

 

It is estimated that 80% of Zambian children are able to go to primary school, but only 7% are able to go to secondary school and even fewer students go onto higher education.  Six per cent of the total number of pupils who complete Grade 12 are able to access a higher education, three per cent of this six per cent access technical, educational, vocational and entrepreneurship training, two per cent go to universities and one per cent pursue other tertiary programmes, so this leaves 94 per cent of school leavers in limbo, without access to tertiary education.

 

 

Higher Education

 

If a student is able to afford it once they have completed secondary school they will then progress onto higher education.  Higher education in Zambia occurs in universities, colleges, seminaries and institutes of technology or other professional institutes.  At private and public universities students can pursue various courses of study leading to either a diploma or degree in various academic subjects.  Both undergraduate and postgraduate programs are offered.  At public and private colleges students can pursue courses of study to attain diplomas or certificates in professional qualifications and vocational qualifications, also in various subjects.  The courses of study that are offered in these institutions offer options for conventional classroom based learning as well as open and distance learning.

 

Entrance to college or university is between the ages of 20 and 24 years old.  Admission to a government higher education institution is determined by the performance of each student in national exams at the end of grade 12 and gaining a place at one of these institutions is highly competitive due to the few places offered.  In recent years many private colleges and universities have been established, this has brought more opportunities to many deserving students who have failed to make it into the highly competitive government colleges and universities, with the only catch being whether a student can afford to attend such an institution.  Higher education is private and tuition based so fees for these institutions vary depending on the type of institution, public institutions will command lower fees than private institutions.