Showing posts with label Kazangula. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kazangula. Show all posts
Monday, August 30, 2010
In order to bring our Green School in Zambia closer to reality we have relocated our family to Blantyre, Malawi. Although we are still 100's km from the site of our development we are now based in the region and can make regular trips to the site. I, Adrian, have taken a job as a teacher in an international school in order to ensure that we still have an income whilst Betty will make frequent trips to Zambia to advance matters in relation to the project. This will enable us to establish greater continuity in our dealings with the community in Kazungula, Chief Sekute, the district council and other stakeholders.
Tuesday, October 06, 2009
World Teachers' Day - Zambian teachers face real challenges
This article is from The Post, Zambia. It outlines the difficulties facing teachers in Zambia. The Thembinkosi Foundation, through its range of outreach projects in Kazungula and Livingstone will seek to empower Zambian teachers through the provision of In Service Training and Professional Development for local teachers. We will work in partnership with schools and administrators in order to ensure that we can help to break the cycle of poverty through education.
'Every year on October 5, the world commemorates World Teachers Day. It cannot be denied that teachers have contributed heavily to the development of the world by ensuring that qualified manpower is nurtured from a tender age through the provision of basic elementary education which is the basic of all individuals in order to attain higher professional qualifications.
Most of the childhood years are spent at school. It is for this reason that teachers are considered to be parents of the pupils they teach. Years spent at school are part of memories for many people, be it sad or happy.
In Zambia, the welfare of teachers lags behind in comparison to other countries. It is not surprising to hear some highly educated people in government declare that teachers are unproductive hence no need to pay them well. Nonetheless, the productivity of teachers is seen in the highly qualified manpower which is the basis of any strong economy in the world. In line with this year’s theme “Build the Future, Invest in Education”. For any meaningful development to take place in a country there is need to have qualified personnel and this is only possible if teachers are involved at all levels of education.
In recent years, teachers in Zambia have continued to upgrade themselves academically. Just after independence, the country had very few qualified teachers; this led to employing of school leavers to teach in some schools. This went on until the late 1990s. To date the teaching profession in Zambia boast of having the highest number of highly qualified personnel. A few years ago Diploma holders were deployed to teach in high schools but things have changed and we now have many degree holders in most high schools.
Additionally, government has played a very pivotal role by upgrading some teachers’ college of education into universities. This will increase the number of highly qualified teachers. Furthermore, the introduction of distance education programmes at universities and other colleges have opened opportunities for many teachers to upgrade their qualifications. Nevertheless, the government is doing little in helping the teachers acquire higher qualifications due to constraints in financing the education of already serving teachers. Most teachers are sacrificing their low incomes to supplement their education. I believe government needs to come on board and offer sponsorship to many teachers.
In celebrating World Teachers Day, it is important that the various challenges affecting teachers are enlightened in order to fully appreciate the role our teachers have continued to play in our country under difficult circumstances.
In Urban areas, the greatest challenge is housing. After independence most schools had enough houses which were built with assistance from the World Bank. However, the increase in population in our country has resulted into most schools being upgraded to accommodate more pupils, this has also meant that more teachers have been employed. However, the upgrading of most schools has not marched with the increasing demand of houses by teachers. This has forced many teachers to live in substandard houses. A long time ago, shanty compounds in Zambia were considered to be dens for mischievous citizens but today these same illegal compounds are home to teachers and other professionals.
Currently, housing allowances provided by the government is inadequate as compared to the rental charges and it is not paid on time. Most landlords in Zambia today demand to be paid in advance but the government has failed to do so as can be seen by the huge amounts owed to teachers in housing allowances dating from 2003. It is important that the government speeds up the process of building houses in schools or empower teachers with mortgages to build or buy houses. Teacher unions can also supplement government efforts by empowering teachers with accommodation.
In rural areas, teachers have continued to face various challenges which have contributed to the high rate of rural urban drift of teachers. After 45 years of independence, our country still has grass-thatched schools as houses for teachers in rural areas. It is imaginable for a highly qualified professionals to live in a mud house in this century. Additionally, most rural schools lack basic necessities such as clean water, transport and communication network, electricity and health services. Surprisingly, most rural teachers in Zambia have been deprived of rural hardship allowances since last year. The government is doing very little in attracting more teachers to serve in rural areas. It is vital that rural retention incentives are given to teachers in rural areas such as vehicle loans, solar systems and an attractive rural hardship allowance. Most rural schools have continued to record poor results due to shortage of manpower. A critical analysis on the distribution of labour force in the ministry of education will show that most urban schools are over staffed while rural areas are extremely understaffed. It is not surprising in rural areas to find a single teacher teaching the entire school. This is overworking a teacher and compromising the quality of education.
The professional conduct of teachers has greatly improved in our country though there is need for the teaching service commission to be decentralised. Currently, the teaching service commission in Lusaka is responsible for promoting, demoting, retiring and confirming teachers; this has led into delays to address matters affecting teachers. Furthermore, the poor work culture in human resource department at district level has also contributed to delays.It is common knowledge by all teachers that you cant have a problem solved at the offices without making many follow ups.This is retrogressive and those in authority need to bring change.
Teacher unions have lamentably failed to live up to the expectations of their members. It is no secret that these unions have the largest membership hence being financially sound but there are the weakest in the country. It is not surprising that the power struggles in unions have led to breakups and formation of many irrelevant unions. Teacher unions will never achieve anything tangible for their members as long as disunity continues. Additionally, all unions need to improve in transparency and accountability.
The teaching fraternity has continued to face various challenges in our country though we have recorded success in our education system. It is the sacrifice of these noble men and women who are striving to help the government achieve the millennium development goals under very difficult conditions of service. It is therefore necessary to all of us who value education to embrace the sacrifice and wish all teachers a happy World Teachers Day. For sure to build the future we need to invest in education now and this is only possible if teachers remain committed and motivated to continue doing the nation proud, Happy World Teachers Day.'
'Every year on October 5, the world commemorates World Teachers Day. It cannot be denied that teachers have contributed heavily to the development of the world by ensuring that qualified manpower is nurtured from a tender age through the provision of basic elementary education which is the basic of all individuals in order to attain higher professional qualifications.
Most of the childhood years are spent at school. It is for this reason that teachers are considered to be parents of the pupils they teach. Years spent at school are part of memories for many people, be it sad or happy.
In Zambia, the welfare of teachers lags behind in comparison to other countries. It is not surprising to hear some highly educated people in government declare that teachers are unproductive hence no need to pay them well. Nonetheless, the productivity of teachers is seen in the highly qualified manpower which is the basis of any strong economy in the world. In line with this year’s theme “Build the Future, Invest in Education”. For any meaningful development to take place in a country there is need to have qualified personnel and this is only possible if teachers are involved at all levels of education.
In recent years, teachers in Zambia have continued to upgrade themselves academically. Just after independence, the country had very few qualified teachers; this led to employing of school leavers to teach in some schools. This went on until the late 1990s. To date the teaching profession in Zambia boast of having the highest number of highly qualified personnel. A few years ago Diploma holders were deployed to teach in high schools but things have changed and we now have many degree holders in most high schools.
Additionally, government has played a very pivotal role by upgrading some teachers’ college of education into universities. This will increase the number of highly qualified teachers. Furthermore, the introduction of distance education programmes at universities and other colleges have opened opportunities for many teachers to upgrade their qualifications. Nevertheless, the government is doing little in helping the teachers acquire higher qualifications due to constraints in financing the education of already serving teachers. Most teachers are sacrificing their low incomes to supplement their education. I believe government needs to come on board and offer sponsorship to many teachers.
In celebrating World Teachers Day, it is important that the various challenges affecting teachers are enlightened in order to fully appreciate the role our teachers have continued to play in our country under difficult circumstances.
In Urban areas, the greatest challenge is housing. After independence most schools had enough houses which were built with assistance from the World Bank. However, the increase in population in our country has resulted into most schools being upgraded to accommodate more pupils, this has also meant that more teachers have been employed. However, the upgrading of most schools has not marched with the increasing demand of houses by teachers. This has forced many teachers to live in substandard houses. A long time ago, shanty compounds in Zambia were considered to be dens for mischievous citizens but today these same illegal compounds are home to teachers and other professionals.
Currently, housing allowances provided by the government is inadequate as compared to the rental charges and it is not paid on time. Most landlords in Zambia today demand to be paid in advance but the government has failed to do so as can be seen by the huge amounts owed to teachers in housing allowances dating from 2003. It is important that the government speeds up the process of building houses in schools or empower teachers with mortgages to build or buy houses. Teacher unions can also supplement government efforts by empowering teachers with accommodation.
In rural areas, teachers have continued to face various challenges which have contributed to the high rate of rural urban drift of teachers. After 45 years of independence, our country still has grass-thatched schools as houses for teachers in rural areas. It is imaginable for a highly qualified professionals to live in a mud house in this century. Additionally, most rural schools lack basic necessities such as clean water, transport and communication network, electricity and health services. Surprisingly, most rural teachers in Zambia have been deprived of rural hardship allowances since last year. The government is doing very little in attracting more teachers to serve in rural areas. It is vital that rural retention incentives are given to teachers in rural areas such as vehicle loans, solar systems and an attractive rural hardship allowance. Most rural schools have continued to record poor results due to shortage of manpower. A critical analysis on the distribution of labour force in the ministry of education will show that most urban schools are over staffed while rural areas are extremely understaffed. It is not surprising in rural areas to find a single teacher teaching the entire school. This is overworking a teacher and compromising the quality of education.
The professional conduct of teachers has greatly improved in our country though there is need for the teaching service commission to be decentralised. Currently, the teaching service commission in Lusaka is responsible for promoting, demoting, retiring and confirming teachers; this has led into delays to address matters affecting teachers. Furthermore, the poor work culture in human resource department at district level has also contributed to delays.It is common knowledge by all teachers that you cant have a problem solved at the offices without making many follow ups.This is retrogressive and those in authority need to bring change.
Teacher unions have lamentably failed to live up to the expectations of their members. It is no secret that these unions have the largest membership hence being financially sound but there are the weakest in the country. It is not surprising that the power struggles in unions have led to breakups and formation of many irrelevant unions. Teacher unions will never achieve anything tangible for their members as long as disunity continues. Additionally, all unions need to improve in transparency and accountability.
The teaching fraternity has continued to face various challenges in our country though we have recorded success in our education system. It is the sacrifice of these noble men and women who are striving to help the government achieve the millennium development goals under very difficult conditions of service. It is therefore necessary to all of us who value education to embrace the sacrifice and wish all teachers a happy World Teachers Day. For sure to build the future we need to invest in education now and this is only possible if teachers remain committed and motivated to continue doing the nation proud, Happy World Teachers Day.'
Monday, March 09, 2009
In search of Chief Sekute and the death of a President
On 19th August 2008 President Levy Mwanawasa passed away. I heard the news of his death in Ngwanzi village which is on the shores of the River Zambezi in the Kazangula District of Zambia.
We had spent a whole day travelling throughout the Kazangula District in search of Chief Sekute. The Chief was travelling from village to village in his Chiefdom visiting his subjects but he had agreed to give us an audience provided that we could find him! We were travelling with two of his nephews, but as our mobile phone signal only worked in certain areas out in the Bush we were finding it very difficult to actually find him.
Eventually, almost as the sun was setting, we found out that the Chief would shortly be arriving in Ngwanze. We made our way to the quaint fishing village and awaited his arrival. Whilst waiting we were shown around by the Headman. The village was a hub of excitement. It was a time of great anticipation awaiting the Chief's arrival. As we waited we heard the Zambian National Anthem being played on a distant radio. At the time this didn't seem unusual but with the benefit of hindsight we realised the significance of this event. Nearby to where we had parked our hired 4x4 vehicle we huddled around a small radio, that barely picked up a signal, and heard the news that the President had died.
People had long speculated over the health of the President and some had quietly speculated that they suspected he would never return to Zambia from his hospital in Paris. Logic dictated that this was a reasonable hypothesis. However, there was always hope. Hope had ended with this radio broadcast though and now all had fallen silent.
Soon Chief Sekute arrived, but to a much different atmosphere to the one of only an hour earlier. Upon his arrival he made his way to the centre of the village to be greeted by the senior villagers. The mood was sombre as Betty and Constance made their way to pass on our condolences to the Chief. We had sort out the Chief in order to discuss the possibility of acquiring land in his Chiefdom but now our trip had taken on a new perspective.
President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa was an honest, decent and humble man who sort the best for his people. He fought corruption in Zambia and upheld the rule of law and the principles of democracy. He is sadly missed by the people of Zambia and by many others in Africa. May he rest in peace.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Building a school in Zambia - we've secured land!
Things are moving on apace in Zambia in regard to our project to build and sustain a school. Constance has had several meeting with the Chief and his Headmen and reached an arrangement whereby we will be given 30 hectares of land, on the banks of the Zambezi, on which to build the Zambezi International School. All of us involved in the Thembinkosi Foundation are understandably delighted!
We first approached the Chief about the possibility of acquiring land in his Chiefdom, for the purpose of building a school, in August. Our progress was somewhat hindered by the untimely death of President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa and then by the subsequent Presidential by election but throughout this time remained in regular contact with the Chief . He has been very enthusiastic toward our project ever since we first approached him. He shares our vision of empowering his people and he is convinced that our project will be of great benefit to his subjects.
During our negotiations with the Chief and his Headmen it became increasingly apparent that our project has the potential to make a real difference to the lives of the people within the surrounding district. The land that we have been given is adjacent to a village which has its place on the banks of the river. The villagers live simply - sustaining themselves through fishing and by exchanging their surplus for mealie meal. The village lacks any form of infrastructure and the people are not only some of the poorest in Zambia but are among the poorest in the world. The Headman of the village sees the potential benefits to his people that will come through the building of our school adjacent to the village.
ZIS will of course be a fee paying institution. This is to ensure the financial sustainability of the project. However, part of the raison d’être of our project is the empowerment not only of the students who attend ZIS, but also the empowerment of the community of which we will be a part. In the first instance we have promised the community that we will provide electricity and running water to the villagers and subsequently we will bring the gift of education to the children of the village through our supporting of the building and sustaining of a local village school. Not only will we support the building of the village school but we will also share the facilities of ZIS with our neighbours. Thus as ZIS grows and develops the communities we are working with develop. And this development is multifaceted. The development will be tangible in terms of the infrastructure, water, electricity and roads but will also bring about employment opportunities for the villagers. Furthermore, as part of our commitment to our Outreach Projects our teachers, and older students, at ZIS will work with the children at the village school and beyond.
We envisage being a self sufficient institution within three to five years of opening our doors to our first student. Beyond this stage we would hope that any fundraising will be done with the aim of supporting our outreach projects rather than contributing to the sustaining of the school. By this stage we would also hope to have develop our land in order to have cultivated our land and introduced livestock in order to ensure that ZIS becomes a self sufficient institution. Now that we have land on which to build we are along way to fulfilling our dreams but there is still along way to go. The next stage of the project involves the legal process of the transfer of the land rights from the Chief to ZIS and then the employing surveyors and architects to plan for the physical aspects of the school.
The success of the project to date would not be possible without all the people who have supported us thus far. Everyone who has offered us words of encouragement, kept our project in their prayers, joined our Facebook group or visited our website has kept us going. When we reflect on the scale of the project we have undertaken and the difference that we have the potential to make it can sometimes be overwhelming but knowing that we have so many people who believe in what we are doing is so inspiring.
We first approached the Chief about the possibility of acquiring land in his Chiefdom, for the purpose of building a school, in August. Our progress was somewhat hindered by the untimely death of President Levy Patrick Mwanawasa and then by the subsequent Presidential by election but throughout this time remained in regular contact with the Chief . He has been very enthusiastic toward our project ever since we first approached him. He shares our vision of empowering his people and he is convinced that our project will be of great benefit to his subjects.
During our negotiations with the Chief and his Headmen it became increasingly apparent that our project has the potential to make a real difference to the lives of the people within the surrounding district. The land that we have been given is adjacent to a village which has its place on the banks of the river. The villagers live simply - sustaining themselves through fishing and by exchanging their surplus for mealie meal. The village lacks any form of infrastructure and the people are not only some of the poorest in Zambia but are among the poorest in the world. The Headman of the village sees the potential benefits to his people that will come through the building of our school adjacent to the village.
ZIS will of course be a fee paying institution. This is to ensure the financial sustainability of the project. However, part of the raison d’être of our project is the empowerment not only of the students who attend ZIS, but also the empowerment of the community of which we will be a part. In the first instance we have promised the community that we will provide electricity and running water to the villagers and subsequently we will bring the gift of education to the children of the village through our supporting of the building and sustaining of a local village school. Not only will we support the building of the village school but we will also share the facilities of ZIS with our neighbours. Thus as ZIS grows and develops the communities we are working with develop. And this development is multifaceted. The development will be tangible in terms of the infrastructure, water, electricity and roads but will also bring about employment opportunities for the villagers. Furthermore, as part of our commitment to our Outreach Projects our teachers, and older students, at ZIS will work with the children at the village school and beyond.
We envisage being a self sufficient institution within three to five years of opening our doors to our first student. Beyond this stage we would hope that any fundraising will be done with the aim of supporting our outreach projects rather than contributing to the sustaining of the school. By this stage we would also hope to have develop our land in order to have cultivated our land and introduced livestock in order to ensure that ZIS becomes a self sufficient institution. Now that we have land on which to build we are along way to fulfilling our dreams but there is still along way to go. The next stage of the project involves the legal process of the transfer of the land rights from the Chief to ZIS and then the employing surveyors and architects to plan for the physical aspects of the school.
The success of the project to date would not be possible without all the people who have supported us thus far. Everyone who has offered us words of encouragement, kept our project in their prayers, joined our Facebook group or visited our website has kept us going. When we reflect on the scale of the project we have undertaken and the difference that we have the potential to make it can sometimes be overwhelming but knowing that we have so many people who believe in what we are doing is so inspiring.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Monthly Update - January 2009
Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that 2009 brings you great happiness. Thank you for supporting the Thembinkosi Foundation and our project to Build a school in Africa. The project has really taken off over the past few month.... but there is so much more to do....
We have now registered our charity with the Charity Commission and as a result we will shortly be an official charity! We're just waiting on being awarded a 'charity number.' Once we have this status it should give our fundraising a real boost - especially as we'll be able to get tax relief on all donations that we receive!
Meanwhile things have been moving along nicely in Zambia. Constance, the driving force behind the project in Zambia, has had several meetings with the powers that be in the Kazagula District and as a result we have been promised a large piece of land on the banks of the Zambezi.
We would like to contine to spread the gospel about our project and reach over 1000 members of our Facebook group in the next few months. We need your help to do this.....Please would you also invite all your friends to join our Facebook group - it will only take you a few moments to do so. You might also tell your classmates/workmates about this project? Perhaps your school/company might be able to support the Thembinkosi Foundation during 2009?
Please contact any of the group admins if you have any questions about our project or ideas on how to raise funds. We are always delighted to hear from people who share in our passion for empowering young people in Zambia through this project.
We really want to help bring about a real change in Zambia and with your help we can do so...
Thank you so much....
We have now registered our charity with the Charity Commission and as a result we will shortly be an official charity! We're just waiting on being awarded a 'charity number.' Once we have this status it should give our fundraising a real boost - especially as we'll be able to get tax relief on all donations that we receive!
Meanwhile things have been moving along nicely in Zambia. Constance, the driving force behind the project in Zambia, has had several meetings with the powers that be in the Kazagula District and as a result we have been promised a large piece of land on the banks of the Zambezi.
We would like to contine to spread the gospel about our project and reach over 1000 members of our Facebook group in the next few months. We need your help to do this.....Please would you also invite all your friends to join our Facebook group - it will only take you a few moments to do so. You might also tell your classmates/workmates about this project? Perhaps your school/company might be able to support the Thembinkosi Foundation during 2009?
Please contact any of the group admins if you have any questions about our project or ideas on how to raise funds. We are always delighted to hear from people who share in our passion for empowering young people in Zambia through this project.
We really want to help bring about a real change in Zambia and with your help we can do so...
Thank you so much....
Wednesday, October 01, 2008
ZIS and the empowerment of teachers
ZIS will also operate as a beacon school within the Kazangula district offering a range of outreach projects to partner schools. ZIS will work with partners to promote the Continued Professional Development of teachers in partner schools, collaborative In Service Training provided by our most experienced and successful teachers and will provide opportunities for pupils across the district to learn within our state of the art campus.
Monday, September 15, 2008
Zambezi International School
Thembinkosi Foundation has been developed and has taken on an added dimension. It is no longer merely a blog about my experiences of living and working in Botswana and Zambia and my thoughts about life and religion in Sub Saharan Africa. Thembinkosi Foundation now has a mission to bring high quality education to Zambia. The Thembinkosi Foundation will seek to raise the required funds to build and sustain the Zambezi International School on the shores of the Zambezi River in the Kazangula District of Southern Province, Zambia. The project we invisage is tremendously exciting and we are sure can have a real impact in developing and sustaining education across the region.
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