Education Support Network Project - Zambia

ESNet started as a pilot project in 2005. It is run by OneWorld Africa, an international non-governmental organisation. Goal is to assist poorly resourced schools by coordinating a collaborative effort to improve the relevancy and quality of locally developed teaching materials

ESNet started as a pilot project in 2005. The goal is to assist poorly resourced schools by coordinating a collaborative effort to improve the relevancy and quality of locally developed teaching materials. The teaching materials are then shared with schools across Zambia. Initially, around 78 teachers and 800 pupils in nine secondary schools across the country have benefited from skills training sessions and improved teaching materials. This has now grown to 38 teachers and 1,400 students.

Project context:

Most teachers across Zambia develop their own teaching materials, drawing on local knowledge to ensure its relevance to the lessons, but this process is inefficient and material may be inadequate. ESNet enhances educational resources by drawing on locally-generated teaching knowledge. As teachers develop ICT skills, they will transcribe and email their notes to the Editing Centre, which will then compile and edit these resources to create new materials that can be shared. The project provides teachers relevant, contemporary and high-quality teaching material and connects those in rural communities with others. Thus local material and knowledge is preserved and transmitted as the foundation for new, easily adaptable and broadly available teaching materials.

Update and results:

Teaching notes were written and published on the i-school website, a site for info on primary and secondary schools in Zambia. A group of 45 xteachers has already been trained in ICT skills and a workshop to make people aware on the importance of knowledge sharing was attended by 112 teachers and school managers.

50 teaching notes are received from 4 provinces. These are not only distributed on CD-ROM back to the participating schools, but also to additional schools who could use the notes at their schools. The notes are also published at the ESNet website. The notes are also shared at the i-school website

ESNet organised with 5 schools a Face-to-Face meeting to look into the usefulness for the teachers of the materials developed. Outcome was that the noted do help the teachers in their daily life.

Objectives:

ESNet aims to:

Improve the quality of teaching notes in poorly-resourced high schools in Zambia by using ICT
Draw on traditional and local knowledge and relevant materials to create high-quality, up-to-date teaching resources
Create new learning opportunities for teachers
Establish and promote learning network among teachers

Impacts:

The project links teachers to share expertise and create a much larger pool of knowledge and resources for pedagogical purposes. Eventually it should become a self-generating network, operated and owned by teachers. The project keeps rural schools more in touch with the external world and develops ICT capacities among teachers. It also allows teachers to develop professionally by sharing ideas and strategies for improved pedagogy, thus helping the development of the teaching profession in Zambia. Local communities will also benefit from having a population of well-educated and informed young people.