Situation of schools in Zambia

By Matildah Kaniki, I am going to talk about some of the material missing in most schools. The government in Zambia does not provide adequate reading materials for the pupils to read in schools Government must provide for schools reading magazines so that when they read them, they get some information and take it to their parents even though the parents do not like reading them. Government must aim at giving a voice to children in Zambia and also in other countries, inspire them to feel that they can make a difference to the development of their society and build their confidence to take part in the public debates, because the more the children debate, the more they become good at productive things. Government must also be a channel for advocacy for child’s rights issues. An advocate of something is someone who support it publicly. The other problem that the pupils are facing in schools is shortage of computers or a complete lack of. The government has introduced the study of computers yet it has provided for them insufficient computers and for this reason, the pupils are complaining that they are not learning any more. They are putting pupils in groups of ten to work on one computer. In addition, computer studies is advantageous because some people who have studied computer and know how to operate them can look for employment in private companies where there computers and others can join in government in order to reduce unemployment. There is also the shortage of apparatus in laboratories in most of the schools. Pupils are failing pure science in high schools because they need some more. Doing more practical’s help pupils be able to see with their eyes and also analyse what they see so that they may narrate to their friends and easier to remember during exams and during theory. There are also shortages of teaching equipment like pieces of chalk. There is need for the government to provide children with the materials I have spoken about because they provide children with a conducive environment enabling them to reach their potential. The Author of this article is a member of the Children’s News Agency (CNA), Lusaka Bureau, cnazambia@gmail.com