Primary education
Meeting EFA: Zambia community schools
Success of community schools in Zambia
Authors:
J. DeStefano
Publisher:
Academy for Educational Development, USA, 2006
Community schools in Zambia were set up mostly in the absence of a nearby public school and/or in response to the inability of families to meet the costs associated with government-provided schooling. Supported by local and international NGOs and, most importantly, embraced by the Zambian government, this local initiative has grown into a national movement. This case study examines community schools in Zambia in an attempt to assess the contribution they make to meeting the educational needs of students and, in particular, orphans and vulnerable children.
A number of critical features are discussed which distinguish community schools from public schools:
- management and governance: community schools in Zambia can be classified into three categories. Those launched by a community on its own tend to be under-resourced and rely almost entirely on the initiative and will of the members of the local community. Other schools are started and supported by an NGO or a faith-based organisation. And other schools are launched by individuals and are typically run more like private schools
- teachers: teachers in community schools have less formal education and less experience teaching specific curricula than their public school counterparts
- curriculum: community schools are flexible in their enrolment and structure.
The paper concludes that the legitimacy of community schools, and government policy providing the use of public funds, channeled to registered community schools as a sector investment strategy has meant that community schools have demonstrated exceptional capacity for reaching orphans and the poor and for providing an education environment where they are actually outperforming public school students. Community schools are providing up to 20 percent of Zambia’s underserved children and youth with quality basic education, and this is making a significant contribution towards EFA goals.
