First Quantum Minerals’ Trident Foundation has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of General Education aimed at strengthening access to quality education through the provision of technical assistance and targeted resource support to 50 schools in Solwezi and Kalumbila Districts of North-Western Province.
Under the MOU, the mining firm’s community support arm will collaborate with government to achieve effective, efficient and increased access to quality education as a human right, in line with the Zambia Seventh National Development Plan and the Education and Strategic Skills Plan.
The MOU provides for an innovative approach under which government and the private sector work hand-in-hand to not only provide resource support, but jointly monitor the target schools against an agreed set of key performance indicators and targets, as well as facilitate improved management of existing resources and accountability required to maximise the effectiveness of the schools in the immediate vicinity of mining operations in North-Western Province.
FQM’s efforts to improve education standards and advance literacy levels are framed by a broader vision of how corporate support can have the most impact.
Under its School Improvement Programme, the company is also supporting a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme, under which teachers are provided with training on modern teaching methods, including action plans to implement.
The programme is being implemented in 50 government and community schools in the two districts around its Kansanshi and Sentinel mines,” said Trident Foundation head of education Dr. Onward Mandevu.
Dr. Mandevu said while FQM continues to build classroom blocks and donate text books and school desks, the company also believes that its education support runs much deeper than that.
He said continuous Professional Development for teachers, donation of school desks and extra 75,000 textbooks have improved literacy and numeracy levels in schools supported by the mining firm.
Dr. Mandevu further explained that the foundation’s continued technical and resource support had reached the stage where further improvements required closer work with the Ministry of Education on issues of management and accountability.
This MOU positions First Quantum, and the Trident Foundation that it funds, as a development partner at high level, he explained.
Speaking as the Trident Foundation signed the MOU with the Ministry of General Education, Dr Mandevu said the company is also spending US$45,000 a month on providing nutritious meal supplements every school day for 6,000 children in North-Western Province.
He explained that the dramatic improvement in standards came on the back of an investment of US$70 million in education in North-Western Province by the country’s largest mine since 2005 under its School Improvement Programme, with 260 teachers trained at improving teaching methods.
Speaking on behalf of FQM, Country Manager General Kingsley Chinkuli said the company’s desire as an international mining company is to see communities continue to thrive economically long after their operations have ceased.
Speaking at the same event, Minister of General Education David Mabumba said the MoU is important to government because it wants to ensure that the private sector is a key strategic partner in the provision of education.
Mr. Mabumba said Trident have done so much work in the North-Western Province – in Kalumbila and in Solwezi – in terms supporting government with the provision of teaching and learning materials, providing of school furniture as well as supporting the quality of our education system.
Meanwhile this govt is more concerned about CCTV systems at CBU…instead of matching that pledge they will see it as opportunity to steal.
Free advice to FQM, please handle all procurement yourselves, from purchase of materials and selection and supervision of contractors. Once everything is done, you can invite govt officials to do the ceremonial bit of feeling important, making platitudinous speeches and cutting commissioning tapes. The EU did exactly what I hv explained above during building of the ZCAS Accountancy college.
Look at this info from Chile:
“As of July 2018, the Ministry of Mining’s Sustainable Development Division lists 123 projects with approved Environmental Qualification Resolutions (EQR), valued at nearly $34 billion. If completed, these 123 projects would generate an estimated 66,900 jobs in their construction phase and 36,607 jobs at the time of their operation. Most of these projects (80) are proposed for the northern regions of Antofagasta and Atacama, which are home to Chile’s most important mining reserves and operations.
Chile is the world’s number one producer of copper, iodine, molybdenum, and rhenium. The mining sector accounts for approximately 10% of Chile’s GDP, which in 2017 was approximately $270 billion. Copper alone represents about 50% of Chile’s total exports, and…
With the crooks Vedanta learning that Africa is not playing nonsensical games anymore FQM, is being all nice with Zambia. It is always about money.