Twenty-Three basic and high schools on the Copperbelt province have begun the process of linking up with schools in the UK under the British Council on the Global School Partnerships (GPS) programme.
Education Programmes Manager at the British Council, Ackim Banda said the Global School Partnership programme was aimed at promoting a global dimension in the school curriculum and to promote mutual learning.
Speaking at KCM-sponsored workshop held in Chingola to introduce the idea, Mr Banda said the programme was built around a core set of values, reflecting the common belief that if they are to be effective in raising awareness of global development issues, school partnerships must be based on mutuality, equality, learning and sustainability.
Mr Banda said these schools would benefit from several learning opportunities that would result from their partnerships with the schools in United Kingdom.
He said using partnership activities to investigate relevant global issues and encouraging learners to develop the skills and attitudes to become effective global citizens.
Mr Banda said the global school partnership was adding value to the mainstream curriculum through enhancing teaching and learning in a wide range of subjects by incorporating the global dimension.
Mr Banda revealed that British Council was currently working with a 110 schools in Zambia since the establishment of the programme in 2003. He said the programme was running mainly on the Copperbelt but it was expected to spread to other provinces.
Chingola District Education Standards Officer Benson Musyani said that the Global School Partnership programme would contribute to bringing change in the thinking among educators and learners in Zambia.
Mr Musyani said the partnership would enable the schools to take part in various exchange programmes which will helped to develop young people’s commitment to a fairer, more sustainable world.
He said that programme was a good initiative that could help in the breaking down of cultural barriers and making it easier for the people to have a better understanding of the world.
Mr Musyani urged schools In Chingola and Chililabombwe to embrace the programme as the two districts were lagging behind in developmental partnerships.
KCM Corporate Social Responsibility Programme Manager Sampa Chitah said the Global School Partnership programme was in line with the KCM CSR education-support programme which aimed at providing quality education and empowering the community educational skills.
KCM Trust School Principal Ernest Makasa said the programme would enable teachers get exposed to the latest international trends in education, which was good for their confidence.
He said that the programme will enrich the curriculum and raise it to higher and more diverse levels thereby enhancing the passing on of extra skills to pupils.
Mr Ashok Desai Executive, Coordinator for Simba International School of Ndola said the programme was a welcome initiative as it gave Zambian schools an opportunity to learn from the UK schools.
He said he was optimistic that the partnership would be especially beneficial to government funded schools lacking the means improve on the quality of education they offered.
They are welcome. Got to speak to my husband. He will be chuffed about this.
Good initiative,our schools will definately benefit from this global partnership,but what are we going to contribute,what are the partner schools going to learn from us,what changes have been made to the curriculum in line with global trends for us to show our global school partners that we are moving with the rest of the world,what do we hope to contribute,or maybe we are just receipients as usual,,,if only education was a priority. I remember seeing a picture of Ganstone Sichilima inspecting a school block,sad sad picture