ZANEC

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  • CALL FOR ZANEC 2021 EDUCATION AND SKILLS SECTOR MEDIA AWARDS

    CALL FOR ZANEC 2021 EDUCATION AND SKILLS SECTOR MEDIA AWARDS

    CALL FOR ZANEC 2021 EDUCATION AND SKILLS SECTOR MEDIA AWARDS

    The Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) is calling for entries for the 2021 ZANEC Education Media Awards. The award-giving ceremony is conducted every year to recognize and reward journalists who have contributed towards the need for quality education in our country.

    BACKGROUND TO THE AWARDS

    The objective of the awards is to promote reporting on the Education and Skills Sector to raise public awareness, understanding, participation and the need for the provision of quality education. Another emerging theme is the promotion of education in light of the COVID 19 pandemic.  The entries must be based on one of the three (3) selected Education Sub Sectors namely:

    1. Skills and Tertiary Education – with a bias towards Academic Freedom and quality of education in Higher Institutions of Learning.
    2. Mitigating the Impact of COVID 19 on Education.
    3. Gender and Equity.

    The article; program; documentary or video must demonstrate the author or producer’s understanding of the Education and Skills Sector at the barest minimum. The articles must also show well researched work or compiled by the author. Education articles specifically covering ZANEC positions will have an added advantage.

    Eligibility

    The awards are open for published and broadcasted works in print, radio, television or online media. Only journalists who are Zambian nationals are eligible for the competition. The competition is only open to individual journalists and not media institutions or organizations.

    The entries shall be works published/broadcasted between 1st July 2020 and 30th September 2021

    Languages
    All works entered for the competition shall be in the English Language.

    Categories
    Entries shall consist of the following:

    • Print Journalism: Features articles or stories published in mainstream newspapers, magazines, journals or newsletters.
    • Radio Journalism: Documentaries or discussion programmes.
    • Television Journalism: Documentaries or discussion programmes.
    • Online/news media: Feature articles or stories published on online media.

    Adjudication and Awards

    The selection of winners will be done by an adjudication panel identified by ZANEC Secretariat with expertise in media and media development. The winners will get a monetary award, a trophy and a certificate.

    Respects for copy rights

    All entries submitted must be original and in conformity with copyright requirements and must have been published or broadcasted between 1st July 2020 and 30th September 2021.

    Deadlines

    • All submissions should be made to ZANEC by Monday, 26th October, 2021.

     

    Further information on ZANEC can be obtained from:

    • Website: www.zanec.org.zm
    • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Zambia-National-Education-Coalition-621828931225604/?ref=bookmarks

    All submission are to be made to:

    The Executive Director,

    Zambia National Education Coalition,

    Baptist Fellowship Building,

    Plot 3061/2 Corner Makishi Road and Great East Road,

    P.O. Box 30774,

    Lusaka-Zambia,

    Email: admin@zanec.org.zm  / information@zanec.org.zm

  • ZANEC Press Statement on the 219 Pupils that were Gassed at Buyantanshi Technical School in Nchanga North Mine in Chingola District

    ZANEC Press Statement on the 219 Pupils that were Gassed at Buyantanshi Technical School in Nchanga North Mine in Chingola District

    Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) is saddened by the gassing incident that happened at Buyantanshi Technical School in Nchanga North Mine in Chingola District of the Copperbelt Province on Tuesday 28th September 2021.  As a Coalition, we condemn this act in the strongest terms and we would like the Ministry of Education to work with the Police in investigating this matter and ensure that necessary measures are put in place to secure the safety of our learners.  We would like government to ensure that the gassing of learners and members of the public that happened in 2019 and 2020 does not continue in 2021. As we may recall, the past gassing incidences caused a lot of fear in our learners thereby disrupting learning in schools. It is our hope that this time around the perpetrators of the gassing will be identified and dealt with accordingly.

    Furthermore, it is important to note that learners have already been adversely affected by the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on education which has led to the premature closure of schools. Therefore, learners are still in the process of catching up on the lost learning time and the country cannot afford to lose more learning time due to gassing. As a result, we would like to call upon all school managements across the country to put in place measures to ensure that their learners are protected from any harm including gassing.

    Finally, it is ZANEC’s hope that management at Buyantanshi Technical School will provide counselling services to all the affected learners in order to enable them recover from the trauma and continue with their normal life and learning. We wish all the 219 pupils that were affected a quick recovery.

    For/ZANEC

    George Hamusunga

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • ZANEC Call for Bids for Project External Evaluation 2021

    ZANEC Call for Bids for Project External Evaluation 2021

    Examination Council of Zambia Act

     

     

     

  • Welcome remarks read by the ZANEC Board Chairperson for Skills and Tertiary Subsector Committee, Mrs. Christine Nabeba Mwasiti Menda during the Advocacy Meeting on Enhancing Female Student Participation in Student Union Leadership held on 23rd September, 2021

    Welcome remarks read by the ZANEC Board Chairperson for Skills and Tertiary Subsector Committee, Mrs. Christine Nabeba Mwasiti Menda during the Advocacy Meeting on Enhancing Female Student Participation in Student Union Leadership held on 23rd September, 2021

    Ministry of Education (MoE) Representative

    Members of Parliament Present

    Student Leaders Present from various universities and colleges

    Civil Society Organisations Present

    Members of the Press

    May I simply say Ladies and Gentlemen, all Protocols observed

    It is my honor and privilege to welcome you distinguished guests to this Advocacy Meeting on Enhancing Female student participation in students’ union leadership. Your presence in this meeting shows the importance you attach to issues of equal participation in leadership positions by both female and male students in higher learning institutions.

    Through ZANEC continued advocacy on academic freedom in higher learning institutions, it has come to our attention that very few female students participate in union leadership. Further, female representation in power and decision making in Zambia since independence in 1964 has not been impressive. This is because women have been and still are under-represented at all levels of decision making in government, parliament, political parties, public and private institutions.  In the recent general elections that Zambia had on 12th August 2021, only 15% of women Parliamentarians were elected. Similarly, only 4 females aspired to stand for elections during the ZANASU election held in July, out of which 2 were elected as Deputy Secretary General and Gender Secretary, meaning the entire ZANASU Congress and Executive put together has only two females out of 13 positions, representing 15%. This shows how far we are from reaching the internationally recommended minimum standard of 50% both at national and institutional levels. The unequal representation has been attributed to a number of factors including stereotypes, patriarchal structures and cultural values, scarcity of resources, traditional family roles and low education and literacy levels among women compared to men.

    It is for this reason that ZANEC supported the formation of a Female Student Network in Zambia whose aim is to educate female students and aspiring female leaders on the importance of holding leadership positions and female student empowerment in student structures.  In fact, most of the female student leaders we have today are part of this network.

    Ladies and Gentlemen

    This meeting seeks to find means and ways of increasing female participation in leadership in tertiary institutions. Therefore, the aim of this meeting is to advocate for more female participation in student unionism as well as look at challenges that deter female students from participating or adequately representing female related issues in student leadership. The expected outcomes include:

    1. To advocate for more female participation in student unionism in their various institutions of higher learning.
    2. To share best practices that would enable more female students to participate in student leadership.
    3. Two good lessons to encourage female participation discussed and actioned.

    Ladies and Gentlemen

    We are happy that the decision makers such as MPs, University Department under the Ministry of Education and various higher institution management, lecturers, student leaders and ordinary students are in this meeting. This will   foster dialogue and chart the way forward to encourage female student participation in student leadership.                                                                                                     

    Ladies and Gentlemen

    This meeting will have short presentations by some of our current female student leaders on issues that frustrate Female Leaders as well as when representing female issues in Union Student Leadership.

    ZANEC is grateful to Youth Empowerment and Transformation Trust (YETT) for the financial support which has made it possible to hold this advocacy meeting today.

    We therefore, urge all of us that are present in this meeting to participate actively as your contributions will make a big difference in improving the gender balance in student leadership.

    Thank you and God Bless you

  • Welcome remarks read by the ZANEC Board Chairperson for Skills and Tertiary Subsector Committee, Mrs. Christine Nabeba Mwasiti Menda during the Annual Students and Management Dialogue Forum on Distance and eLearning for Students with Disabilities during COVID 19 held on 22nd September, 2021

    Welcome remarks read by the ZANEC Board Chairperson for Skills and Tertiary Subsector Committee, Mrs. Christine Nabeba Mwasiti Menda during the Annual Students and Management Dialogue Forum on Distance and eLearning for Students with Disabilities during COVID 19 held on 22nd September, 2021

    Ministry of Education Representative

    Technical Education, Vocational, and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA) Representative

    Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) Representative

    Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) Representative

    Management and Lecturers from various Universities and Colleges Present

    Student Union Leaders and Students from various Universities and Colleges Present

    Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Present

    ZANEC Board and Staff Present

    Members of the Press

    May I simply say all Protocols observed

    It is my honour and privilege to welcome you all our distinguished guests to this Students and Management Dialogue Forum.

    Ladies and Gentlemen

    The objective of this meeting is to discuss how best learning can be done through online and distance learning for students with disabilities.

    Furthermore, the expected outcomes are that:

    • Management, lecturers and students discuss online, remote and distance learning for students with disabilities or special education needs.
    • At least 3 best practices are shared on how universities are providing distance and online learning for learners with disabilities.

    It is important to note that ZANEC had two meetings in which a presentation was made on ways that can foster effective and efficient use of distance learning amidst the COVID 19 pandemic in Higher Learning Institutions.  This was general and was not specific to students with disabilities. However, it was noted that online learning has come with a number of challenges such as the high cost of internet bundles, lack of equipment like smart phones and lap computers, bad network and lack of power supplies.

    Ladies and Gentlemen

    For Zambia to attain the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) number 4. There is need to have distance and online learning that is accessible by all students regardless of their abilities.  It is vital that higher learning institutions invest in eLearning or distance learning platforms as lessons from the COVID 19 have clearly shown that Zambia is not adequately prepared to offer distance and online learning to all. Mostly, access to remote learning is limited to students from well to do families and those along the line of rail.

    Ladies and Gentlemen

    ZANEC is delighted that we have key stakeholders present in this meeting such as the Ministry of Education’s Department of University Education, TEVETA, ZICTA and IBA as well as management, lecturers and students. It is through open and honest dialogue that we can find a lasting solution to the provision of quality education for everyone whether through physically classes or through remote learning. We should all be aware that education cannot wait. With or without a pandemic, education has to continue.

    This is because education is the best equalizer that gives opportunities for employment and production of skilled human capital that can develop this country.  I am therefore, encouraging all of us here present to participate in the deliberations of this meeting. Further, it is important that we share what we will learn in this forum in our various institutions where we are coming from.

    Ladies and Gentlemen

    ZANEC is grateful to Norwegian Students’ and Academic International Assistance Fund (SAIH) for the financial support that has made it possible to hold this third annual management and student dialogue meeting. We are also thankful for the support SAIH has continued to give the organization on issues relating to higher education and advocacy for academic freedoms in general.

    With these few remarks I wish you a fruitful dialogue.

    Thank you and God bless you all.

  • ZANEC PRESS STATEMENT ON WORLD LITERACY DAY

    ZANEC PRESS STATEMENT ON WORLD LITERACY DAY

    The Zambia National Educational Coalition (ZANEC) is delighted to join the rest of the world in commemorating World Literacy Day which falls on 8th September, 2021.  Literacy is the ability to read and write. Literacy plays a big role in education and the two cannot be separated.  In this global village where the world is going digital literacy is an important asset that very individual should have regardless of the social, economic, cultural and political status as well as ability and gender.

    The theme for 2021 is “Literacy for a human-centred recovery: Narrowing the digital divide”. This year’s theme clearly points to the fact that inclusive continuity of literacy learning amidst the COVID 19 pandemic is the way to go in the digital platforms. It further reminds the public of the importance of literacy as a matter of dignity and a human right. Further to advance the literacy agenda towards a more literate and sustainable society even amidst COVID 19.

    It is sad to note that despite progress made, literacy challenges persist with at least 773 million young people and adults lacking worldwide basic literacy skills today. In Zambia according to the Demographic Health Survey of 2018 two-thirds (66%) of women and 82% of men age 15-49 are literate meaning that 44% of women and 18% of men age 15-19 are illiterate. With COVID 19 the illiteracy levels have increased because of the many challenges faced to access digital platforms. It has been observed that not everyone has access to digital platforms hence increasing the inequalities. Therefore, there is need to narrow down or completely reduce the digital division between the vulnerable and the privileged people in accessing E-learning. According to Zambia Demographic Health Survey 2018 respondents living in urban areas are more likely to be literate than those living in rural areas, although the gap in literacy rates between urban and rural populations is higher among women than among men. Eighty-one percent of urban women and 91% of urban men are literate, as compared with 54% of rural women and 74% of rural.

    With COVID 19 the inequalities in terms of access to literacy have increased for most people especially in the rural parts of the country have limited or no access to digital platforms of learning. Therefore, for Zambia to recovery from the impact of COVID 19 or even to ensure that there is continuity of learning amidst COVID 19 there is need for the country to invest more in ICT equipments, stellates that will ensure that everyone regardless of status is able to access learning. It important to know that literacy cannot wait it has to continue for the country to develop and meet its sustainable development goals and national development plans as well as for the citizens to live decent lives.

    Finally, ZANEC observes with sadness that the 2021 budget for Youth and Adult Literacy allocation was 2.5 million which made it impossible for Alternatives Modes of Education Programme (AMEP) to be effectively provided.  Amidst the COVID 19 we expected that AMEP would receive a lion’s share allocation so as to address the challenges in the provision of AMEP.  Furthermore, ZANEC research conducted in June 2020 in all the provinces with the participation of key stakeholders sadly revealed that the reach of the alternative modes of learning that the Ministry of General Education is implementing is below 23%. Worse still, the research findings show that only children along the line of rail, mainly from rich households, are accessing the alternative modes of education designed to provide continuity of learning at home. While, children from rural and poor households have no access to alternative modes of education. Our research further showed that E-learning and Television education programmes are only reaching a few children due to lack of internet, high cost of internet bundles, load shedding of power and lack of ICT equipment or gadgets in general among our children.

    Therefore, we take this opportunity to call upon the new government through Ministry of Finance once again to increase funding for the 2022 national budget allocation to education sector from current 11.5% to at least 15% with the aim of reaching 20% by the year 2023.

    Finally, ZANEC would like to wish our learners a happy and fruitful 2021 World Literacy Day commemoration.

    For/ZANEC

     

    George Hamusunga

    EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

  • PRESS STATEMENT ON ZANEC’S EXPECTATIONS FOR THE EDUCATION AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT SECTOR FROM THE NEWLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT OF H.E MR. HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA DELIVERED ON 30TH AUGUST 2021.

    PRESS STATEMENT ON ZANEC’S EXPECTATIONS FOR THE EDUCATION AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT SECTOR FROM THE NEWLY ELECTED GOVERNMENT OF H.E MR. HAKAINDE HICHILEMA, PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF ZAMBIA DELIVERED ON 30TH AUGUST 2021.

    First, the Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) would like to congratulate H.E Mr. Hakainde Hichilema on his election as the 7th President of the Republic of Zambia. We also congratulate Her Honor Mrs. Mutale W. K Nalumango for her election to the position of Vice President of the Republic of Zambia. We further pledge the support of our 81 member organisations composed of local NGOs, International NGOs, Faith Based Organisations, Community Based Organisations and Teacher Trade Unions to the new government.

    It is important to note from the onset that the landslide victory by the UPND Alliance was partly a result of the confidence that our people have in Party’s ability to address the many problems affecting the Education and Skills Development sector in our Country. In particular, H. E President Hakainde Hichilema’s campaign commitment to reverse years of underinvestment in the Education and Skills Development Sector elated a number of voters especially the youth. More important also, the resolve to address the significant inequalities that exist for millions of our learners by way of breaking the economic, social and cultural barriers gave a resounding hope to our people.  It is however, worth noting that these inequalities in opportunities and access, although endemic, have in the last two years been exacerbated by the advent of the COVID 19 pandemic, as continuity of learning at home during the long school closures has mainly favored learners from rich households who have access to ICT services and equipment.

    We further acknowledge the importance of the 9 education commitments outlined in the UPND Manifesto[1] namely; increasing the share of the education budget in line with the country’s commitment at international level; reforming the bursary and student loan scheme to enable students who cannot afford to pay school or university fees access education; providing a platform for government to engage with education stakeholders with civility; as well as developing education-industry linkages and fostering innovation and entrepreneurship. Other equally progressive commitments made in the Manifesto are; respecting, supporting, empowering and rewarding teachers, tutors and lecturers; promoting culture, arts and sport as an integral part of our national development; ensuring that girls have equal access to education as boys; putting in place policies that address effects of pandemics like COVID-19; developing incentives for industry players to take on students and graduates; and improving quality and range of education courses available.  All these commitments are relevant and important as they are targeted at addressing the major gaps that currently exist in the sector. More important also, ZANEC is keen to see the current government translate these important commitments into practical actions in the short, medium and long term across all the education sub-sectors from early childhood education to tertiary education. Specifically, ZANEC would like to recommend the following actions to be addressed in the short term or in the next two years.

    1. Increase funding to the 2022 education and skills sector budget from the current 11.5% to at least 15% of the overall national budget with the aim of reaching 20% by the year 2023.
    2. Replace the 1996 National Education Policy with a new Policy that incorporates stakeholders’ priorities and those contained in the UPND Manifesto using a highly participatory and consultative process.
    3. Build research evidence around effective practices for improving the quality of education at primary school level and use it as a basis for commencing curriculum reforms.
    4. Undertake the revision of the curriculum designed to come up with a framework that will promote the acquisition of core competencies in numeracy, literacy and life skills; creative and emotional skills; national values; and social benefits.
    5. Broaden the Skills Development Levy into an Education Levy that will be dedicated to generate revenue for strict investment in the Education and Skills Sector.
    6. Strengthen both public and community schools by fostering renewed efforts to improve school infrastructure, teacher deployment, provision of teaching and learning materials, provision of ICTs in schools as well as water supply and sanitation facilities.
    7. Promote the multi-sectoral delivery of holistic early childhood development services based on the 5 domains of nurturing care namely early childhood education, nutrition, health, responsive caregiving, as well as safety and security.
    8. Expand the delivery of early childhood education (ECE) in rural areas through the annexing of ECE centers to existing primary schools and building low cost community ECE centers where there are no primary schools.
    9. Implement a robust scholarship support programme at secondary school level and an enhanced loan scheme at tertiary level to increase access to education for learners from poor and vulnerable households who cannot afford to pay school fees.
    10. Restore student meal allowances across all the public universities in line with the provisions of the Loans and Scholarship Act of 2016.
    11. Prioritize the recruitment of teachers, including the replacement of the Payroll Management and Establishment Control (PMEC) system to allow for the equitable and fair distribution of teachers.

    In conclusion, we would like to appreciate the new government’s recognition of education as a pillar of human capital development and critical for rapid socio-economic development. As we have reiterated in our statements over the years, there is no country that can achieve sustainable economic development without meaningful investment in the Education and Skills Development sector. Our hope therefore is that the current government will continue to place education and training at the center of the economic development and job creation agenda.

    For ZANEC

    George Hamusunga

    Executive Director

     

    [1] UPND (2021) Party Manifesto 2021 to 2026. United Party for National Development: Lusaka

  • ZANEC Press Statement on the Guidance for Reopening of Schools amidst the COVID 19 Pandemic

    ZANEC Press Statement on the Guidance for Reopening of Schools amidst the COVID 19 Pandemic

    The Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) is concerned with the guidance on the continued closure of early childhood education centers, and primary and secondary schools until 16th August 2021. Worse still, although the directive regarding the continued closure of colleges and universities was premised on continued learning through remote platforms, there was no mention of how early learning centers, primary schools and secondary schools will benefit from continuity of learning at home.

    It is important to note that the burden and future cost of keeping our learners out of school without any form of continuity of learning at home is huge. Current research evidence shows that learners whose education has been disrupted by the COVID 19 will never get those valuable months back and will remain disadvantaged compared to both previous and later generations. This also means that the current learning loss will lead to more future deaths than the COVID 19 pandemic through a generation of doctors and health workers who had a bad foundation. The only difference being that these deaths will happen in future. This is not to mention the huge economic loss and loss in future incomes of our current learners who will drop out of school as a result of loss of interest in school due to the long closure.

    What we are saying is that the continued closure of schools should have been accompanied by a robust investment in remote learning modes aimed at providing remote learning at home involving multi-platform programs that combine online lessons, television, radio and paper based materials. More important also, such measures require explicit strategies for reaching disadvantaged households including children with disabilities and learners in rural areas. To this effect, we expected government to take a decisive action on recapitalizing the Education Broadcasting Services (EBS) and granting it a licence to air radio education programmes countrywide as a short term measure and start planning to air television education programmes countrywide as a long term measure.

    It is also important to note that the COVID 19 pandemic will not go away soon as many variants will continue to emerge and ravage our Country. Therefore, we need to continue adapting our strategies to ensure continuity of learning amidst the COVID 19 pandemic. Specifically, the likely continued resurgence of COVID 19 cases requires that government plans for blended education provision where some schools in low risk localities such as rural areas can remain open, while those in high risk localities like urban areas can close and revert to remote learning as they go in temporary lock-downs because of the spiking COVID-19 cases. This will help ensure continuity of learning for all learners regardless of the COVID-19 situation.

    In conclusion, the only justification for keeping our schools closed now is that we have not funded our schools enough to make them resilient to the current wave of the COVID 19 pandemic. We believe that given adequate financial investment in the health and safety of our learners and teachers in schools, continuity of learning can be assured even amidst the current pandemic. We therefore call upon government through the Ministry of Finance to adequately resource our schools so that they can embrace blended learning modes as the cost of keeping our schools closed far outweigh the health risk of having our teachers and learners in school amidst the COVID 19 pandemic.

    For/ZANEC

    Henry Kabwe

    Board Chairperson

  • ZANEC Press Statement on the closure of schools for 21 days

    ZANEC Press Statement on the closure of schools for 21 days

    Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) respects the decision of government to close schools on account of the increasing number of cases of COVID 19.  The decision is important as it is in line with the public health recommendations from our health experts. This decision notwithstanding, it is important for government to ensure that the closure of schools should not mark the end to learning for our pupils. We cannot guarantee that the situation will improve and schools will be ready to reopen in the next three weeks. Therefore, there is need to consider these important actions.

    1. The Ministry of General Education (MoGE) must now focus its attention on providing continuity of learning at home for all our children by scaling up investment in providing remote learning through radio, TV and online platforms.
    2. The Ministry of General Education must start preparing for the re-opening of examination classes now so that in the event that the cases of COVID 19 continue increasing for the next one month, learners in examination classes can be given the first priority to go back to school. The Ministry can leverage on its past experience in running examination classes amidst COVID 19 to reduce the loss of learning time among our 2021 examination candidates. Learners in examination classes cannot afford to lose more time this year, having closed for 6 months in 2020.
    3. Zambia is among many countries globally that have recorded a low reach in remote learning during the COVID 19 pandemic. Therefore, ZANEC would like to reiterate its call for government to recapitalize the Education Broadcasting Services (EBS). Strengthening the capacity of EBS remains the country’s only viable solution to the provision of radio lessons country wide at low cost. We are also calling for the Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) to consider approving the application by EBS to start airing education programmes countrywide.
    4. We also expect teachers to continue providing support to our learners to ensure that they benefit from remote learning including developing and sharing physical learning packs to enable continuity of learning for children at home. Therefore, the Ministry must support the preparation of learning packs to be distributed to all learners in the event that the COVID 19 situation does not improve in the next one Month.
    5. Lastly, ZANEC welcomes the call for boarding schools that have not recorded any COVID 19 to remain open during this period. As reported yesterday by Permanent Secretary Ministry of Health during the COVID 19 updates, we have confidence in our multi-sectoral team that is supporting the Ministry of General Education in keeping our learners in schools safe and health. We are therefore hopeful that they will continue supporting the boarding schools in tightening the COVID 19 prevention and mitigation measures.

    For/ZANEC

     

     

    George Hamusunga

    Executive Director

  • TERMS OF REFERENCE DEVELOP THE STATUS OF EDUCATION REPORT

    TERMS OF REFERENCE DEVELOP THE STATUS OF EDUCATION REPORT

    STATUS OF SCHOOL DROP-OUT RATES, EARLY PREGNANCIES AND EARLY MARRIAGES IN LIGHT OF COVID 19 PANDEMIC

    • INTRODUCTION

    The Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) is a network of Civil Society Organisations registered under the Registrar of Societies Act on 3rd July, 2002 on certificate number ORS/102/35/2581. The organisation currently has seventy (70) Member Organisations comprising of Community Based Organisations, Faith Based Organisations, Non-Governmental Organisations and Teacher Trade Unions.

    The organization’s mandate is to coordinate civil society advocacy for quality, equitable and inclusive education for all Zambians. ZANEC’s focus is therefore on national plans and international frameworks that advance education in Zambia. Particularly, the Coalition takes interest in the operationalization of the Education and Skills Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) for the Education Sector in Zambia and how its interventions take into account agreed upon national and international frameworks.  This is achieved through participation in policy influencing, monitoring and research.

    • PURPOSE OF CONSULTANCY

    The Status of Education Report is ZANEC’s annual flagship report with varying themes each year to give the Coalition perspectives on pertinent issues affecting service delivery. The Status of Education Report allows the Coalition to distil key issues of advocacy based on emerging issues in the sector.  Past reports have covered the topics such as quality of education, gender and equality as well as disability in the education sector.

    The 2021 Status of Education report is supported through the funding from the Education Out Loud Campaign of the Global Partnership for Education through Oxfam Ibis. The 2021 study will focus on the effects of Covid 19 on the retention of learners. This focus emanates from the recent school readiness and accountability monitoring survey as well as the continuity of learning survey conducted by ZANEC in 2020 and 2021 respectively. Key among the findings of the monitoring is that the school closures caused by the outbreak of Covid 19 pandemic in 2020 which lasted 6 months saw increased cases of pregnancy, early marriages and a high number of learners not returning to school, especially in rural areas. Thus, this Status of Education Report will seek to interrogate the actual status on the ground and provide recommendations for remediating the situation. The report is also envisaged to prescribe measures for promoting the safety of learners both in and out of the school environment, in line with ZANEC’s Learner Protection Policy.

    • SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:

     

    1. To review the gender and disability responsiveness of policies developed to mitigate the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on education and how well they have been implemented.
    2. To investigate the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on school drop-out rates, early pregnancies and early marriages at primary and secondary school levels
    3. To make policy recommendations for mitigating the impact of the COVID 19 pandemic on school drop-outs and girls’ retention in school.

     

    • SCOPE OF WORK

    ZANEC wishes to hire a consultant for sixteen (16) working days to conduct an analysis of the Status of Education with regard to learner drop-out rates during COVID 19 period and recommend mitigation measures. Specifically, the consultant will be required to do the following:

    1. Review policy documents developed by government to mitigate the impact of COVID 19 to find out the extent to which gender and equity issues were mainstreamed
    2. Conduct a rapid assessment of how well the gender and equity policy measures in (i) above were implemented.
    • Conduct a desk review and interviews with relevant target groups to assess the number of children in school by gender (enrolment rates) before and after Covid closure;
    1. Identify root causes of drop outs among the learners during the COVID 19 pandemic
    2. Identify plausible mitigation measures to return and retain learners in school;
    3. Analyse the budget allocations and disbursements towards COVID mitigation measures that aim to retain learners in primary and secondary schools;
    • Develop a 2 paged Policy Brief with appropriate info graphics summarising and visualising the key findings and recommendations of the study;
    • Disseminate findings of the report to a stakeholders’ meeting to be organised in liaison with the ZANEC Secretariat.

     

    • KEY DELIVERABLES
    1. An inception report outlining the methodology, key deliverables and timeframes;
    2. A satisfactory draft report to be reviewed by ZANEC Secretariat;
    • A satisfactory second draft to be reviewed by the Secretariat;
    1. Final full Status of Education Report;
    2. Two paged Policy Brief with relevant info graphics derived from the final report.
    3. Power point presentation of the key findings of the report
    • REQUIRED COMPETENCIES
    • Must possess Masters’ Degree in Education, Gender or a related field;
    • Proven experience and track record in working around gender issues and the education sector;
    • Strong analytical, facilitation, writing and communication skills;
    • Ability to devote full time towards meeting assignment deadlines.

    All expressions of interest with a clear presentation on the understanding of the task, methodology, competencies and proposed cost must be submitted through post or email to the address below by Friday, 25th June, 2021.

    The Executive Director,

    Zambia National Education Coalition,

    Baptist Fellowship Building,

    Plot 3061/2 Corner Makishi Road and Great East Road,

    P.O. Box 30774,

    Lusaka-Zambia,

    Email: admin@zanec.org.zm