1.3 Snapshot of Zambian settings

Livingstone District Resource Centre

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The Livingstone District Resource Centre (DRC) is located in the centre of Livingstone Town, Southern Province. Livingstone District has 75 registered learning institutions categorised as primary, community, grant-aided, combined or upgraded secondary, secondary, colleges and universities. The schools are grouped into 6 zones: namely Holycross, Libala, Libuyu, Nansanzu, Mulwani and Shungu. Each zone is led by a school, and Shungu Pilot School is one of the lead zonal schools. There are approximately 1,346 teachers (395 male and 951 female) in the District’s schools.

The DRC is managed by the District Resource Centre Coordinator (DRCC), whose job is to coordinate and administer the DRC as well as to facilitate in-service training (INSET) programmes in order to improve the professional performance of the teachers in the district.

Impact of the introduction of inclusive education in the district

• Many teachers now understand what inclusive education is and how it helps learners to learn.
• Teachers have changed their approach to teaching and the way they prepare their lessons – it is now more active and participatory.
• Learners are involved more during the teaching and learning process.
• There is improvement in senior management’s perception of inclusive education and the creation of enabling environment that accommodates every learner’s access quality education in the school.
• The district education administration has embraced inclusive education and supports their teachers in the implementation process, e.g. the provision of materials, advice, awareness-raising activities, and the step-by-step modification of the learning environment, including accessible classrooms.
• Greater parental involvement in bringing out-of-school learners back to school.
• Teachers are creating teaching and learning materials.

Ministry of General Education collaborates and helps promote inclusive education

• The District Education Board Secretaries (DEBS), Education Standard Officers (ESOs)and DRCCs at district level are involved in promoting inclusive education through training and monitoring. The DEBS also give authority for Principal Trainers to attend training of trainers workshops and to deliver INSET in the pilot schools.
• Monitoring is also undertaken to observe how schools are implementing inclusive education.
• It is also important to work with other stakeholders such as parents, caregivers, health personnel, chiefs, church-based organisations, faith-based organisations, the Department of Social welfare, village headmen, civic leaders, etc. These all play an important role in the implementation of inclusive education.

Conclusion

The inclusive education programme came at the right time and has really complemented Government efforts and policy on inclusive education. Plans are underway to train other schools in inclusive education through the work the DRCC does, so that all teachers can help learners achieve in the learning process regardless of their status.

The photos below show what the DRC looks like: