01/10/2025
Education in Zambia
A Beautiful Struggle in Need of Reform
Education is one of the most beautiful gifts life can offer. It shapes how we see the world, gives us the confidence to transform our circumstances, and opens doors that would otherwise remain locked. Personally, education has taken me to places I never imagined I could reach, and for that, I will always value it.
Yet, while I celebrate what education has done for me, I cannot ignore the challenges that lie at the heart of Zambia’s education system. Having studied in government schools at every stage from primary, through secondary, to tertiary level at the nation’s highest learning institution I have seen firsthand how the system often feels designed to set learners up for failure rather than success.
The issue is not that our students lack potential or ambition. Instead, it is the mindset embedded in the way education is delivered. Too often, I encountered teachers, tutors, and lecturers who believed that learning must be difficult to be meaningful. They insisted that students memorize complex concepts, cram formulas, and reproduce information without context applying ideas we had never once seen in real life.
Take mathematics, for example. Many students are made to memorize trigonometric formulas like sine and cosine rules but are never shown how these apply in construction, navigation, or even computer graphics. In science, chemistry often becomes about cramming the periodic table, while physics asks learners to solve abstract electricity problems without giving them hands-on exposure to wiring or renewable energy projects. Even in civic education, pupils memorize dates and governance terms without being taught how to practice civic responsibility in real life, such as participating in community service or understanding their legal rights. At university, the pattern continues: students study economic theories like Keynesianism or dependency theory but are seldom guided to connect these ideas to Zambia’s real challenges such as debt sustainability, inflation, or trade.
In other countries, the approach is very different. In Finland, education is project-based and experiential, students learn about climate change by measuring air quality or energy use in their own schools. In Singapore, mathematics is taught through real-life examples like cooking measurements or probability games, while science is grounded in experiments from an early stage. Germany integrates vocational training into secondary education so that theory is combined with practical industry experience in engineering, carpentry, or IT. Even in parts of the United States, history is taught through simulations and debates, where students role-play United Nations negotiations or participate in community projects that bring classroom concepts to life.
To be fair, Zambia has made efforts to reform its education system. The recent curriculum revisions are commendable and represent a step in the right direction. But the truth is, curriculum change alone is not enough. We can revise the curriculum endlessly, but if educators continue to cling to rigid, outdated teaching philosophies, very little will change. The heart of the problem lies not only in what we teach, but in how we teach it, and the mindset of those tasked with guiding our learners.
If Zambia is to unleash the full potential of its young people, we must go beyond revising documents. We must reorient our educators from primary teachers to university professors to embrace a learner-centered approach. They must see themselves as facilitators of success, not gatekeepers of knowledge. Only then will education truly serve its purpose: equipping Zambians with the skills, confidence, and vision to transform their own lives and, ultimately, the nation.
Education is beautiful. But for Zambia, it must also become liberating.
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