ZIGS: Centre of Excellence in Mathematics

Standards in Mathematics in Zambia are among the worst in Africa with Only about 10,000 out of the 172,000 pupils who sat for the Examinations council of Zambia (ECZ) grade 12 examinations countrywide in 2012 passing Mathematics.

In response to this crisis in the standards of Mathematics ZIGS is launching a Centre of Excellence in Mathematics. The Centre will be run by one of Pakistan's most famed Maths teachers Mr Aqeel Ahmed. In Pakistan Aqeel is a national celebrity due to his teaching ability and the results that his students obtain. He has been featured in magazines and TV documentaries and is a well known and loved figure in his home state of Punjab.

The Centre of Excellence in Mathematics will be housed at ZIGS and will work on a twofold basis. Firstly, Aqeel will continue to teach the children at ZIGS Mathematics and work alongside our teachers to ensure that the teaching of Maths is of the highest standard.

Secondly, Aqeel will be running tuition and Maths classes for children and adults of all ages and abilities.  All our welcome to contact Aqeel at ZIGS and to negotiate a program that suits their needs or the needs of their children.

Aqeel may be contacted directly on 0967650629. Please book early to avoid disappointment.

Teacher Training Program @ ZIGS

ZIGS is committed to providing high quality education across Livingstone and not just to the children with our school community. Our outreach programmes are an integral part of our vision. As part of this mission we have begun a teacher training program for aspiring pre-school teachers within Livingstone. Our aim is to train teachers to the highest standard in order that they can subsequently make a real difference in the lives of the children in our wider community. We currently have four teachers on our teacher training program. Three of these have come from a local community school in one of the poorer compounds in the town. They have been teaching without qualifications up until now but thanks to ZIGS and the sponsorship of a Swedish NGO they will return to their schools as fully qualified pre-school teachers. One of the joys of the program is that our trainee teachers often come from impoverished backgrounds themselves and by qualifying as a pre-school teacher they and their families are hugely empowered. The teacher training programme is making a real difference in people’s lives. 

ZIGS is one of very few schools in Zambia offering teacher training courses. We do so because we believe that in house training is the best way to learn how to be a teacher. Our trainees spend the day working in the classroom alongside our teachers and have twilight lectures twice a week with our Deputy Head, Miss Josephine Bwalya. Miss Bwalya has a background in teacher training having worked at Mufulira College of Education and is also the chair of the curriculum committee at the Early Childhood Council of Zambia.

We wish to roll out our teacher training courses in order to make an even greater difference in our community and thus seek sponsors to make this program affordable. Our fees are modest by northern hemisphere standards but are not easily affordable to the average Zambian. For £100 ($150) per term we can fund the training of one teacher who will then go into the community fully qualified with a certificate or diploma in education. 

With your support we can continue to support the children of Livingstone by ensuring that they are taught by well qualified teachers. Please commit to sponsor a teacher trainee for a term or a year. By doing so you will be empowering someone to be in a position to support their own family as well as ensuring that the children in the poorest communities are taught by the best available teachers!

Child Sponsorship Program II

Many children in Zambia are denied pre-school education because of poverty. This is a major problem because modern research shows how important it is to lay the foundations for learning at a young age. Children from comparatively wealthy families thus get a head start in their educational lives as they will start school even as young as 18 months. 

As a result ZIGS has introduced a child sponsorship program to try to break this cycle of poverty. For £200 ($250) per term you can support a child to be educated at ZIGS and thus be educated in an environment that is thoroughly conducive to learning. For a relatively small amount of money in northern hemisphere terms a child can be given the foundations for lifelong learning.

Child Sponsorship Programme

Part of our mission at ZIGS is to serve the poor and vulnerable in our wider community. In the light of this fact we are seeking to introduce a new scholarship scheme that will allow the brightest children from vulnerable families and impoverished communities to attend our school. Many children in Livingstone do not get the opportunity for Pre-School education and thus begin Primary School considerably disadvantaged and lacking the basic tools of learning. Those who do attend school are often "taught" in classes of 40 or more and the quality of learning is often poor.

Our scholarship programme will ensure that the more able pupils from poorer homes are given the same opportunities as some of their wealthier neighbours. In order to finance the scholarship programme we are appealing for your support. For £50 ($75) per month a child can attend ZIGS and learn at one of the best schools in Zambia. The £50 is inclusive of uniform, meals and educational tours and ensures that the child has the same opportunity to all of his/her classmates. In all we seek to recruit 30 pupils as part of our child sponsorship programme. The income generated from this strategy will go to providing for the individual child's education but will also allow ZIGS to invest further in our outreach programmes and strategies to improve education throughout Livingstone and beyond.

Term Two - 2013

The new term has started at ZIGS. Come and visit us. We are on Flamboyant Lane (off Obote Road.) 

We follow a quintessentially Zambian curriculum with an international flavour which we believe suits the needs of children growing up in modern Zambia. We are guided by Christian values underpinned by the teaching of the Catholic Church. We reject the modern scourge of secularism and believe that all children are religious beings on a journey towards salvation. We being in the dignity of every child, made in the image and likeness of God,and thus are committed to small class sizes (no more than 15 per teacher) in order to best ensure that each child can flourish and develop their God-given talents. 

Every child at ZIGS matters as one is a child of God.

The Real Father Christmas in Livingstone

This festive season our CEO, Adrian Scarlett, spent several days traveling through the compounds of Livingstone distributing sweets to some of the towns most vulnerable children. It was fantastic to see the joy on the faces of the children as they got to meet the Real Father Christmas!

Educational Tour to Livingstone International Airport

One of the topics that our children have been learning about recently at ZIGS is that of transport. We are keen to ensure that our children have a hands on approach to their learning and thus today we took them to Livingstone International Airport where they were treated to a guided tour. Even more exciting for them was the fact that they got to see inside the plane and to chat to the pilot and then watch as the morning flights landed and took off. The children were filled with wonder and awe as they watched the speed of the planes as they took to the air. It was a wonderful day out for all of our children and staff!

We would like to thank the staff of the airport for their guidance and support and the Zambian Air Force for providing us with transport to and from the airport.