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!

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.

Give a little to save a soul

On Saturday 27th October ZIGS hosted an Independence Day party for 30 orphans from across Livingstone. The party was organised by Kimberley Musonda, the Director of the charity 'Give a little to safe a soul' and former Big Brother Africa contestant, the students from the Victoria Falls University Community Outreach Group and the staff of ZIGS. The day was full of laughter and joy and the children went home very happy! It was a privilege for all of us a ZIGS to be part of such an event that focused on supporting the most vulnerable children in our community!

The Book Bus

The Book Bus visited ZIGS this week and donated three boxes of books for our library. We are delighted to work in partnership with this wonderful organisation which is committed to raising literacy levels across Zambia, Malawi,Ecuador and most recently India. The books donated will be a wonderful addition to our new library.

As part of our commitment to the community that we are part of, we at ZIGS, are to open our children's library to the wider community. Thus it will not only be our children at ZIGS who benefit from the books donated by the Book Bus but also many more children across Livingstone!

Teacher Training Courses at ZIGS

Teacher Training 

We are delighted to announce that we are now enrolling for our Teacher Training courses to commence in January 2013.

We have places available on Certificate and Diploma courses in 'Early Childhood Education' and 'Training the Care Givers.'

Our courses will be delivered by our Deputy Head and ETTAZ 'Curriculum and Examinations' Chairperson, Miss Josephine Bwalya, alongside our team of well qualified and experienced teachers.

Our course will be delivered 'in house' so that our trainees get the opportunity to carry out their teaching practice in Livingstone's premier International School. Lectures will be delivered in afternoon and twilight sessions.

Please contact or visit ZIGS for more details.Places are limited.

ZIGS supports National Measles Campaign

ZIGS is supporting the National Measles Campaign organised by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Community Development Mother and Child with support from UNICEF, the World Health Organization WHO, and other partners that runs from 10-15 September 2012.

Subsequently health care professionals from Hillcrest Clinic will be in school on Wednesday 12th September to vaccinate our children.

Learning through Play at the Zambezi International Green School

Our mission at ZIGS is to educate the next generation of African leaders to be inspired with a zest for lifelong learning, a desire to do what is ethically right, to care for our their environment and to love one another.

We aim to inspire our students by ensuring that our curriculum is vibrant and exciting so that children develop a passion for learning. Learning at ZIGS is not confined to the classroom. Our children spend much of their time outside and in our Early Years Learning Centre there is very much of a focus on Learning through Play. While playing together our children are encouraged to share, solve problems, develop thinking skills,  be creative, develop coordination, resolve conflict and use their imaginations. All of these skills are conducive to the development of a child and compliment the traditional aspects of the curriculum. Of course a lot of learning is classroom based and focused upon numeracy and literacy but learning through play paves the way for the development of these skills.