CFAS Zambia

In Zambia

The scheme is administered by 'Computers for Zambian Schools' (CFZS), a registered trust, set up locally, comprising interested educational and IT specialists, along with representatives from the British Council, Ministry of Education and the Beit Trust. The CFZS trust works closely with the Zambian Ministry of Education and with SchoolNet Zambia . The British Council facilitate the reception of the equipment free of import duty and they, the British High Commission and the Beit Trust have provided support grants to the project. Sustainability of the scheme locally is achieved by offering a small percentage of the donated computers for sale to NGO's and other non-profit organisations at an affordable price.

The trust employ a programme manager and a task force team of locally recruited technicians who take receipt of the computers, check them out and if necessary carry out any repair work at the project centre currently based at Evelyn Hone College in Lusaka . The task force then install the computers in the schools. By agreement with Microsoft ( Africa ), the computers are fitted with Microsoft OS and MSOffice suite . End of life computers and parts are disposed of through a recycler in South Africa .

Strict criteria are applied to the successful candidate schools to ensure they have the right facilities and security to house the equipment. As in the other recipient countries each school receives at least ten computers and a printer. The school must make staff available for IT training, which is normally carried out by the task force in a week-long regional training course.

Pupils normally follow a basic IT curriculum agreed by the Ministry of Education. Some schools also offer qualifications such as a GCSE in IT studies.

Schools are encouraged to ensure long term self-sustainability for the facilities through their PTA. They are encouraged to raise money to replace or add to their equipment through fundraising, community use of the facilities and if necessary asking parents for small contributions.

Each recipient school is required to give a report on its experience with the computers and is subject to audit before they receieve the computers and a year to ensure they are making proper use of the equipment.

Schools in all regions of the country have received computers and every one of the country's 350 secondary schools now have an IT laboratory through the scheme. The trust are currently going through a programme of supplementing or replacing of older donated machines, whilst concetrating on support to schools that offer exams in IT.

Information on the scheme in Zambia is shown on the Computers for Zambian Schools website and a list of recipient schools is shown on our Zambian schools page.