FQM-sponsored school learning initiative resumes

FIRST Quantum Minerals (FQM), through its Kansanshi Foundation, has revived the School- on-Radio Programme (SoRP) to facilitate learning for pupils through radio broadcast.

This is being done in partnership with the Solwezi District Education Board,

Solwezi FCC Radio and Radio Kabangabanga.

The aim of the program is to allow pupils continue their lessons throughout the period of school closure by broadcasting classes on local radio stations.

The initiative focusses on Grades one to seven classes with lessons aligned with the Zambian school curriculum.

FQM Head of Education, Onward Mandevu, explained that right from the beginning Kansanshi Mining has come to the aid of primary school children through a school on radio programme to ensure learning continues even when schools are closed.

Dr Mandebvu said making an initiative like SoRP was important especially that in 2020, pupils lost seven months of learning due to

COVID-related school closures.

He said that under the programme, pupils are provided with pre-recorded and live lessons on air in several subjects including language and literacy, mathematics, science, and social studies.

“The lessons are prepared and delivered by 18 of the provinces’ top teachers selected with the assistance of district education authorities,” Dr Mandevu said.

He said the programme was initially developed to provide ‘school through the radio’ after the first confirmed cases of the virus in Zambia resulted in a partial lockdown that led to significant disruption to the national school calendar.

Dr Mandevu said phase one of the project covered March to September 2020 with phase II operating between October 2020 to June 2021 before the latest closure forced an extension.

“The programme has been re-introduced to provide complimentary lessons during the current closure and when schools re-opened. This was necessary because ‘time on a task’ in schools had been reduced by 50 percent due to COVID-19 thus creating a deficit in time required to cover the annual school syllabus,” he said.

He said that 200 solar-powered radios have been procured and distributed largely to rural communities to enhance listenership to SoRP.

“In order to ensure the initiative is at zero cost to the community, Kansanshi Mine pays for the calls made to the stations by pupils during lessons,” he said.