Zambia

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Zambia is located in southern Africa and has a population of about 20 million people. (World Bank, 2022).

COL’s current work in Zambia is primarily in the areas of higher education, open schooling, skills for work, lifelong learning for farmers, technology-enabled learning, and benefits from programmes offered by the Southern African Development Community’s Centre for Distance Education (SADC-CDE), COL’s regional centre. Learners from Zambia are also participating in COL’s free online courses and accessing other openly available resources.

Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 15-64 years old¹
15.6%		18.3%
Female (2020)		Male (2020)

Completion rate, lower secondary education for the school year ending in 2020¹
47.8%		45.4%
Female		Male

Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education for the school year ending in 2012¹
3.5%		4.8%
Female		Male

Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications in secondary education¹
n/a		n/a
Female		Male

1. UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre, retrieved in May 2023

Highlights

A Technology-Enabled Learning Competence Framework developed for teachers in Zambia.
The Teaching Council of Zambia developed a strategy for using Open Distance Learning (ODL) in In-Service Teacher Training.
Gender responsive strategies for ODL in TVET have been approved and are being implemented at four institutions.
Ten TVET institutions have developed strategies for TEL.
Zambia Qualifications Authority (ZAQA) developed and revised policy/guidelines related to Credit Accumulation and Transfer policy, Recognition of Prior Learning policy, and integrating employability in the Zambia Qualifications Framework (ZQF).

Partners

Partnerships are fundamental to COL’s work. Strategic partnerships allow COL to broaden its reach and engage at global, regional and national levels, while implementation partners support COL’s work in communities and institutions across Commonwealth Member States. Partners include multilateral organisations, regional bodies, national governments, government agencies, foundations, civil society organisations, public and private (not-for-profit) institutions and the private sector. COL partnerships assist in improving and extending teaching and learning services to people in the developing Commonwealth.

COL’s partners in Zambia include:

Ministry of Education
Ministry of Technology & Science (MOTS)
Higher Education Authority
Kwame Nkrumah University
Luanshya Technical Business College (LTBC)
Northern Technical College
Solwezi Trades Training Institute
Teaching Council of Zambia (TCZ)
Technical and Vocational Teachers’ College (TVTC)
Technical, Education, Vocational & Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA)
University of Zambia
Zambia Information and Communication Technology College
Zambia Qualifications Authority (ZAQA)

Key Contacts

Focal Point

Dr Beatrice Machaka Botha
Director, Directorate of Open & Distance Education
Ministry of Education

Literacy rate (2020)¹
84.3%		91%
Female, Adult (15+)		Male, Adult (15+)

Economic Activity – Labour Forces Participation (2021)¹
54.7%		67%
Female, Ages 15-64		Male, Ages 15-64

Political Decision Making (2021)¹
15%
Share of seats held by women in national parliament

Life expectancy (2023)¹
65.4		59.5
Female		Male

1. COL gender country profile October 2023

21	100
Individuals using the internet (%)¹	Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹

0.41	53
Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹	Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹




1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU), retrieved in May 2023.

Zambia

Highlights

Partners

Key Contacts

Focal Point

More Information

News

Reports

Publications and Resources

Country Data Sources