Survey of ICT and Education in Africa : Zambia Country Report

Abstract

This short country report, a result of larger Information for Development Program (infoDev)-supported survey of the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in education in Africa, provides a general overview of current activities and issues related to ICT use in education in the country. The penetration levels of ICTs in Zambia's education institutions remains low, with those schools that are equipped mostly utilizing second-hand and refurbished computers. The integration of ICTs in learning and teaching practice has been limited, although the introduction of computer studies as a school study subject has begun to change this. The recent adoption of a national ICT policy, as well as the development of a draft ICT policy for education and an associated implementation framework, provides an enabling policy environment to promote far greater access and use of ICTs across all sectors of Zambia's education system, including a system for enhancing education management, administration, and teaching and learning. While the goals and targets set in these policy documents seem realistic, realizing them within the established time frames remains a challenge.