KGS Programme Key in Promoting Girls’ Education

 By Linda Mupemo 

Cecilia Kaira (left) and Jane Nakamba at school 

Chipo Siandindi confidently walks to the examination room clad in a school uniform and school shoes with her natural hair tucked into neat cornrows. 

She beams with excitement as she nears the end of her secondary school education journey while at the same time smells the beginning of her tertiary one.

“I am happy I am finally completing my grade 12. I want to be a teacher in the near future,”

she tells this Reporter.  

Chipo Siandindi

Chipo,  a Chisamba Secondary School Grade 12 Pupil, reveals that her parents divorced when she was six years old resulting in her growing up with her mother and maternal grandmother.

“My mother does not have a source of income; we survive on my grandmother’s Social Cash Transfer funds (SCT),” she says. 

Chipo says she has been benefiting from the Keeping Girls in School programme since she was in grade 9 in 2021, a programme that has been enabling her meet her school needs. 

Jane Nakamba, a Grade 11 pupil at the same school shares a similar story saying she became orphaned at three years old, leaving her in the care of her cousin and an aunt who is a beneficiary of the Social Cash Transfer programme.  

Jane who became a KGS beneficiary in 2023 explained that the programme has relieved her off the pressure of doing odd jobs in the community to earn money for her school requirements. 

"I used to do jobs such as doing people's laundry in my community to raise money for school, I could charge K 50 per heap. I am thankful to Government for putting me on the KGS programme, all I do now is concentrate on my studies," she says.

Having learnt how to be resourceful at an early age, Jane has invested part of her educational grant into a small-scale money lending business so as to multiply part of the money. 

The 17-year-old says she lends people part of the money which they pay back with  interest starting from 15 percent. 

"I mainly use the money I receive from the KGS programme to buy school materials such as books, uniforms, shoes, pens , school bags and sanitary towels," she says. 

Cecilia Kaira, another Grade 11 pupil at Chisamba Secondary School notes that the KGS programme has reduced the tendency of some school girls to engage in illicit activities such as premarital sex in exchange for material things.

"The KGS programme has reduced the risk of unplanned pregnancies among school girls, government provides us with money for school needs as opposed to us who are vulnerable depending on men," Cecilia says.

The Keeping Girls in School Programme is a component of the Girls Education, Women Empowerment and Livelihood (GEWEL) programme which is implemented by the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.

The programme which is aimed at increasing access to education for underprivileged girls runs side by side with the Social Cash Transfer programme as beneficiaries are identified from households that benefit from the SCT programme.

Noteworthy is that while Government introduced the free education policy which caters for school fees, some learners from impoverished homes cannot afford to buy school materials such as books, uniforms, shoes and school bags. 

Therefore, the KGS programme has been instrumental in promoting girls' education as beneficiaries are given K 600 educational grants per academic year through their parents or guardians who are on the SCT programme. 

Chisamba District Commissioner Joel Mboyoma says the programme has largely contributed to closing the gender gap in access to education in the area since it was rolled out to Chisamba in 2019. 

"We have seen more school girls access education since the introduction of the KGS programme. We anticipate this to lead to social economic transformation in the district and consequently eradicate the intergenerational transfer of poverty," he says. 

After observing that there were low rates of progression among KGS beneficiaries due to lack of funds for sponsorship at tertiary level, Government has extended the sponsorship to tertiary education. 

Mr. Mboyoma says there are currently 20 KGS students from Chisamba District who are being sponsored at tertiary level, adding that eight are at universities while 12 are in colleges. 

And Chisamba District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) Samuel Kunda stated that the district has a caseload of 867 beneficiaries at the moment drawn from 45 schools. 

Mr. Kunda explained that the department is conducting a pilot programme of academic clinics in 12 schools which aims to improve the academic performance of KGS beneficiaries.

"We will extend the academic clinics to other schools once all the modalities are in place. Additionally, non-KGS beneficiaries including school boys are allowed to attend the extra lessons," he said. 

The Keeping Girls in School programme resonates with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal number four which seeks to achieve inclusive and quality education for all. Part five of the SDG 4 targets reads, “by 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations.”

Additionally, this initiative is in line with Zambia’s Eighth National Development Plan as envisioned in strategic development area number two which reads in part: “To address the vicious cycle of poverty, inequality and vulnerability, human and social development will be fundamental to inclusive development and a catalytic ingredient to the transformation of the country. 

This entails providing equal opportunities for every citizen to develop to their full potential and contribute to the development of the country through interventions in education and skills development, health and nutrition and water and sanitation."

Education reduces inequalities, increases ones horizon of thinking thereby enabling educated persons to maximise their potential, it is hoped that KGS beneficiaries will attain personal development and contribute to the economic development of the country. 

This feature article was published in Times of Zambia newspaper on 5th December, 2024.