"Each of these young people is a future Zambian leader!"

Grade 7 students at Chatata complete a role play demonstrating the function of the judiciary branch of government.

The first term of the 2023 school year is flying by! With many of the students we serve in Petauke, Sinda, and Lusangazi reaching sixth and seventh grade this year, we have been especially busy with special projects related to Grade 7 programing! Since this is the last year of primary schooling, it includes exam registration, exam preparation programs for learners and training and support to ensure our teachers are confident teaching upper grade content.

We have also taken time at the start of this school year to review our progress and outcomes from 2022, including the Grade 7 national exam results. Nearly 190 grade 7 students from Impact Network schools in Katete sat for national exams last November. We are pleased to report that 86% of our grade 7 students passed their 2022 national exams, compared to a district-wide passing rate of 55%!

These recent graduates overcame major setbacks brought on by the COVID pandemic. In 2020, when they should have been in busy grade 5, a critical year for English language instruction, these learners spent six months at home while schools were closed. In 2021, when they should have been mastering fractions, ratio and proportion as well as starting in the Impact Network Life Skills and Sexuality program, these learners missed two-plus months of schooling. This cohort weathered the school closures and the challenges that came with it, including rising teen pregnancy rates, increased drop outs due to economic pressures and many other obstacles – all just to make it to the end of grade 7. Their presence on the exam day speaks to the commitment and tenacity of each of them, their families and support networks, and their teachers.

We feel confident our programming raises the level of achievement and increases opportunities for our learners and communities, but we are also always striving to improve on those results. This grade 7 cohort began Grade 1 in 2016 - before the start of the expansion project that has helped us strengthen a codify our programing, before the addition of preschool programing to help students have a stronger start in school, and before the establishment of Read Smart and other innovations to improve outcomes in the early grades. We are proud the accomplishments of this cohort, but excited to see increased achievement in each group that follows them.

In 2023, we have whopping 1,094 grade 7 pupils registered for the national exams at 38 schools in four different districts. Each day our team works to ensure they engage in high quality instruction, have proper supplies and infrastructure at their school and are safeguarded from issues that could interrupt their education. Each of these young people is a future Zambian leader and we are proud that Impact Network can play a part in helping them unlock their own potential!

Grade 7 teachers from Katete East study tablet content in order to plan exam preparation activities for their grade 7 students.

You can also read more on our Grade 7 survey results from last year to learn about how we help support the transition to secondary school.

This week’s email comes from Annabelle Hardy, our Director of Academics and Evaluation – thank you, Annabelle!