"In the future, I want to be a teacher..."

Bwanji from Zambia (I landed early yesterday morning!). For those of you that have been with us since we started our expansion project in partnership with American Institutes for Research (AIR), you might recall that we were supporting a couple of grades at the school. AIR then conducted a randomized controlled trial evaluation with incredible results, that we’ve shared with you before. This year marks the final year of primary school for this research cohort of students and we are celebrating this by sharing stories from students, parents and teachers that have been with us since 2017, when that study started.

First up, the students!

Gertrude , Grade 7 student at Manjazi Community School

Gertrude is a 14-year old student from Manjazi who loves reading, dancing and playing football. She likes Social Studies, and is proud of her knowledge of Zambian geography. She’s been second in her class since the fourth grade, and credits her teacher, Mrs. Memory Njobvu for what she has learned. “Madam M. Njobvu (Memory Njobvu) has been a big influence on me because she has taught me a lot of things like writing and reading and she has been my teacher since grade 3. It has helped me because am able to come to school and learn. In the future I want to be a teacher.”

Moses Daka, Grade 7 student at Manjazi Community School

 Moses is a seventh grader who enjoys reading, playing football, and cooking. He was proudest when he got a 100% on all 6 exams he wrote in third grade – he worked hard to study for the exams. He is looking forward to attending secondary school, and making new friends in a school that is a bit further away from Manjazi. He’s also a lover of science and is an artist! “My favorite subject is Science. I like science because I get to see almost everything I learn in science outside class such as trees and animals. Because of science, I became so interested in drawing because we do a lot of drawing in that subject like drawing trees, drawing digestive system and drawing different types of soils. During special day, I created a mosaic elephant and coat of arms from seeds. Most of the drawings I do my teacher hangs them in our class and this makes me happy.”

It's my honor to celebrate these amazing students this year, as they write their primary examinations and transition to secondary school. There’s a lot more to come from these schools as we continue to partner with AIR and PEAS, and I’m excited to see what these students accomplish.

-Reshma