KANSANSHI MINE ADVANCING LITERACY LEVELS IN SOLWEZI

SOLWEZI, ZAMBIA – In its quest to improve literacy and the quality of education in schools within its catchment area, First Quantum Minerals’ Kansanshi Mining Plc has handed over assorted education materials to the government and public libraries in Solwezi worth more than K556,000.

The items include over 10,500 African novels for junior readers in schools, another 1,000 copies of ‘Tukiya the Runaway Teenage Bride,’ 89 early childhood education tables, 712 early childhood education chairs, and 99 Scrabble boards.

Every year since 2013, Kansanshi Mine has acquired and donated a consignment of books to government as part of the mining firm’s education development programme. So far, FQM has handed donated over 150,000 books – most of them textbooks – to the district.

In a speech read on his behalf by Kansanshi Mine Metallurgical Manager Crosby Chongo, Kansanshi mine General Manager Anthony Mukutuma said: “We have helped change the textbook pupil ratio in mine-supported primary schools from more than 20 pupils per book to one book per three pupils.”

Mr Mukutuma explained that if learners were to grow their literacy skills, they needed materials that were also fun to read.

“While textbooks that we have assisted with over the years are essential in the delivery of education, they however do not do much to develop the life-long skills of literacy and the love for reading in students,” he said.

“We are proud to be contributing to the establishment of early childhood education in schools and the development of twenty-first-century skills in learners through games such as Scrabble along with junior readers’ novels,” he continued.

FQM’s efforts to improve education standards and advance literacy levels are framed by a broader vision of how corporate support can have the most impact.

Under its Kansanshi Foundation School Improvement Programme, the company is also supporting a Continuous Professional Development (CPD) programme, where teachers are provided with training on modern teaching methods, including action plans on implementation.

Speaking at the same event, North-Western Province Permanent Secretary Colonel Grandson Katambi noted the key role the mining firm had played towards the socio-economic development of North-Western Province, which he said was evident in the education sector.

In a speech read on his behalf by Assistant Director Planning for North-Western Province, Davison Mapiza, Colonel Katambi said that the investment Kansanshi Mining was making in developing the local education sector was commendable.

“Books for pleasure help develop literacy and a reading culture. People who read are people who learn. They are leaders in development,” he said.

The mining firm believes that helping to create strong, well-managed communities is both a social responsibility and a business imperative.

It is for this reason that the country’s largest taxpayer has continued to invest heavily in community development programmes aimed at complimenting government’s efforts to attain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

SDG 4 seeks to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all which encompasses the goal of FQM’s education programmes at both mines in North-Western Province, as well as the Kansanshi Quality Education Improvement Programme (KanEQuIP), support for Early Childhood Education, Solwezi Trades Training programmes and other numerous school projects.