Zambia/Ireland Teacher Education Partnership

Zambia/Ireland Teacher Education Partnership

A delegation from Zambia visited St Patrick’s College and the other Irish primary Teacher Education Colleges from 7 to 11 April as part of a new initiative entitled the Zambia/Ireland Teacher Education Partnership (ZITEP).  Funded by Irish Aid, the initiative aims to build capacity in and develop the quality of teacher education in Zambia.   The partnership consists initially of Charles Lwanga College and Kitwe College in Zambia along with Church of Ireland College, Rathmines, Marino Institute, Mary Immaculate College Limerick, Froebal College and St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra. The administrative centre for the project will be at St Patrick’s College. 

The new partnership arose from a visit to Zambia by the Minister for Education, Mary Hanafin in February 2007 accompanied by Dr Travers, President of St Patrick’s College on behalf of the Irish Colleges of education.  It was agreed that the focus of the initiative would be on teacher education and that the areas of need would be determined in consultation with the Directorate of Teacher Education and Specialist Services (TESS) in accordance with the priorities and strategies of the Fifth Zambian National Development Plan, 2006-2010 (FNDP) and the Education Sector National Implementation Framework, 2008-2010 (NIF). Subsequently a needs analysis was conducted and a group from the Irish Colleges visited their Zambia counterparts in September.

On the evening of their arrival in Dublin, the Zambian delegation was welcomed at a reception in Belvedere House, St Patrick’s College.  During their visit, they visited the five Irish Colleges of Education,  the Department of Education and Science and Irish Aid as well as attending meetings of the project steering and management groups.  A programme proposal has now been agreed and it is anticipated that the project will commence shortly.

The Zambian delegation comprised:

• Mr Ronald Siame Kaulule – Chief Education Officer, Teacher Education Specialized Services (Team Leader), Ministry of Education, Zambia
• Dr John Chileshe – Education Consultant, Irish Aid, Embassy of Ireland, Lusaka, Zambia
• Mr Jonathan Mwiinga Haazela, Head of Section, Charles Lwanga College of Education, Zambia
• Mrs Catherine Bwalya Chipeta, Head of Section, Charles Lwanga College of Education, Zambia
• Davis Sichinsambwe, Lecturer, Kitwe College of Education, Zambia
• Alfred Luhanga, Lecturer, Kitwe College of Education, Zambia.

All are pictured above.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Last Updated: Tuesday April 15 2008