Zambia Open Community Schools

ZOCS is a vibrant flagship organisation of schools founded in Zambia in 1992. The organisation empowers communities to provide quality basic education to over 125,000 students in more than 650 demonstration Community Schools across 51 districts in all the 10 provinces of the country, premised on the principle that every child has a right to education.

Through a three-pillared approach focusing on advocacy, service delivery and capacity building, ZOCS has enhanced educational opportunities for children, increased community capacity to provide such opportunities and advocated for government commitment to the sustainability of ZOCS innovations in Zambia’s Community Schools.

Together, EAC and ZOCS are implementing the Community Action for OOSC project in 29 districts throughout the country. Overall, the project is a five-year initiative, seeking to enrol 175,000 OOSC, train teachers and mobilise communities.

For more information about this EAC Implementing Partner, please visit the ZOCS website.

Projects

Community Action for OOSC in Zambia

At present, Zambian children’s access to primary education is thwarted by a range of barriers, such as distances exceeding five kilometres between school and home (particularly in rural areas), poverty, early/forced marriage, gender discrimination and a lack of and inappropriate school infrastructure disproportionately impacting those with special needs and disabilities. The disparity in education access is especially pronounced between rural and urban settings, wherein 23 per cent of primary-aged children in rural areas versus 9 per cent in urban centres are out of school.

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