Resource 4: Zambian school clubs

 Teacher resource for planning or adapting to use with pupils

Here is a letter that was sent by two pupils from Lumezi Primary School in Lundazi, one girl and one boy, to a Zambian magazine:

‘We have many clubs at our school, like Young Farmers, Boy Scouts and Girl Guides. People who did not join these clubs had no club to belong to. So a teacher, Mr Kapanda, started a new club for them: the Good Citizens’ Club. It was given this name not because all its members are good, but because Mr Kapanda thought that in the end the members would be good citizens! Now Mr Mtonga is in charge of the club.

Members spend a lot of time helping people: we help the old people, cutting firewood, helping people to cross roads, carrying things. One old woman said, “I was coming from the bush to collect firewood, and there were about a dozen boys who were playing with a ball. Two boys came and took my firewood off my head. I was so relieved that I wanted to pay the boys. But they refused, saying that they belong to a club that helps people!”

Our club has been so magnetic that it now has many more members.’

Here is another letter from pupils of Linda Secondary School:

‘I would like to tell my friends … about our club. It was formed with the aim of giving knowledge to our fellow students about what is happening in the world today. We also try to bring international friendship to students of different nations and characters.

We discuss political topics. And after that we publish our ideas in the weekly school magazine, so that others can share them. Also, we invite different top officials to speak. We make trips, and have had a film show.

I would like to tell students in other schools to form similar clubs. They not only help to spread knowledge, but also give us experience in reasoning and debate.’

And here is one from Senanga Secondary School:

‘In our school we have a club called the Journalism Club. This club produces a magazine for the school every week. In the magazine we write about things happening both outside and inside school. Through your … magazine we would like to inform all clubs like ours that we can exchange ideas and magazines with them.’