RURAL LEARNERS NEED GREATER ICT ACCESS

Chieftainess Shimukunami wants more computers and internet connectivity in rural schools to give pupils equal opportunities in digital education.

By Francis Maingaila ♥️

Lusaka, Zambia24 — November 11, 2026 —Chieftainess Shimukunami of the Lamba people in Lufwanyama District wants more computers and reliable internet services in rural schools, saying children in remote communities deserve the same opportunities to benefit from digital education as those in urban areas.

The Chieftainess said this when a Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) delegation paid a courtesy call on her at her palace in Lufwanyama.

She said access to computers and the internet would give rural pupils an opportunity to explore a wider range of learning materials, improve their understanding of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) and acquire skills needed in an increasingly digital world.

Chieftainess Shimukunami expressed satisfaction with ZICTA's efforts to take ICT services to schools but said more needed to be done to ensure that learners in underserved communities were not left behind.

She said many pupils in rural areas needed better access to digital devices to make learning more practical, interesting and relevant to the changing demands of education.

The Chieftainess said expanding access to technology in rural schools was important in ensuring that children benefited from Zambia's digital transformation agenda, regardless of where they lived.

And ZICTA Manager Corporate Communications Hanford Chaaba said the Authority was committed to ensuring that all Zambians, including learners in rural and underserved communities, had access to ICT services.

Mr Chaaba said ZICTA had donated more than 12,000 computers to 725 primary and secondary schools and provided internet connectivity to 75 tertiary institutions across the country.

He said the interventions were aimed at helping schools embrace technology and giving learners greater opportunities to access digital educational resources.

Mr Chaaba said ZICTA was also working with various stakeholders, particularly the Ministry of Education, to make learning more accessible through technology.

He said the Authority, working with the Ministry, had digitised the senior secondary school curriculum in eight subjects: Mathematics, English, Geography, Computer Studies, Biology, Physics, Civic Education and Chemistry.

Mr Chaaba said the two institutions had also developed the eLearning Zambia platform to give learners access to the digitised curriculum and additional learning materials, including quizzes, examination papers and experimental demonstrations.

He said the platform allowed pupils to continue learning outside the traditional classroom, giving them an opportunity to study and explore educational materials at their convenience.

Mr Chaaba added that the eLearning Zambia platform had been zero-rated, meaning learners could access its educational content without paying internet data charges.

He said the initiative was intended to remove the cost of internet data as a barrier and make digital learning accessible to learners from different economic backgrounds.