Dr. Kabwebwe Charles

Chauli Ishuma Jere Director General of Higher Education Prof. Martin Mushumba shares.

Insights from the new Zambia Education Curriculum Framework (ZECF)

In a bid to position education for contemporay development requirements and allow the school leavers and graduates to posses the right skills needed for our development, the New Dawn Government has finally made realignments to the curriculum and curriculum framework.

The changes to the ZECF are as follows:

🖊Early Childhood Level - Early Childhood Education (ECE) entry has been reduced from 4 years to 3 years.

🖊Primary Level - Primary school level duration has been realigned from 7 years to 6 years ( Grade 1-6).

🖊The entry into primary school has been reduced from 7 years old to 6 years old.

🖊Secondary Level - At Secondary School level, we are going back to the using of Forms vis-a-vis Form 1, Form 2, Form 3 and Form 4.

🖊A- Levels - the curriculum framework has introduced 2- year A- Levels curriculm, taking the Form of Form 5 and Form 6.

🖊Examinations - pupils will now have to write their exams in grade 6, Form 2 and Form 4.

🖊 College Level - all diplomas are realigned to 2 years. Entrance requirements will be both Form 4 and A- Levels.

🖊 University Level- the Bachelors degree has been reduced to 3 years from the 4-years as A- Levels compliment education and college education. There is also 1 year additional year for a honours degree. Entrance requirements to university will be A-Levels.

Note: content adapted from another source ✍️.

The significance of a Man (Male) is in his contribution and impact on society, not just his existence.

Becoming a Doctor is not easy, ... at some point, I used to study at night using the light from my uncle's cigarette 🚬.

In The Build up to Our Discussion of Gender Dysphorias (formerly Gender identity Disorders), we shall Have a Discussion on Disorders of S*x Development.

Medical Training continues through Internship to assess the competence of a Junior resident medical officer for them to be promoted to a Senior resident Medical Officer and be fully licensed.

During this period ( about 1year 6months ) the office has to rotate through the four principal Medical Rotations; Obstetrics and gynecology, internal Medicine, Pediatrics and Surgical rotations. As the officer rotates through these department, they have to meet certain objectives and competencies before they are released to the next one.

Also, they are expected to undergo CPDs and other trainings to meet the standards for Health Professions Council of Zambia - HPCZ to be fully licensed. In other words, Training a Medical Doctor doesn't end after the Medical school Exam.

Stay tuned for more medical education insights.

The mental well-being of people ages 18-24 is declining around the world — and researchers speculate that internet use crowding out in-person social time may be to blame.

Researchers at the Mental Health Million project at Sapien Labs surveyed more than 22,000 young adults in 34 countries (and more than 200,000 people overall). They found that while youth mental health had been declining, it worsened significantly during the Covid-19 pandemic. Notably, the decline was more closely correlated with the isolation of lockdowns than direct damage from the pandemic.

Building social skills and relationships requires time and experience, and the isolation of lockdowns hit the youngest generation especially hard. They “arrived at age 18-24 and college with one-tenth of the expertise in solving social issues, living together, coexisting in productive ways without conflict,” as one expert explains.

Note: The MHQ survey is admittedly imperfect — the questionnaire is only available online, in just four languages (English, Spanish, French, and Arabic), and would mostly have attracted participants who were in a position to see online ads. But even in countries with more ubiquitous internet access, young people who spend the most time on the internet might be hit harder by the resulting negative well-being effects. Cultural factors could also affect how people interpret survey questions, as well as how they relate to the concept of well-being and mental illness.