Children learn best through play in early education.
VVOB supported training of 13 Zonal In-Set Coordinators (ZICs) and 102 School In-Set Coordinators (SICs) on how to integrate Ministry of Education policy into the Emergent Literacy manual for Learning through Play (LtP), and a coaching package. This was done under the ''Improving Teaching Skills in Playful Learning amongst Africa's Youngest'' (IT'S PLAY) Project. VVOB colleague Georgina Sakala was part of the training team.
The ten-day training, which began on 22nd April 2022, in Rufunsa and Chongwe Districts in Lusaka Province was aimed at orienting the trainees on the Emergent literacy package for Learning through Play and to empower them with Early Childhood Education (ECE) coaching skills. The integration of policy in the coaching package ignited positive feedback from the ZICs and SICs. Andrew Kunda a ZIC at Shikabeta School in Rufunsa could not hide his excitement when he said, ''Having undergone this training, I feel free to teach and handle ECE learners. Teachers of other grades should also throw away the notion of segregation but fight a common goal of helping learners.'' This enthusiasm was not only shared among ZICs, but among SICs, as they participated in the demonstratIion of classroom activities during the training.
A SIC, by the name of Anita Phiri of Matipula Primary School in Chongwe also said ''I have benefited from the ECE training such that I now want to help the ECE teacher with the 3-4 year old learners and she can take up the 5-6 year olds, since her class is just too big. I had a wrong perception about ECE teachers, however VVOB, through the IT'S PLAY project has proved me wrong.'' The trained ZICs and SICs are now ready to empower and coach ECE teachers who need support in implementing Learning through Play in their classrooms.
