Zambian authors shape new curriculum textbooks for millions of learners

Local authors are helping write new Competence Based Curriculum textbooks in Zambia as the education system serves more than 6.8 million learners. The effort aims to make lessons more practical, locally relevant and usable in classrooms where textbook shortages and learning gaps remain a challenge.

Why it matters: - Zambia’s new curriculum textbooks are being shaped by authors who know local classrooms, which can make lessons easier for teachers to deliver and more relevant for learners. - The work comes as the country educates more than 6.8 million learners and continues to face textbook shortages in key subjects. - Better-aligned materials could help teachers support learners who need more practice before moving on.

What happened: - Zambian authors are contributing classroom and community knowledge to textbooks aligned with the Competence Based Curriculum. - Oxford University Press Southern Africa says more than 60 local authors have repeatedly contributed to its Zambian publishing programme since 2013. - The company is now developing CBC-aligned textbooks with a dedicated local publishing coordinator and subject specialists. - Sharon Villette, Schools Publisher at Oxford University Press Southern Africa, said the authors understand the challenges teachers face and help make materials more relevant to Zambian schools.

The details: - The Ministry of Education’s 2025 Education Statistics Bulletin records more than 6.8 million learners across early childhood, primary and secondary education. - The bulletin also shows a national ratio of five primary learners per English textbook and eight secondary learners per English textbook. - The CBC emphasizes applying knowledge and skills in everyday situations. - Authors are turning those expectations into examples, explanations and activities that teachers can use in class. - Their work draws on classroom experience, curriculum knowledge and subject expertise to introduce unfamiliar concepts, connect learning to learners’ experiences and design activities that can be done with school resources. - Dr Abigail Mukuwa-Tuchili, a Zambian author and former teacher and curriculum specialist at the Ministry of Education, contributes to primary school publishing. - In a published author profile, Mukuwa-Tuchili explains that the books guide learners through group and paired practice before they move to individual work. - The approach gives learners a chance to build skills together and then show understanding on their own. - UNICEF reported that the Ministry of Education’s 2020–2021 Catch-Up assessment across five provinces found 57% of assessed Grade 3 to 5 learners could not identify words in local languages. - The same assessment found 37% could not perform addition or subtraction. - The findings reflect learning needs in the assessed group after school reopening during the pandemic.

Between the lines: - The textbook project is not just about local authorship; it is also a response to resource gaps and uneven learning outcomes. - Villette said learning materials should be clear, engaging and easy to use, with familiar examples, practical activities and an uncluttered design to reduce cognitive overload. - Villette also said detailed teaching and curriculum guidance should sit in the Teacher’s Guide so learner books can focus on content and skills. - The emphasis on local context suggests the publisher is trying to close the gap between curriculum design and day-to-day classroom reality.

What’s next: - Local authors will remain central as new CBC-aligned textbooks are developed. - Oxford University Press Southern Africa expects their experience and local insight to keep the materials practical and accessible for teachers and learners. - Villette said the authors help bridge the gap between curriculum expectations and classroom realities and support teachers implementing the CBC with confidence.

The bottom line: - Zambia’s curriculum overhaul is being built around local voices, with textbook development aimed at making instruction more practical, more familiar and more usable in crowded classrooms.