As noted by MOE1, there was no specified budget for mathematics. However, there was a budget line for CPD at national, provincial, district, and school levels. However, he noted that allocated funds were not adequate, “but at least there was a budget line, reflected
166 | P a g e
specifically as a support to CPD for teachers”. Similarly, MOE2 said the budgetary allocation for CPD activities was not enough, concluding that:
Maybe that is the reason why we insist on school-based rather than the other cascade system, because people will have to move to be trained and that was a cost. We do not have that kind of money. So that was why we were trying to insist on the school- based CPD. (MOE2)
Further, MOE 2 noted that lesson study funding was through the school budget: “As a school, we do have it, because it is on the school calendar. It is an activity, which is funded”.
The in-service providers stated that budgetting for lesson study was necessary, with ISP4 stating that he ensured there was a commitment to lesson study and told school managements to budget for lesson study because schools needed materials, such as teaching aids, to implement lesson study. Similarly, ISP2 explained that, because lesson study was timetabled, it was included in the budget for refreshments and any other logistical needs. ISP3 stated “You get in a school and you look at the activity-based budget of the school and the annual work plan”.
Providing teaching materials to schools by the Ministry was one of the mechanisms for supporting lesson study. MOE2 stated, “We come up with resource materials that we feel can help in their lesson study at that level. For example, this booklet was produced for that purpose”, while ISP3 explained that the introduction of lesson study required a change in teaching and the introduction of relevant teaching and learning material.
However, ISP6 stated that finances were usually insufficient to secure adequate materials that schools needed to implement lesson study. He added “If it were possible with finances the provision of concrete materials at large should be promoted”.
Similarly, ISP3 noted that the in-service providers sometimes were unable to provide the resources to schools to procure the materials for lesson study. He added that many schools used their parent involvement policy and the provisions of the Public-Private Partnership Act of 2009 of the laws of Zambia to invite the public to participate and help them with the materials.
ISP4 also stated that CPD funds from the Ministry Headquarters were not released at appropriate times and were sometimes inadequate to meet the CPD needs. ISP6 observed that a small amount of money was allocated toward the purchasing of teaching and learning aids or
167 | P a g e
materials. He stated that:
At the district level, it is a bit difficult to make budgets for the school. However, if we make a request to say we have a programme or training to undertake there was always a component in the District Resource Centre account to enable us to undertake these programmes. (ISP6)
At the District level efforts had been made to allocate funds for lesson study in mathematics. ISP3 said that there was a budgetary allocation for lesson study in mathematics and for the activities of Standard Officers and the District Resource Centre Co-ordinators.
The new curriculum
The new curriculum was an agenda item in Facilitators’ and Stakeholders’ Workshops. MOE1 stated that lesson study, or a school-based structure was used to re-orient teachers to new mathematics topics that had been included in the revised curriculum. The teacher group meetings had been the fora through which teachers had been educated about these new curriculum items and were also used to develop teachers’ skills to enable them to handle these new mathematics topics.
Further, MOE1 explained that week-long Stakeholders’ Workshops and Facilitators’ Workshops were held during school holidays. Head Teachers, Senior Teachers, Deputy Head Teachers, HODs, attended the Stakeholders’ Workshops, where new interventions from the Ministry of Education were discussed. Facilitators’ Workshops, held at provincial or district levels, aimed to retrain teachers in the new mathematics topics in the revised curriculum. Because one week was not enough for teachers to master these, Facilitators’ Workshops were repeated every term.
MOE2 observed that although the new curriculum did not mention lesson study, it contained principles requiring teachers to engage in lesson study. Besides, the Ministry wanted lesson study as one of the means for implementing the new curriculum.
ISP2 stated that all the topics for lesson study in schools came from the new curriculum because the Implementation Guidelines required teachers to pick challenging topics for lesson study, and the new curriculum contained challenging topics. Similarly, ISP6 noted that the new curriculum required teachers to use new methods of teaching. He said the revised curriculum
168 | P a g e
supported lesson study because it ushered in a structure for helping teachers use new methods. He added that schools were using the new curriculum.
However, ISP3 said that those conducting lesson study should ensure that what was stated in the curriculum was taught effectively. He added that lesson study was an appropriate method that teachers could use to handle the topics in the new curriculum. Further, ISP3 claimed the introduction of the new curriculum supported lesson study because that the Ministry envisaged the new curriculum being implemented through SBCPD and lesson study is an SBCPD approach. He stated, “The implementation of the new curriculum demands more of teaching and training of teachers” (ISP3).