LACK of classrooms like the one above has led to overcrowding at Misolo primary school with a class having as many as 78 pupils.

‘IT is strange that in the new education curriculum, the Government introduced  a computer course for all pupils not considering that some schools like ours, don’t have electricity,’ complains  Bertha Lufasi, the headmistress of Misolo primary school in Kasama.
Ms Lufasi wonders why the school that has classes from grade 1 to 9 is not electrified despite being classified as an urban school and within a short distance from the power source.
Beset by a myriad of challenges that include inadequate classrooms to cater for the number of growing pupils, the staff at the school has soldiered on to impart knowledge at great sacrifice.
Lack of classrooms at Misolo has led to overcrowding with a class having as many as 78 pupils.
On a self-help basis, the school managed to mould 136,000 bricks to build another block but up to now the Government has not come in to assist with the finishing of the project.
‘We collected sand, stones and made bricks in the brick kilns at the school hoping the Government would then finish the project but to no avail,’ Ms Lufasi said.
Agnes Nsabashi, a Mukalula villager who has a daughter at the school wonders why the Government hasn’t build more classrooms at the school considering that the villagers sacrificed their efforts by moulding blocks.
‘We feel the effort we made towards the project should be appreciated by the Government by meeting us halfway,’ she observed.
Another villager from Lisuba Village Cosmas Mumba complained that the shortage of classrooms should be addressed speedily to cater for the large number of pupils.
The limited number of classroom block has drastically affected grade 8 and 9 pupils who only attend classes from 12 hours to 17 hours losing out 5 hours of normal attendance.
The school also has a foundation at slab level built with the assistance of the Parent Teachers Association (PTA) and the Community Development Fund (CDF).
Providing universal primary education for children has been declared one of the goals of the United Nation’s post-2015 development framework, and technological advances promise to shake the foundations of even the poorest education systems
Regardless of these hurdles, Misolo has scored a first in offering quality girl education considering that it has a ratio of 52 per cent  girls over boys.
“Fifteen years ago, you would have to explain to people why girls’ education is important,” said Georgina Mumbi,a villager in Muimbwe village. “Now the issue of education and gender is ripe.”
Misolo primary school which falls under the Kasama central constituency has received no support from the Member of Parliament (MPs) Godfrey Bwalya Mwamba.
Other previous former MPs like the late MMD MP Daniel Kapapa and the former MP Saviour Chishimba equally turned a deaf ear to the cries for assistance.
Depite these impediments, Misolo primary school has an impressive pass rate of 60per cent at grade 7 and 69per cent at grade 9.
Flanked by three teachers Geofrey Mfula, Yvonne Nalwimba and Hilary Chola in her office, Mrs Lufasi said with support from the Government, the school has great potential to improve.
There are five staff houses, two which were built between 2006 and 2009 under the headship of Ms Lufasi.
The school is really important since it caters for pupils from a large area of surrounding villages like Lisuba, Mpampi, Milima Prison camp, Mafyo, Safeli, Mushitu, Mukalula and Mulambe.
Misolo primary school was opened shortly after independence in 1967 in the radical first development programme mooted by the UNIP government in the newly-established country called Zambia.
In a massive educational programme, the government decided to build several schools in the country because of the paltry number of educated Zambians which stood at 100 of university graduates.
Since then the school has gone through several phases from the time it was called Misolo government school offering only primary education up to grade four.
It was then upgraded to offer upper primary school education from grade 5 to 6 and later elevated to a basic school.
However, when the Patriotic Front (PF) Government came into power, it abolished basic schools and Misolo was ultimately reverted to a primary school.
The school has seen several headmasters among them Mr JN Ngolwe (1967-1968), JK Shimumbi (1968-1969), Mr Vinkumbu (1969-1970), Mr Silwamba (1970-1972), Mr Siame and Mr KZ Sichilima (1977 to 1988).
Almost half a century in existence, Misolo deserves more attention than what authorities have accorded it considering the number of pupils it caters for.
Probably oblivious of the number of problems besetting the school, the pupils are keen to get decent education and are punctual despite many living in distant places.
The school also offers sports living up to the dictum of ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’. The pupils participate in soccer, netball and athletics.
A number of parents respect the teachers’ dedication despite the hurdles the educators face in meeting the expectation of their superiors and the community.
‘Despite these challenges, we live up to the school motto of ‘learn to change’,’ said Ms Lufasi.