A Unique Secondary School
Vinjeru Trust School is an undoubted educational jewel in the heart of Zambia and, as it grows and develops, it both fulfils the dreams of its founders and aspirations of the community and all its pupils – past, present and future.
Hidden in the depths of Central Province, in a drive-through town called Kapiri Mposhi, there is now a unique secondary school which is achieving both outstanding regional and national results whilst serving the needs of its local community.
Mr. Martin Simbeye, (44) a native Zambian originating from Kitwe, returned to his homeland with his British wife Karolyn in 2012. Having both trained as teachers in the U.K. they were determined to address the issue of lack of secondary school places in Zambia, high teacher to pupil ratios and the lack of opportunity for an aspirational education for poorer children.
“Our determination is for the school to provide the highest quality education possible for all of the children. For example, we are very proud of our pre-Grade 8 class initiative, focussing on English and Maths. This ensures all the children can access the curriculum from Grade 8 onwards.”
Thus, the Vinjeru School was born in 2014, with Martin as Principal. Most of the buildings were funded by the Vinjeru School Trust, based in England, and the school has grown in pupil numbers from 37 in 2014 to over 200 in 2019 and reached 300 by 2021.
“We believe in inclusion as well as excellence”
Vinjeru works alongside the Government schools on many local initiatives, in a symbiotic relationship that benefits everyone involved. There are many examples of this, from the loan of Vinjeru’s science equipment to the holding of ICT exams for other schools in the state-of-the-art ICT suite.
“A genuine alternative”
There are many unique aspects to the school. The outstanding ones are: the quality of teaching and learning, high levels of learner outcomes, a wider perspective on national and international issues – partly achieved through links with educationalists in the UK and USA, links with professionals from corporations like Nokia and Intel in ICT and a commitment to the expressive arts through music and drama.
The underpinning ethos is a Christian one, – We believe in holistic education and value the spiritual, as well as the academic development, of our learners as they grow in their knowledge of God.
“Developing the whole child”
Nurturing a well rounded child is vitally important to the school and this is shown in the significance it attaches to the various extra-curricular activities that each and every child has the chance to take part in.
“The Vinjeru New Teacher (VNT) programme”
The Senior Leadership Team is acutely aware of the responsibility the organisation has to train both its own new teachers and existing colleagues in other schools.
“Investing in our people”
A complex organisation like a school needs an efficient administration team . As with the VNT programme for teachers, the ‘Vinjeru way’ is to both get the job done and invest in people through our internship programme which offers ex-students work experience.
Mr. George Sichivula, the School Administrator, has an assistant at the moment who is called Given Kasonde
‘Mr.George’, as he is affectionately known, says that there is no such thing as a normal day in such a busy school, “our job is to support the teaching and learning, because that is what really matters in this student-centred school.”
I am the Principal and also teach Maths and Science. As well as teaching and leading the school, I work with George to oversee the building side of the project so my time is always spoken for, especially as there is always another list or job for me to work on! I love being in the classroom and when the students grasp a new concept it is the best feeling!
I trained as an RE teacher but have been teaching English since 2018. I have grown to love doing this – especially when it comes to teaching about reading and writing skills as I love reading books, articles, anything. If I am not teaching, I am usually found in the Administration block working with the Admin team or at Primary section leading assemblies or monitoring teaching there. I cannot think of a job I would rather be doing than this as it I have to use a wide range of skills that keep me on my toes, get to meet so many people and also get to know most of our 700 pupils.
I am originally from Zimbabwe but have lived in Zambia for a long time, and Kapiri is truly my home now. I teach Social Studies (which incorporates Geography, Civics and History) and Business. I particularly enjoy teaching History. I really enjoy the different teaching styles that we use at Vinjeru Trust School. I am a member of the Senior Leadership Team at the school.
I am the Administrator for VTS. I am 52 years old and have lived in Kapiri since 1975! I am a Red Cross member and the school’s First Aider. I have been with the school since it opened in 2014.
I graduated from The University of Zambia in 2017 with Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics. I joined VTS in 2020and at first I thought won't last long because of the change of environment (moving from Lusaka to Kapiri Mposhi) but with time I have come to love the town and the School, especially the positive impact the school has created for town. I enjoy working alongside my colleagues especially when we are starting a new building project and get to see the beauty that it adds to the school when its completed.