Our Impact
Using feedback from Lights For Learning's 2006 and 2008 installations, the charity now knows how its installations are helping places of education meet the challenges they face. Significantly, the impact can be seen in four key areas:
- Academic Standards
- Adult Education
- Teacher Retention and
- Health.
1. Academic Standards
High School Certificate pass rates are up 540%
According to Milenge District Education Standards Officer, Bennie Mwansa, Lwela High School improved their regular yearly High School Certificate pass rate from a total of 3, 4, or 5 students to 32, after just one year of using the lights. (Mwansa, 2010)
Enrolment Up 20%
Milenge Basic School enjoyed an increase in enrolment numbers thanks to the lights allowing studies to continue into the evening. Their numbers increased by 20% from approximately 750 to 900. Lwela also enjoyed a 14.3% increase in numbers, growing from approximately 1050 to 1200 (Mwansa, 2010)
Grade 9 exam passes are up by as much as 440%
Lwela and Milenge Basic Schools enjoyed significant increases in their pass rates (Mwansa, 2010). Before the lights arrived, each school had Grade 9 exam pass rates of around 3, 4 or 5 students a year. Just one year after the lights were installed both schools enjoyed increased pass rates of 18 and 27 respectively [260% and 440%].
School climbs to 3rd in Provincial School League Table
Twingi School [2006] had an average pass rate of 54%. One year after the lights were installed they had improved enough to climb to 3rd place, out of 23 schools, in the School League Table for Luapula province (Masumbuko, 2008)
2. Adult Education
Communities begin Adult classes with a 71% pass rate
The lights allowed Lwela School to start running an adult education programme for the first time. (Mwansa, 2010)
3. Teacher Retention
Teachers are requesting to be transferred to schools lit by Lights For Learning
Teacher retention is a problem for rural schools, with teachers requesting to transfer away to schools with access to better amenities. This disrupts the continuity of education for the children and challenges Head Teachers to attract replacement teachers. Indeed, Masanga School in Zimbabwe reported that two of their teachers failed to turn up for the beginning of term due to lack of basic amenities. (Chikwara, 2010). According to the Inspector of Schools teachers are now requesting to be transferred to schools with lights from Lights For Learning. (Mwansa, 2010)
4. Health
A system designed with safety of students and teachers in mind
The bulbs do not get hot and can be handled while illuminated. The brightness of the lights are measured, as recommended by optometrists, so that they are neither too bright to dazzle nor too dim to cause eye strain.
Health of teachers and children has improved
These lights make candles and kerosene lamps redundant in the classroom and dormitory. This means there are no naked flames and therefore a reduction in accidents involving fire. There is also no need to use Kerosene lamps meaning that both pupils and teachers no longer inhale noxious fumes and harmful smoke. “The health of the pupils and teachers has improved” (Ministry of Education of Zambia, 2007)
Mortality Rate drops
Gangare Clinic educates the locals about the issues of Malaria, HIV/AIDs and Family Planning as well as providing a birthing clinic and basic hospital facilities. Three months after Lights For Learning’s visit they reported back that the clinical waste incinerator, used to cremate medical waste, had been allowed to go out as “there have been no deaths” during night births since the lights had been installed (Sithole, 2010).
How is it possible to have such an impact?
Limited daylight hours
In these parts of the world the sun is up from 6am to 6pm. However, these hours are used by the rural poor families to till the land around their homes, to gather and prepare food and to travel long distances to a market to try and sell anything the family does not use from their land.
Subsistence living
When old enough, the children of these families work the land, fetch water, help prepare the food and look after younger siblings. Many families are headed by one parent. Many families are headed by a child. There is no social welfare system available.
Affording an education
Education is seen as a precious chance to a better life. If they can afford candles, or kerosene lamps, they will use them to study at night when the other important work has to stop.
Let there be light
With Lights For Learning’s solar powered lighting systems the school day is extended allowing children to study in safely-lit classrooms; enabling teachers to mark, plan and help pupils with their homework; causing education standards to rise. Adults find that they can use their evenings to return to school while young people begin to talk about wanting to be doctors, lawyers, journalists, politicians...
This is how it is possible to have such an enormous impact.
Simply put - the lights help improve educational standards considerably, which creates higher personal aspirations and ambitions for the community.
Source
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Reference
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Ministry
of Education, 2007
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The
Impact 2007
Government Inspection, Ministry of Education
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Masumbuko,
2008
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Impact
of the Lights at Twingi, November 9th 2008, interview w/A. Larking, Lights For Learning
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Sithole, 2010
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Feedback
from Gangare Clinic, December 9th 2010, interview w/J.
Mugridge, Lights For Learning
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Chikwara, 2010
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The
Effects the Lights will have on Masanga by the Head Teacher, September 9th, interview w/A.
Larking, Lights For Learning
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Mwansa,
2010
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The Impact
of the 2008 Installations in Milenge by the District Education Standards
Officer, September
24th 2010, interview w/A. Larking, Lights For Learning
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