Milenge District Education Board Secretary (DEBS) Denis Mukunta has attributed the improved academic performance at Milenge Secondary School to the connection of the learning institution to the power grid.

Mr Mukunta said that learners now have more time to study since the school was connected to electricity in January last year, adding that the quality of education at the school has improved as teachers are now able to conduct practical lessons that require electricity.

Mr Mukunta expressed happiness with the improved academic performance among grade twelves during the 2019 examinations.

Mr Mukunta said the district has generally recorded an improvement at the five examination centers for grade 12.

ZANIS reports that Mr Mukunta said Mulumbi Secondary School was the highest in the district with 88.4 per cent pass rate while Kafwanka was the lowest with 41.58 per cent.

He said the performance has improved compared to the 2018 examination year adding that the overall pass rate of the district is 63 percent.

Mr Mukunta added that government is working towards making the learning environment more conducive by constructing laboratories in schools which do not have those facilities as well as improving the sanitary conditions.

He noted that poor sanitary conditions in schools leads to absenteeism among the girl child when they are having their menses which in turn affects their academic performance.

First Quantum Minerals has delivered 5,000 stoves to communities in a new initiative to minimise deforestation and pollution.

The Village Stoves programme involves FQM, in line with its environmental policy, teaming up with Zambia-based carbon credit and environmental company, The African Stove Company, and local small-scale manufacturers to develop a low-cost stove that is about 60% more efficient than conventional open-fire stoves used in Zambia’s remote areas.
TASC has over 20 years’ experience in international energy innovation and environmental projects.

The pilot programme, which was launched last year, involves installation of 5,000 United Nations-accredited twig-burning stoves in the communities surrounding the company’s Kansanshi mine in Solwezi.

On average, the new stoves have a UN-tested water boiling efficiency of 40% as opposed to 10% on an open fire; by comparison a kettle is 80% efficient – and is estimated to save 2.5 tonnes of carbon emissions per stove each year.

This means that over the seven-year lifetime of the project each stove – provided it is being used daily as a replacement for traditional fires – will save 17.5 tonnes of carbon.

The pilot phase therefore has a potential carbon saving of 87 500 tonnes of carbon, equivalent to about 3,000, 30-tonne trucks of firewood.

Kansanshi Foundation co-ordinator Guy Hammond said the nature of the fuel used by the stove lends itself to normal tree mortality rates and sustainable twig harvesting of forests, which naturally shed dead branches.

“This project has been over two years in the pipeline, but we are delighted that FQM is leading the way in doing our part to combat climate change and deforestation in North-Western Province,” he said.

“The exponential growth of Solwezi and Kalumbila towns due to our mining operations has seen an explosion of charcoal production to feed an ever-growing market, exacerbated now by the power crisis we are facing as a country. With the Village Stove programme, FQM has taken a proactive approach to saving our forests.”

What’s more, the upgraded traditional cooking stoves also make use of cutting-edge technology. Each stove is tagged by GPS transmitter and its fixed location is uploaded onto the UN carbon credit platform database. Annual random inspections by UN-accredited officers ensure the stoves are being used and are where they are supposed to be, and then carbon credits are awarded for sale on the open market.

Kansanshi Foundation Manager Bruce Lewis says: “Aside from the improved efficiency that dramatically reduces the amount of charcoal and wood needed to cook; the stove’s design also helps significantly reduce the risk of excessive smoke inhalation for the user by diverting the minimal amount of smoke the stove may produce safely away from the cooking area.”

Smoke inhalation is one of the leading causes of respiratory problems among village dwellers especially women who do most of the cooking.
He added that lower smoke levels not only mean lower risk of smoke-related illnesses among members of the local communities but also lower carbon emissions, thereby helping Zambia combat climate change.

The Village Stove makes use of unique thermofluidic flows created by a specially designed metal frame to minimise energy loss and ensure the highest possible amount of heat energy is directed to the base of the cooking pot.

The frame is bricked in to the kitchen wall for maximum safety and convenience.

Some 50 local manufacturers have been engaged to manufacture the frames.

The mine will lead the distribution exercise and train officers to carry out installation, maintenance and community training on their use.

And TASC founder Alick MacIntosh said he was happy to be working with FQM and was looking forward to seeing more stoves installed at the end of the pilot phase.