The National Assembly of Zambia has launched its Educational Programme for Zambian Learners with a vision of taking the spirit of Democracy to all Zambian learners in order to make them better informed and active citizens of the future.
Speaking during the launch on Tuesday, 15th October, 2019 at Parliament Buildings, First Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Zambia Honourable Catherine Namugala, MP expressed gratitude that the Educational Programme had tailored activities towards different target groups including children with different learning needs, vulnerable children living on the streets and juveniles in correctional centers.
Honourable Namugala also extended her thanks to the Vienna Institute for International Dialogue and Cooperation, the Austrian Development Agency (ADC), the province of Upper Austria and the Austrian Parliament for the input provided during the peer exchange activities and support given in the development of the programme.
The Deputy Clerk of the Austrian Parliament, Dr Susanne Janistyn-Nóvak was pleased that due to the cooperation between the Zambian and Austrian Parliaments, an Educational Programme had been developed with a view of enabling young people to learn about democracy and the work of Parliament.  She added that it is important for people, especially the learners who are valuable in shaping the future of democracy, to understand their roles in the democratic process.
Meanwhile, the Deputy Clerk-Administration of the National Assembly of Zambia, Mr Roy Ngulube said the programme would revive and reenergise the way the National Assembly of Zambia interacts with learners.  He noted that the programme had developed participatory activities such as democracy games that simplify democratic processes like the stages of law-making and workshop concepts for children on how to participate in democratic processes.  He was gratified to note that all the tools had been locally manufactured by the Evelyn Hone College of Applied Arts and Commerce.
During the same event, Mrs Jutta Kepplinger, NorthSouthDialogue of Parliaments (PNSD) Project Coordinator stated that Parliaments are corner stones of democracy and therefore, better placed to teach young people what democracy is and why it is, despite its weaknesses and different manifestations, the only form of government that allows people to lead a self-determined life.  She expressed hope that the programme would appeal to the Zambian learners for whom it had been developed.
The Educational Programme has been developed for Zambian learners from early childhood to tertiary education.  Its objectives include, among others, enhancing the use of tools that provide easy access to information on the democratic system and promotion of interaction between the National Assembly and the learners.