The Ministry of Education is repositioning every school and college as a centre of practical production, enterprise and innovation — linking classroom theory to real outputs, real skills and real income under the Grow Zambia Agenda.
The Grow Zambia Agenda places production and productivity at the centre of national economic transformation. Schools have a critical role: equipping learners with practical skills, creativity, problem-solving and enterprise thinking.
Production units are primarily for learning and skills development. Schools are not directed to abandon their core educational mandate or to operate as commercial businesses.
Schools must deliberately link production units to the curriculum. Learners in metalwork, carpentry, agriculture, tailoring, ICT and related subjects should apply classroom knowledge through real fabrication, projects and production.
Units complement teaching by giving learners practical experience in skills, creativity, teamwork, responsibility, entrepreneurship and problem-solving.
Emphasis is on learning by doing: how ideas become products or services, how quality is maintained, how resources and costs are managed, and how value is added.
Every Production Unit falls under one of six national thematic areas — each with its own strategy, programmes and aggregated national KPIs.
A concrete, time-bound reporting chain from every school to the Ministry — this is how Grow Zambia becomes real.
Data flows from the school level up to the national level, ensuring that every Production Unit activity is captured, consolidated and reported accurately.
Each level has defined responsibilities to ensure effective implementation, monitoring and evaluation of Production Units.
| School | District | Thematic Area | Status | Learners | Output |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kabulonga Primary School | Lusaka | Wholesale & Retail | Operational | 0 | 0.00 Groceries |
| Kabulonga Secondary School | Lusaka | Agriculture | Operational | 190 | 200.00 KG Chickens |
From primary school to national level, each tier has a defined committee with clear responsibilities: familiarise, disseminate, train, monitor, assess, evaluate, hold Expos and exhibit at Agricultural Shows.
Each thematic area delivers specific outcomes aligned to the 8NDP, Vision 2030 and the Grow Zambia Agenda. Not just numbers — real impact.
The education system has a critical role in this transformation. If Zambia is to become a more productive nation, we must develop an education system that not only imparts knowledge and confers qualifications, but also equips learners with practical skills, creativity, problem-solving abilities, enterprise thinking and an understanding of production.
Based on the 2023 Zambia Curriculum Framework
| Competence | Agricult | Design & | Wholesal | Tourism | Transpor | Real Est |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Critical thinking | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | — | — |
| 2. Problem solving | ◐ | — | ✓ | — | — | — |
| 3. Creativity and innovation | ◐ | — | ◐ | — | — | — |
| 4. Communication | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| 5. Collaboration and teamwork | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| 6. Digital literacy | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| 7. Financial literacy | ◐ | — | ✓ | — | — | — |
| 8. Entrepreneurship | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| 9. Citizenship | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| 10. Environmental awareness | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| 11. Health and wellness | ✓ | — | — | — | — | — |
| 12. Lifelong learning | ◐ | — | ✓ | — | — | — |
✓ Fully evidenced · ◐ Partially evidenced
The matrix above demonstrates how the six Production Unit thematic areas align with the 12 core competencies of the 2023 Zambia Curriculum Framework.
No evidence photos yet.
Access the complete set of official Production Unit publications, organised into seven categories.
Quarterly reports from Provincial Education Officers, DEBS and Heads of Schools — evidence of skills acceleration, impact, productivity and outputs.
Linking the tuck-shop to competence-based learning has been a game changer
Production unit will indeed be contributing to the Grow Zambia initiative. This will also impart skills in learners and actualize the 2023 new competence-based curriculum
From boreholes to harvest, from workshops to market — Zambia's schools transforming into productive engines of national development.
Local production of essential good will ensure that learning become meaningful
Kabulonga Primary School has officially established a chicken production unit as part of its Grow Zambia initiative, aimed at equipping learners with hands-on …
Anchored in National & Global Frameworks
All Provincial Education Officers, District Education Board Secretaries and Heads of Schools are directed to give this initiative the attention it deserves and to ensure implementation begins within the timelines provided.