Laura Girls Secondary School is an educational institution run by the Salesian Sisters and offers education to the vulnerable girls of Kasama and the whole country of Zambia. The School was opened in 1991 as Remedial School for girls who could not qualify for grade eight or could not find places in government schools due to high school fees. Since then, the school has changed its focus and has acquired the status of a regular secondary school.
Laura Girls Secondary School is a Grant Aided School. The teachers who teach here are provided by the Ministry of Education. The salaries for the teachers are paid by the Government. The management part is what is provided by the Salesian Sisters.
When the school was opened in 1991 to cater for girls who could not be taken by the system after failing Grade seven there was were structures. The girls were learning under the tree.
The Irish Aid saw the need and helped by building the shelter (INSAKA) which is still here so that the learners could be protected from the heat of the sun and also from the rain during the rainy season.
The school did not have full-time teachers by then but just depended on retirees and school leavers. These teachers were paid from donations from well-wishers in England, America, and Italy. The girls progressed so well in their education until they completed school.
In 1993, the school was opened as an examination center for Grade 9s. Before that, our pupils used to write their examinations from other centres. When the Ministry of Education saw that the results for our girls were very good, they appreciated and encouraged us to start a “normal” school. The demand for places also increased. In 1997, the school was recognized by the Government as a grant-aided school.
In the year 2000, we started the first Grade 10 class. The school has continued to grow in terms of infrastructure as well as enrolment. All the buildings are put up with the help of the Doners from Europe, except one block which was built with the support of parents through the PTA . Currently, the school has grown to become one of the best in the province in both academic performance and extra-curricular activities. In terms of staffing, we have Twenty four teaching staff and five non-teaching staff. The total enrolment for pupils currently stands at 580. We have a class pattern of three classes at junior level and two at senior level (3:3:3:3:3:3).
The dropout rate is very minimal as almost all pupils complete their grade 9 and 12 levels of education. It is in very rare cases that some pupils fall pregnant and are asked to go to other schools but still continue with their education.
Concerning staff retention rate, the school strives to keep its teachers. It is only when a teacher has promoted to a higher office that the school has no control over their movement. The current Teacher Pupil ratio is 1- 14.
- OUR AIM:
Our main aim is to give quality education to the poorest girls by helping them to develop their potentials/personalities that is; Physically, Spiritually, Morally, and intellectually, preparing them to have a positive influence in the places they stay and where they will be or work. Above all we are helping them become good Christians and honest reliable citizens.
To accomplish this, we need certain equipment and materials that would help us prepare the girls adequately in order to face today’s challenges in this competitive world in which we are in.
Laura Girls’ is still a very small growing school though the demand from the community around for school places is too high due to the quality of education the school offers. To ensure the continuation of quality education, provide more school places and a decent environment for our pupils, we have embarked on constructing a story building with three classrooms in the ground floor and three classrooms on the first floor. With this building, we will able to accommodate more girls in Kasama. It is for this reason that we are appealing to all co-operating partners to help us to build this classroom.
- SCHOOL GOAL
As a school, we believe in our young people and we are doing everything possible to promote them and assure them of a brighter future. We realize that they come from different backgrounds and that most of them are poor and orphaned, but the most important thing is that they are of equal value to God and to us, we care for them according to the Spirit of St. John Bosco our founder and St. Maria Domenica Mazzarello who insisted on “Education as a Matter of the Heart.”
In the School itself, we create an atmosphere of family, joyful and loving, where everyone feels welcome and at home. Where the dignity and worth of each person is recognized, developed, and safeguarded. Our members of staff are always present with the students in all their undertakings (both in and outside the classroom) so as to respond easily to the needs of the girls. Above all, we do encourage an educational sense of discipline, cleanness, safety, and security.