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Good practice Imported

ZICTA's Universal Access Fund assistive-ICT package at Chinsali Special School, Zambia

Zambia · Chinsali · See the Zambia profile

Evidence: Descriptive / self-reported Top 86% 48/100 · Ask Evidence Copilot about this practice

Zambia's ZICTA used its Universal Access Services Fund to equip Chinsali Special School — 768 learners, 213 with disabilities — with 15 computers (5 running JAWS screen-reader software), a braille printer and internet access; a 2026 assessment reported improved pass rates.

15
Desktop computers donated
768 total / 213 with disabilities
Learners at the school, of whom with disabilities

Details

Maturity
Pilot
Promoter
Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA), Universal Access Services Fund
Period
2024–present
Keywords
education, disability inclusion, assistive technology

Context

Zambia's Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) administers the Universal Access Services Fund (UASF), which channels a levy on telecom operators into connectivity and ICT-access projects for under-served communities. In 2024, ZICTA used the fund to equip Chinsali Special School, in Muchinga Province, with an assistive-ICT package under its 'Support for ICT to Persons with Disabilities' project.

Activities

The donation comprised 15 desktop computers -- five running JAWS screen-reading software for visually impaired learners -- a braille printer, a ream of braille paper, a projector, a tablet, ten headsets and internet connectivity, provided to a school serving 768 learners, 213 of them living with disabilities.

Results

A ZICTA Board assessment tour in June 2026 reported that the equipment had significantly improved access to learning materials for differently abled students and that the school's pass rates had improved between 2024 and 2025; Muchinga Province's provincial administration corroborated the donation and its scope.

Conclusions

No independent, third-party evaluation of learning outcomes has been published, so the pass-rate improvement should be read as the implementer's own self-reported figure rather than an externally verified result.

Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k) — Equipment package (computers, braille printer, projector, tablet, headsets) funded via the telecom-levy UASF; cost not disclosed.
Time to results
Short (< 1 year) — Equipped in 2024; assessed by ZICTA Board in June 2026.
Staffing & skills
ZICTA Universal Access Services Fund team, Chinsali Special School staff

Conditions for success

  • a dedicated levy-funded universal access mechanism targeting under-served communities
  • screen-reading software (JAWS) paired with hardware for visually impaired learners

Common failure modes

  • pass-rate improvement is self-reported by the implementer, not independently verified

Where it fits

Governance type
national telecom regulator's universal service fund
Scale
single school
Income level
low income

Commonly funded by

National / regional programmes

Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.

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Data sources

Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.

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