Graduation Ceremonies

In Zambia the school year ends in December, so it is now the time of big examinations and graduation ceremonies. I have now been to two Zambian school graduation ceremonies, and feel qualified (despite my small data set!) to report on Zambian graduation ceremonies in general. The first ceremony was for a public girl’s high school grade 12 graduation, and the second was for a private elementary school’s promotion of the kindergarten (they call them reception) pupils to primary school and the grade 4 pupils to upper secondary. Pictures of both ceremonies are included, and my general observations are below.


First, there seems to be a good opportunity in Lusaka for entrepreneurs to set up small businesses renting those universal white plastic outdoor chairs. The initial investment is not too large, and these chairs are used for all sorts of events from parties to funerals to graduations.

Second, events don’t often start on time in Lusaka. Both graduations began late due to various circumstances, and the rented chairs continued to arrive after the event had begun.

Third, it seems important to have a guest of honor that gives a speech. The pattern (with my two data points) seems to be that the person is a well regarded educator from a well known educational institution (a large private school or the university).


Fourth, if Heidi is handy, she should be asked to sit at the front table with the people from the school’s board and the guest of honor. This could be due to the fact that I represent an institution that has brought treasured laptops to these schools, or it could be due to the color of my skin.

Fifth, the students that are graduating should dance their way into the ceremony, wearing caps and gowns. Other entertainment seems warranted as well. The elementary school graduation included a traditional dance with drumming, a few songs from the school choir, and a drama. The high school graduation, however, had the tedious task of presenting certificates individually to about 700 pupils. Fortunately I had to leave early, but I heard this went on for a couple of hours in the hot sun, and in the end they had neglected to print some of the certificates and some of the families went away angry!


Despite any glitches, both ceremonies showed me the pride that Zambian families take in seeing their children succeed in school. While none of these schools have great resources, there is clearly determination on the part of many students and parents to make the most of the educational opportunities they have.