Genius Education Zambia

Genius Excel Mentorship has returned for its 3rd edition!

The Genius Excel Mentorship is a 3-month intensive STEM mentorship program for Zambian youth aged 15–21, designed to prepare high school leavers for academic, career, and leadership success.

The program begins with two months of structured online mentorship covering digital literacy, self-awareness and personal effectiveness, leadership, the Fourth Industrial Revolution, STEM career pathways, emotional intelligence, design thinking, sustainable development, university application guidance, and employability skills.

In the final month, participants transition into practical experience through internship placements and a community impact project, allowing them to apply their knowledge to real-world challenges while contributing to society.
The program requires approximately 6 hours per week and combines virtual learning with selected in-person sessions.

Date:15th June Program Fee: K2,000
Five(5) full scholarships are available for outstanding applicants

Apply now: https://forms.gle/2zSjqUZo8TPxTrvk6
Applications close 5th June 2026.

Since 2018, the U.S. Embassy Zambia has been part of the Genius Education Zambia story. There have also been moments that reflect the depth of this journey, from meeting VPOTUS Kamala Harris to hosting the Secretary of Education at the time Miguel Cardona, Ed. D. at our Genius STEM Camp, where he joined our students in a 3D printing session. Later, receiving a photo of him in Washington holding the 3D-printed Statue of Liberty made by our team was very special moment!

Much of this took place during the tenure of Ambassador Ambassador Michael Gonzales. As he concludes his time in Zambia, this is to acknowledge the role the Embassy and its team have played, not just in supporting Genius, but in contributing to broader education, innovation, and youth development efforts across the country. What began with support for our inaugural Science Fair grew into a partnership that helped us build STEM camps, code bootcamps, innovation hubs, and makerspaces, and ultimately lay the foundation for Project 4th Industrial Revolution.

Project 4IR became one of our most ambitious efforts: a curriculum and learning model designed to prepare Zambian learners and educators for the future of work through artificial intelligence, Web3, cybersecurity, big data, design thinking, quantum sciences, 3D technologies, nanotechnology, creativity, leadership, and ethics.

In 2023 alone, Genius reached:

✔️ 1,000+ young people across programmes
✔️ 6 provinces and 50+ schools
✔️ 50 educators empowered and 45 experts engaged
✔️ 100 youth trained through coding and emerging technology bootcamps
✔️ 15 community projects implemented, impacting 1,237 lives

Project 4IR also moved from idea to infrastructure:

✔️ Curriculum consultation workshop in Mansa, Luapula Province with education officials and STEM teachers
✔️ Development of the Genius E-Learning platform (live classes, course materials, videos, quizzes, Genius AI)
✔️ Completion of Books 1 and 2 of the 4IR curriculum
✔️ QS Quacquarelli Symonds Reimagine Education Award (Bronze, Science of Learning category, top 90 of 1,200+ global submissions)

In 2024, the work expanded further:

✔️ Genius Research Fellowship launched, training 50 researchers across five thematic areas
✔️ 23 research presentations delivered and 15 papers submitted, with 10 approved after peer review
✔️ Developers Circle grown into a community of 121+ members supporting coding, Web3, and digital skills

Now in 2026, following our reopening earlier this year, Genius Education Zambia has re-engaged the U.S. Embassy in Zambia and we look forward to continuing to build together.

🌟 Exciting Partnership Announcement!

Genius Education Zambia is proud to partner with Laikan, the AI-guided mentoring platform that helps teens discover their strengths, values, and future pathways. Together we are integrating Laikan’s powerful self-discovery tools into our flagship Project Excel Mentorship Program and across all our partner schools in Zambia.

Learn more: Laikan is a digital platform that helps individuals discover their strengths, interests, and potential career pathways through guided insights and self-discovery tools.
Learn more about Laikan: https://laikan.app/

Stay tuned for more updates! Bupe Chikumbi, George Greskovits

The 2024 Genius Research Fellowship by Genius Education Zambia had five thematic areas. What the data is telling us about Zambia’s education system is important and urgent.

When we designed the fellowship, we were not interested in surface-level conversations about “innovation/technology/education.” We wanted to examine the structural foundations that determine whether a country is truly ready for the Fourth Industrial Revolution.

So we focused on:

1. Future of Education in Zambia
2. Future of Work in Zambia
3. STEM Curriculum Reform
4. Creativity and Emerging Technologies
5. Developmental Psychology and Learning

These areas were intentional.

Education reform is not just about adding coding to a syllabus. It is about infrastructure, teacher capacity, workforce forecasting, access to technology, learner psychology, and real economic alignment working together. What emerged from the research is the foundation that Genius will build its next programming on.

Across all five themes, one message was consistent. This reinforces something we often overlook: education systems must account for how students are wired to learn, not just what they are taught.

If we are serious about preparing young people for emerging economies, we must move from isolated projects to systems thinking. Digital infrastructure, AI and data literacy, teacher workforce development, and mentorship pipelines cannot operate in silos.

As Genius Education Zambia transitions into the next phase of scaling our 4IR-aligned curriculum, we are actively open to partnerships and collaborations with institutions working on:

1. Education systems strengthening
2. Digital transformation in schools
3. AI and data integration in curriculum
4. Workforce development
5. Psychology-informed learning design

If you are working in these spaces, in Zambia or globally, let’s connect. The work ahead requires alignment across sectors.

APPRECIATION POST 🤝

It’s almost a year since the worldbank Group Zambia Country Office donated 10 laptops to Genius Education Zambia on December 22, 2023, through the FY24 World Bank Youth Innovation Fund under the Youth-to-Youth Community of the World Bank. This incredible support, made possible by World Bank Country Manager Mr. Achim Fock, Senior Education Specialist Mr. Girma Woldetsadik Woldetsadik, Mr. Guydon Chipasula , Mr. Ernest Matongo , and the entire World Bank team, has made a profound impact on our Genius Academy programs and Project4IR.

These laptops have been instrumental in our bootcamps, enabling us to deliver interactive and engaging lessons and significantly enhancing the learning experience for our students. They’ve allowed us to expand our reach and provide essential digital skills to many young learners. Beyond the classroom, these laptops have been invaluable to our team, streamlining our administrative tasks, improving our planning and ex*****on, and enhancing our overall efficiency.

We’re deeply appreciative of the support from the World Bank Group, whose mission is to end extreme poverty and boost shared prosperity on a livable planet. They work tirelessly to create inclusive, resilient, and sustainable development solutions, addressing intertwined crises like climate change, pandemics, and economic fragility. Their commitment to working with multilateral institutions, the private sector, and civil society has been crucial in driving impactful development.

As we reflect on the past few months, we are filled with gratitude for the World Bank’s support and the positive changes it has brought.

Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this journey. Your support has been vital to our mission and has made a tangible difference in our work.

NEWSLETTER ISSUE 25 📬
The Genius Research Fellowship has concluded its 8-week training program, featuring 14 sessions on creativity, emerging technology, developmental psychology, and the STEM curriculum in Zambia. A big thank you to the Youth Center for Research, Zambia Research and Development Center - ZRDC, Dr. Sue Jones, and Professor Bill Colledge from Cambridge University for their support and crucial contributions. Our fellows are now preparing to present their research proposals, marking an exciting new phase in their journey. 🌟📚
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing education by personalizing and streamlining learning. AI automates routine tasks, allowing teachers to focus more on students and enhancing the overall educational experience. According to the World Economic Forum, AI can handle administrative duties, letting teachers engage more directly with their students. For example, DreamBox (USA) offers adaptive math tutoring tailored to student progress, while Duolingo (Global) adjusts language lesson difficulty to support classroom instruction. These tools illustrate how AI is making education more responsive and effective. 🤖📈

Jonathan Moonga, a freshman at Grambling State University, is pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in software development and computer systems. As a former EducationUSA Scholar and Genius Education Zambia Excel fellowship alumnus, Jonathan is focused on improving access to information for high school students, including college applications and financial aid. His empathy and dedication to community service promise impactful contributions and leadership in the future. 🌟💻

The Level 1 book of The Genius 4th Industrial Revolution (4IR) curriculum is available for K300. This engaging book covers creativity, innovation, design, technology, engineering, industry, leadership, and ethics, offering a comprehensive learning experience. Utilizing advanced tools like generative AI and GPT-3, our curriculum aims to transform children's education. By purchasing this book, you support Genius Education Zambia’s mission to uplift learners in underserved communities. Get your copy today and enhance your educational journey with us! 📖🚀

The Genius Research Fellowship has just concluded its 8 weeks of training, which included 14 sessions on various important topics related to our research themes: creativity and emerging technology, developmental psychology and education, the future of work and education, as well as the STEM curriculum in Zambia. Our partners from Youth Center for Research, Zambia Research and Development Center - ZRDC, Dr. Sue Jones, and Professor Bill Colledge from the Cambridge University Department of Physiology, Development, and Neuroscience have been very supportive and instrumental in the progress of the research fellowship. Our fellows are now moving on to the next stage, where they will be presenting their research proposals after the 8 weeks of training.