students

PUPILS at LINDA HIGH
Linda high school is the biggest day school in Livingstone town. It starts from grade 10 (on average 16 year olds) and goes up to grade 12 (on average 18 year olds). Most of these pupils come from basic schools (Grades 1 to 9)  in Livingstone district and the surrounding country side.

The school runs two sets of pupils: the Regular classes that attend school in the morning (07:30 to 13: 10) and the Open Learning pupils who attend classes in the afternoons (13:10 to 17:30). Whereas most schools in the district only select some of the best students, Linda high school is a community-based school that enrolls even those pupils that have caliber but have been rejected by the other schools in the district. As a result the school is usually pressured to absorb as many pupils as possible who otherwise would be thrown out of the school system due to shortage of school places.

As of now the school has 1039 pupils in the morning streams and 703 the afternoon streams. The school also runs night school which has a school population of 73.

Most of the pupils at Linda come from low-income classes that do not have the money or influence to enroll at other schools in the district such as missionary- run  ones.

Problems/issues

  1. Most pupils come from low-income backgrounds and usually have problems meeting their school fees. Almost all students cannot afford a full set of their required textbooks.
  2. A good number of the pupils are orphans or vulnerable children. This concerns about 483.
  3. Because the school takes on pupils even from the hinterland of Livingstone where there are no high schools nearby, some pupils tend to leave in boarding houses some of which of not safe for their ages especially girls.
  4. Being the school with the largest enrollment, Linda High school has pupils who stay very far from the school and have to walk long distances (some more than 10 km) to reach school. Almost all students walk to school.
  5. Girls are affected by teenage pregnancies, though this affects less than 5% of the girls’ population in the school. Linda High is one of the few schools in the district that take on students coming for maternity leave even those rejected by other school.

Interests
Pupils at Linda high have varied interests. These range from music (especially gospel choir), drama, cultural dances, art and design and sport.

Achievements