KEY POINTS:
From A to Z - an Auckland teacher and a Zambian teacher are swapping notes in a bid to help students in their classrooms.
Laura Swan, a teacher at West Auckland's Massey High School, visited Zambia in April with seven other Kiwi teachers as part of the ChildFund Global Schools programme.
Under the scheme - part of ChildFund New Zealand - a group of teachers from New Zealand travels to developing countries, where they offer local teachers different teaching techniques, then those teachers come to New Zealand to see Kiwi classrooms first-hand.
Fridah Munalula is a teacher at Shimbizhi School and is now being hosted by Miss Swan at Massey High School this week.
Yesterday, she spoke to a group of year 9 students, acknowledging the many privileges which pupils in New Zealand have, but take for granted.
"You are lucky here. Each student has his own chair. But in Zambia, it's different. Up to 60 or 70 students have to sit on the floor, no matter how cold it is.
"If you go to Zambia, the floors are broken. Here you have enough and different materials.
"If you go there, it's very different - the main teaching aid is the chalkboard - at times the teacher has to sacrifice to buy books," she said.
Miss Munalula, who teaches history, mathematics, English, social development studies, creative art, civics and physical education, said she worked up to 17 hours a day planning and teaching.
She acknowledged the hardships that many children in her home country have to go through, but said all were determined to learn.
"Our people in Zambia, they have to cover 5km to school. At times they come and they're hungry, they're tired and there's a loss of concentration.
"Our students back home are interested in learning, but it's because of the hardships - you force a child to learn with no concentration - it's hard."
Miss Swan said being able to see the situation that other students in the world were in, was heartwarming and heartbreaking.
"There's no money to say here, go take this course. The whole trip was overwhelming, but the biggest thing was seeing how much pride and commitment to their education they had.
"They're dedicated, they're eager to learn because they recognise that this is the way they'll get out of the situation they're in. They have huge respect," she said.
Miss Swan has got the whole school involved, speaking at assemblies and showing a presentation of the school in Zambia.
Massey High School is now helping to raise $15,000 to go towards improving the quality of education in developing countries.
Miss Munalula said: "I want the children here to compare themselves to the other children who do not have as much as they do. They are very lucky."
