‘Sometimes, I would look at my books and cry because I felt like I was left behind’: Understanding the learning of Indigenous girls during the <scp>COVID</scp> ‐19 pandemic in the districts of Chongwe and Solwezi in Zambia

Abstract

Abstract Grounded in principles of epistemic justice, this article examines the educational impacts of Zambia's COVID‐19 school closures on Indigenous girls in two districts and highlights community‐led pathways for resilience. National responses prioritised broadcast and digital delivery but presupposed access to electricity, digital devices and dominant language proficiency—conditions often absent in rural Indigenous households. This mismatch deepened educational exclusion, especially for girls, who faced increased domestic labour, early marriage and isolation. To explore these dynamics, we used a qualitative, participatory and Indigenous research design. Data were generated through twelve family yarning circles with Indigenous children and caregivers across two districts and a Photoyarn activity with twelve adolescent girls. Reflexive thematic analysis was conducted collaboratively with participants. Findings show that school closures disrupted learning, safety and peer connection while reinforcing gendered vulnerabilities and limiting girls' participation in learning. Yet families and communities mobilised culturally grounded strategies—including intergenerational teaching, peer study groups and shared low‐tech resources—to sustain learning and well‐being. The study demonstrates how national responses insufficiently addressed Indigenous realities and reframes resilience as culturally situated and collectively enacted. It contributes to debates on decolonising education in emergencies and offers policy directions that integrate broadcast content with local facilitation, protect low‐tech learning pathways and co‐design supports with Indigenous families and communities.