( 3 Minutes Read)
While 87.9% of children are enrolled in primary school, net enrollment in secondary school is just 42.9% with a 67.5% transition rate from primary to secondary stages. The overall increase in enrollment reflects a trend across sub-Saharan Africa, with more children in school than ever before, according to UNICEF
A free education program introduced in 2021 helped Zambia to increase the enrolment of students although the quality of education remains low. An additional two million students have been enrolled since the inception of the scheme.
Analysts hail this move as an investment for the future in a country constrained by a lack of investment in the social sector. That has considerably threatened the quality of education. According to UNICEF, classrooms are congested, low teacher-pupil ratio, shortage of classroom facilities like a lack of classrooms, teachers, desks, and textbooks are acting as deterrents to providing quality education.
While 87.9% of children are enrolled in primary school, net enrollment in secondary school is just 42.9% with a 67.5% transition rate from primary to secondary stages. The overall increase in enrollment reflects a trend across sub-Saharan Africa, with more children in school than ever before, according to UNICEF.
The African Union in February launched its ‘Year of Education 2024’ and called on governments across the continent to “accelerate progress towards achieving quality education for all.” A key focus for policymakers now should be ensuring that the quality of that education is improved, UNICEF has said.
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With over USD 1bn already invested in Zambia’s education sector since 2021, the country’s government says it plans to build over 170 new schools and recruit 55,000 new teachers by 2026. So far, 37,000 teachers have already been hired. Despite the challenges, Education Minister Douglas Syakalima says that overcrowding is “a good problem”, with education “the best economic policy.”
