UNICEF report on falling Zambian Education Standards Crisis: A Call for Immediate Government Action – Kasonde Mwenda C -EFF President
Lusaka, Zambia – 29th July 2024
The Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) is deeply alarmed by the recent UNICEF report, as covered by the BBC on 15th July, highlighting the precipitous decline in the quality of education in Zambia. This report, corroborated by the National Action for Quality Education in Zambia (NAQEZ), signals a crisis that demands urgent and decisive action from the Hakainde Hichilema government.
The once-envied status of Zambian education is now at serious risk of being downgraded to an international embarrassment. This decline, driven primarily by the government’s inadequate funding, threatens to leave Zambian students ill-prepared and unemployable on the global stage.
According to Mr. Aaron Chansa, Director of NAQEZ, the government’s failure to disburse free education grants for the third quarter of the year is particularly disturbing. This neglect has led to a severe shortage of infrastructure, resulting in overcrowded classrooms that undermine the quality of education, especially for low-income students.
UNICEF reports that nine out of ten primary school students in the region struggle to read and understand simple texts. This alarming statistic reveals the depth of the crisis: students are advancing to secondary levels without basic literacy skills. Mr. Chansa emphasizes that the problems are nationwide, with teachers overwhelmed by the influx of new learners due to the promise of free education. The reality on the ground, however, is starkly different.
In the Eastern Province, classrooms are bursting with more than 100 students, exacerbating the book-to-pupil ratio to a point where six or seven students are forced to share a single textbook. This overcrowding not only hampers individual attention and proper instruction but also affects students’ ability to engage meaningfully with their education. Many pupils are sitting on the floor, unable to take proper notes or focus on their lessons.
The EFF stands in stark opposition to this gross mismanagement. Under the Hakainde Hichilema UPND government, the notion of free education has been reduced to an empty political slogan, devoid of genuine commitment. The EFF is committed to reversing this trend by prioritizing substantial funding for the education sector. We will ensure that free education is not just promised, but delivered—equipping our students with the resources, infrastructure, and attention they deserve.
We demand that the Hakainde Hichilema government immediately revisits its priorities and allocates the necessary funds to rescue our education system from the brink of collapse. Failure to act now will condemn future generations to a cycle of poverty and unemployment.
Zambia’s children deserve better. The EFF will continue to fight for an education system that upholds the highest standards of quality and accessibility, ensuring every Zambian child can achieve their full potential.
“Wherever we want to go our feet will take us there.”
Kasonde Mwenda C
President, Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF)
About the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF):
The EFF is dedicated to promoting economic justice, quality education, and social equity in Zambia. We advocate for policies that empower the people and ensure sustainable development for all.
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This man is an alarmist. Zambian education standards have been falling from pre independence times. When government delays one quarter disbursement of grants the “whole is falling apart”? Newton the Physist said for every action there is an opposition reaction. Zambia lives off debt and donor funding. We dont generate enough to sustain ourselves. Until we realise that and pay our share of the social services we enjoy in taxes and levies; as well as be productive. We have no right to be critical.
The investment in education with a growing population dont match. This has been escalated by the fall in the tax contribution per capita.
So tell us something we dont know.