The provision of free education and its sustainability: the Zambian scenario.
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Date
2024
Authors
Bwembya, Ireen and Daka, Harrison.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
International journal of advanced multidiscplinary research and studies
Abstract
The Free Education Provision in Zambia and its sustainability study was enthused from the monitoring activities and experience the researchers had in the
implementation of Free Education Policy. The Ministry of Education has been charged with the responsibility to provide Quality, Lifelong, Education for All which is accessible, inclusive and relevant to individual, National and Global needs and Value systems (MoE, 1996) [8]. In actualising this vision and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 -2030, the Ministry has been implementing different measures to ensure education is accessible to all school going children and the entire Citizenry at large. Education fees (Tuition, Examinations and PTA) have been a huge barrier to accessing education especially to the vulnerable in society, thus, the New Dawn Government has scrapped off all the education fees from Early Childhood to Secondary levels in all Public School to ensure stable socio -
economic development of the nation. Most of literature on free education by other researchers has focussed on the impact and effects of free education however, this study focussed on how the Free Education can be sustained through sufficient sustainable flow of funds to schools for quality education provision in Zambia. Mixed method design was employed to gather the data from Education administrators and school administrators across six districts of Lusaka Province. The research findings show that Free Education policy has received positive response as could be
seen from the enormous increase in enrolment levels after its
implementation in 2022. However, the positive response to
free education policy has come with many challenges
ranging from inadequate classroom space and toilets for
proper sanitation, inadequate water supply, inadequate
specialised rooms and insufficient teaching and learning
materials and equipment, increased teacher- pupil ratio just
to mention but a few. The research shows that the
government has already started addressing the challenges
through the completion of incomplete 115 secondary
schools as well as commencement of 120 new schools
across the country, mass deployment of 30,496 teachers in
2022, increase in budgetary allocation to the Ministry of
Education in 2024 from 13.9% in 2023 to 15.4% in 2024,
increased CDF allocation from K28.3 Million in 2023 to
K30.6 Million in 2024 which has a component of the
Education which addresses the needs of the vulnerable
learners and approval of ZEPH Board members’ to ensure
teaching and learning materials are provided. All these
milestones showed sufficient funds are required to for
sustainable quality provision of Free Education for ALL.
The study informs all the stake holders of education on the
need for creating a National Education Scheme and prudent
use of and proper accountability of Free Education funds for
quality education provision in Zambia.
Keywords: Free Education, Sustainability, Accountability, Quality Education, Education Policy
Description
Journal article