UNITED Nations (UN) country coordinator Janet Rogan says Zambia has so far achieved two Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) out of the eight.
Ms Rogan said in an interview that Zambia has managed to achieve MDGs number two – achieving universal primary education – and number six, which is on reduction of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases.
“Zambia has achieved MDG two on universal primary education with net primary enrolment increasing significantly from 80 percent in 1990 to 103 percent in 2013.
“HIV prevalence has dropped to 14.3 percent against the set target of 15.6 percent by 2015,” Ms Rogan said.
She said learners reaching grade seven have increased in the country from 64 percent to 90 percent and literacy rates between the ages of 15 and 24 years have progressively increased from 75 percent to 89 percent.
Ms Rogan, however, said as school children progress to secondary school the challenges faced include high drop-out rates among girls, overcrowded classrooms and lack of text books and learning materials among others.
Ms Rogan said though Zambia has recorded some progress on MDG number one on poverty reduction, the reduction rate is slow adding that extreme poverty reduced from 58 percent in 1990 to 42.3 percent against a 2015 target of 29 percent.
She said on goal number three, the country is on track to achieve gender parity in primary education. Ratio of girls to boys at primary education has increased from 0.90 percent in 1990 to 0.99 percent in 2010.
Ms Rogan said although there is a reduction of 30 percent on child mortality, the country’s current reduction of child mortality is insufficient to meet the MDG target.
She said maternal mortality rate and ratio remain very high and the country needs a strong investment plan to achieve the MDG target.
Ms Rogan said the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) proposes to reduce the global maternal mortality ratio to less than 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.
She said there is need for government and its partners to scale up long-term methods of family planning, expand and sustain comprehensive emergency obstetric care as well as sensitise pregnant women and their partners on the need to seek antenatal care.
To be in opposition is not the same as to be negative. Do whatever you think can keep yo boat afloat as long as it doesn’t sink mine.
Haha tuu (2) pa eyiti (8) is EFUUU (25%) fail. This is nothing to be proud of. We had about 10-15 years to achieve this, but only two. Don’t rush to politics. This is a fail by all Zambians and the leaders should take the major responsibility over this. If Kalaba was proud of this, then he is a phuu.
Health care in Zambia will improve if we stop sending our ailing politicians and their families abroad for treatment. We need to do something to our public health system and that requires a lot of political will and commitment and the PF govt has neither.
Progress is progress. Even if it’s one step, what matters is that you’re moving forwards and not backwards.
Besides, it’s not like we were patting ourselves on our backs – it’s the UN co-ordinator commending us.
MDG 4 AND 5 were important indicators for the country.How did we just fail to achieve this?Our priorities under Lupiya and Sata were misplaced.If we just used half of the money spent on those useless self imposed by elections,Zambia would have managed to achieve the two MDGs
MDG 4 : Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate
Target 5 A: Reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio
But i guess the marketeers at soweto don’t bother because they will vote the useless pack of dunderheads back.
@nine chale. What else can the UN say? Your country commited to achieve these MDGs in 1990 by 2015, but have failed, when other countries in sub Saharan Africa like Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda have achieved most of these goals ( and these countries have fewer natural resource/wealth than you) shows how zambia is. If UN was not diplomatic, they would say it as it is, a country with more resources and a much smaller population than Kenya can not achieve even very simple goals like reducing under five mortality
We need to double if not triple our efforts especially in health care service delivery and poverty reduction.
Zambians love politicking devoting 90% of their time to politics instead of being productive.
The report is not impressive, Lets do better, its our country after all
Positive for “Gen” to see and say things as they are. This is nothing to be proud of. Even a goal on Gender we have failed to achieve it? Its a Shame for all of us, not just our leaders
At long last some positive news to emerge from my beloved Zambia. Good news for all Zambians regardless their political affiliation. Only those who have no love for the country will politicized this news and bring out negativity. Unfortunately such people are around us
Zambia has done well to achieve the 2 MDGs. Of particular interest to me is the achievement of the 80% primary education. The government needs to look at the quality of education being offered. The achievement of this MDG has been at the expense of quality. The number of children per class has swelled to alarming proportions. No teacher no matter how qualified and experienced can efficiently handle the numbers. We are going through the motions of offering primary education. This affects results in the long run. Ministry of Ed needs to look at the calibre of student out there and how best to improve him or her.
Two pa eight at good? That is why Africa is very behind.
Ubuteko bulebomba . Tumfwe fi UPND at f.y.o.n.o…….. The other factor contributing to less progress on maternal and child mortality is due to factors……. we have confessed s.atan.ists as political leaders who are blood thirst for our mothers and children blood….. i haven’t mentioned anyone
ubuteko bulebomba by your standards nokoh sosweee
Ladies and Gentlemen, we must face the truth. 2 out 8 is equals to 25%. This is a fail. Unless you have not gone to school. Why should you be proud of a fail really, shame. This economy has deteriorated and there is nothing to be happy about 25%. We must work hard and find ways of improving this economy.
I think Janet Rogan just avoided to say Zed has FAILED to achieve its MDGs.what can one think when you achieve only 2 out of 8 of the objectives set,failure to reduce poverty in 24yrs from 58% to 29% but only managed to reduce it just by 58%-42=16%. Its sad to be an African.
Two pa Eyiti sure! That’s only 25%. If PF was at school in Grade 3, it could be number last!
Actually MDG number 3 has been achieved. There is a high ratio of girls to boys and a lot of talk about the girl child. I fear for the ‘boy child’ who have been relegated to fend for themselves and we now have high numbers of ‘men ‘ been ‘married’! Matoloshifye Ati baume!
It’s every one’s responsibility to achieve the MDGs.What have ‘YOU’ done to eliminate poverty, hunger, health issues, education, unemployment and the like. It is the culture of laziness that leaves most people to point fingers at Government and rush to be employed in government and weigh government coffers down, Ati ‘graduates?’- pathetic fallacy syndrome!
Government sets the pace and individuals follow! The govt has a duty to its citizens to start the ball rolling.
@ 1, 2 & 3, friends I wonder your thinking faculties! Surely your child goes to school and after years of toil, the result is 2/8 (25%) and you call that serious achievement! Come on we can do better. As a country we are not serious with everything we do. It’s chipantepante all the time. Only a gullible and ignorant supporter of a failed government like ALINASWE would associate high maternal and child mortality to satanism, when our health services are at their lowest standard. Go to UTH or any public health and see for yourself how our systems have broken down. No wonder our leader are trekking to south, Pakistan, India to seek better and quality services. Our education system, despite scoring on the MDG still leaves much to be desired. We are not a serious country!
You are right and for me I have given up on Zambia.As long as we continue voting the way we are voting we will continue getting mediocre type of leadership who as as good as a toilet tissue.
am happy,so producing millionaires was not one of the MDGs ka for ZAMBIA. lomba mumekelanji?
This is useless. How can you say 2 out of 8 is good. It’s very poor
Can Ms Rogan or anyone on this forum kindly clarify:
how is it possible to achieve a universal primary education enrolment of 103% – which suggests that we have enrolled 3% MORE children than actually exist?
Don’t believe these stats on the reduction of extreme poverty or the reduction in HIV rates – these are paper figures meant to confuse the population and do not reflect the reality on the ground – just get off your buts and go round the country and see the reality.
103% simply means achieving 3% more than the set goal and not necessarily enrolling all eligible children and extra 3%. In this case it appears that the set goal could have been something like 80% of the eligible children.Hope that makes some sense to you.
Ever head about statistics.??
Its 25% today because of clowns like you who have run away from the country to go and develop other countries.
@sponge bob,
Has it not crossed your feeble mind that if it was not for Zambians working abroad and remitting substantial amounts of money back to Zambia, the MDGs would have been even LESS than 25%?.
The clown is you mate, to be honest you are just brainless. Why did they leave in the first place? They have actually assisted by reducing the unemployment levels as they would be part of the statistics of the unemployed. How many graduates are roaming the streets currently? They have the skills, use them to develop the country. Blame your so called govt, taking money out on medical tourism instead of developing the medical facilities and pea brained people like you are blaming some of these people supporting the unemployed relations in Zambia through remittances, you are the prat.
First off these are UN ideals typically born out of average expectations and not peculiar idiosyncrasies. Second it is good to see that the building blocks of society are being tackled aggressively hence noticeable on this scorecard. Third, could we know what levels we are at on the other six goals? It is not true to give a decisive 2/8 score as I see my fellow bloggers doing. That score is a toss up and not a given.
2/8 is nothing to celebrate but also in the same context i doubt they will be 8/8 for any African countries but if you also consider where we were after the 1990s weve been improving
Exposed! Most bloggers are victims of the 25% score (fail). That’s why their arguments cannot pass the test of time. May the government put more effort to produce future leaders and bloggers whose vision and misson will be propelling Zambia to greater heights.
Is that part of the MDG for pf, ‘put more effort to produce future leaders and bloggers whose vision and misson will be propelling Zambia to greater heights.”?
Are statistcs a real reflection of the situation?I have my doubts.Anyhow ,the major question is the relevance of our education system to directly effect positive change.The economic status calls for more skills training institutions but look at what adverts show on most education programes.Just like the IMF,World bank,e.t.c.these rating bodies will use statistics to manipulate Govt.and people’s thinking.It is a mind game.How many remember SAP?
We will forever be rated and standards set by outsiders while we blindly follow yet we do have a mind of our own.We could design our own carriculums befitting our times and solving today and tomorrow’s problems.
There are those fools who criticise people in the Diaspora just for the sake of criticism! If you were given a chance to go to the Diaspora, you would also jump on it without hesitation! So which is which? Do you harshly call these people names because you genuinely feel more patriotic than them, or is it simply because you are envious of them??
Help me out please.How does your posting relate to the headline?
Ati Muzungu anione… Just by default (the fact that she is white), whatever she says We will agree with. What goals have we archived… this is the same old colonial/imperialist rhetoric. Every time they (white people) say Africa/Zambia bra, bra, and then Africa/Zambia goes YES BWANA.
Ati malambishi bati, We can do better my Zambia, we can actually produce our own empirical facts instead of perpetually dancing to some folks’ tunes, sitting down in their plushy offices in down-town New York City and telling us (through this woman) that Zambia has archived this and that, when they have actually never been to NEGA NEGA, Mwansabobwe, Kwahaye or Kacholola.
Archived two goals my foot!!!
@Tembo,if you don’t understand better do some research before you you embarrass your self.Understand what MDG’s are and why the WHO adopted them.
This the reason why Zambia is in this mess because of such pathological thinking like you and your pf minnows
In developed countries they could he asking: where did we go wrong? What should be done to change where we erred? In Zambia we do not learn lessons awe. We try to do the same thing but praying that the result will be different.
Those of yu clowns who are boasting of developing other countries at the expense of yo own should indeed be ashamed of yourself. Instead of you forming companies and employ yo relatives using yo degrees you go and line up at Labour offices seeking for employment by the govt. That’s negative thinking. Come out of the box and look beyond employment.
…MDG is just another modern form of slavery and colonialism…this is likened to tying a stick on to a hungry donkey’s head and at the end of the stick you tie a carrot…..as the donkey moves to get the carrot so does the carrot…and the donkey keeps on pulling the plough…its almost practically impossible to achieve 100% MDG with these current crop of politicians…their priorities are not to develop the country or the citizenry but their families….even for PF who have just been in govt for only three years plus…if one had to take stock/audit individual politicians… what they were wealthy before coming into govt and what they are wealthy now….in terms of personal MDG they have already achieved 101%….
Ms Ragon or whatever its called,is another Muzungu wopusa! She can not lecture & insult ùs like that on clear cut issues of a failed state! Zambia is now a failed state-more of a banana republic.I have been blogging critically last month that this last episode of that stinking visionless liars party PF under Kachasu Lungu will be the worst in the annals of Zambian political history in all aspects of human development!There’s nothing to show & be proud of under Chi-PF!Just recently,for example,all secondary schools in southern province had their funding reduced to 58885.93 each for the whole year from a ceiling of about 166000.00 per year each.Surely countrymen & women,where are we going under Chi-PF,& one talks of free education & new curriculum without materials & reduced erratic…
You can sugarcoat all you want the fact remains we have LAMENTABLY FAILED when compared to other African countries…I feel so ashamed and sad after reading this as failure now is something that is being paraded as an achievement.
With a Edgar Lazy and his boss Rupiah in power I do not see any improvements here apart from their bank balance and their air miles.
Jay jay exactly what they would want to have you believe so you can run back to them for solutions.Only When Govts begin to look within and try to solve their own problems based on their own findings unlike suggested outside opinions,is only when we shall begin to make real homegrown progress.Remember 1991 SAP?
So what exactly are they proposing now?Having rated us they want to suggest for us to achieve the remaining goals,we need to borrow more funds from IMF ,world bank and depend on their expertise?Of course so we can always redeem their unemployment woes as they send more of their unemployed to come and help the “ignorant” Govts.Yes so we forever shall be under their yokes,C’mon,Africa ,you are better than that!
Universal Education is in sight. What is needed is greater stability, greater focus, greater investment, greater commitment. Bravo to all players, teachers, administrators, ministers. Please keep it up! Do not listen to detractors. Action speaks louder than words. results speak more than rhetoric does.
The real meaning of Edgar Lungu;
1. EDGAR.
E= Empty and Useless President who will soon be
D= Dying of several sicknesses and his
G= Grave will also be Embassy Park and
A= Again Zambia will be morning as they say may the soul of Chagwa Agwa Pansi Lungu
R= Rest in peace.
2. LUNGU
L= Lusaka and Copperbelt Residents are now regretting having voted for a
U= Useless and Sick President who is a 100%
N= None Performer but is busy
G= Gallivanting like a mad dog
U= Under the Influence of rabies.
What a President you voted for!
His Excellency Edgar Chagwa Lundu is the fulfilment of hope for Zambia.
We are witnessing great shakes and moves in Corruption and Abuse of Authority court cases.
We have witnessed a Joined Up, united and Representative Cabinet Office and Ministerial positions offered to Zambians across the Tribal Spectrum.
We have witnessed, Equalities among Men and Women; the appointment of Zambia’s first Female President. The appointment of a larger number of Females to responsible Positions.
We have witnessed collaborative Gov’t with the People welcomed to work with Gov’t.
We have witnessed Continuation and the fruits of which this article proves and shows.
WE THANK GOD ALMIGHTY FOR THE GIFT THAT IS HIS EXCELLENCY.
His Excellency Edgar Chagwa LUNGU is the fulfilment of hope for Zambia!
The citizens of Zambia must address those 6 remaining targets by SELF RESPONSIBILITY. The gov’t can talk but they cannot walk the talk for citizens.
Sending your children to school (a lot have been built and spaces are ‘going begging’), is the duty of Parents. The quality of Education is the other half of the gov’ts duty to Parents who send children to school.
The Male population must ‘Check Themselves,’ in their sexual activities to ensure they have AGE APPROPRIATE liaisons (preferably in marriage) with PROTECTION during the acts. The gov’t and UN cannot walk thus one for people. TAKE SOME RESPONSIBILITY.
Female population must take up their Maternal responsibilities to their Female children…
The Female population must take up their Maternal responsibilities to their Female children as with the Male child. Open up the possibilities to your Female child. Teach them Self-determination rather than ‘piggy backing’ on Males. They must be taught to fend for themselves NOT through marriages to hopeless Pedophiles (sp). Gov’t must step up Judicial powers through new laws to define Pedophiles as criminals that need locking up.
The moniker ‘Child Marriages’ and ‘Defilment’ are too quaint. Redefine this practice of Child abuse. Even Life imprisonment with castration would be a JUST law in a society that has Males targeting young children. This is a cultural problem we need to break through Tougher Laws. This act is not by the uneducated alone, even highly educated…
It ends…..
‘This act is not by the Uneducated alone, even the Highly Educate ‘DoIt’.’
We should have that as a sensitising Slogan.
Leave Young Children Alone.
We’ve failed most MDG benchmarks because PF switched to its own shortsighted MDG goals of :
1-Politics always 1st with lots of by-elections
2-Decimate oppositon.
3-Witch hunting MMD.
4-Incite violent PF youths.
With the current national attitude and poor leadership, there is nothing that Zambia can achieve.
@Blago
Agreed. If people who are party politicking cannot see that Citizen input with vigour is required; then Zambia is hopelessly lost.
The whole idea that the gov’t are solely responsible for decrepit behaviour leading to decrepit lives, is delusional.
The remaining targets are those that citizens themselves can do. Suggesting the gov’t borrow more money to spoon feed the people who will not uplift themselves is unacceptable.
PEOPLE NEED TO WAKE UP AND MAKE BETTER CHOICES.