The Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) would like to request the Ministry of General Education to revisit the newly revised user fees in order to further reduce them.
ZANEC as an organisation that works to promote access to quality education for all (orphaned and vulnerable children of all ages) in rural and urban areas of the country, feels that the revised school fees are still high for the majority Zambian population.
This may render many eligible school children not to access quality education, especially in rural areas based on the evidence from our Members Organisations countrywide and other stakeholders.
Zambia has well over 700,000 Out of School Children (OSC) as a result of poverty and high user fees, including costs of transport and uninforms. It is ZANEC‘s observation that the Ministry of General Education as the custodian of education in the county is duty bound to ensure that every Zambian child is given an opportunity to access quality education.
Recently, the Ministry of General Education directed secondary schools to charge school fees as follows;
1. Boarding schools: Between K700 and K1000 per term( According to the Ministry of General Education this depends on the needs of the school and the kind of diet the Parents Teachers Association would like the pupils to have).
2. Day schools: Between K250 to K500 per term.
3. Pupils sitting for the General Certificate of Education:
Centre fee: K100
Practical subject fee: K50
Tuition fees: K50 per subject
It is ZANEC‘s observation that the fees would be in addition to the PTA fees. It is also our considered view that the Ministry of General Education should also prescribe the maximum amount chargeable PTA fee so that all schools would be charging uniform fees taking into consideration geographical issues and cost of living in general.
We feel that the Ministry should have taken into consideration that many parents/guardians especially in rural communities are not able to meet the cost of education for their children as they are peasant farmers.
It is ZANEC‘s considered view that if the government does not revisit the fees, the country risks throwing its young learners into the street to the detriment of national development and create instability in the country. We further call on the Ministry to consult widely with members of the Parents Teachers Associations (PTA) before effecting new fees.
We take this opportunity to remind the government of the day that they promised in their manifesto, to ensure that education would be free from early learning to secondary education. We are expectant that the fees will therefore be reconsidered accordingly.
Furthermore, Zambia through the current Head of State agreed to the Sustainable Development Goal Number Four in September, 2015 at the UN Special Assembly to ‘ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all’
Grace Manyonga (Ms.)
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Comment:DO YOU KNOW THAT THERE ARE DAY SCHOLARS PAYING UP TO K650 IN SOME RURAL SCHOOLS? CAN ZANEC DO SOMETHING AT ONCE TO ENSURE THESE CHILDREN ARE NOT DISADVANTAGED .
Despite paying school fees, these pupils do not get the education they deserve. Abolish school fees in Zambia – give every child a chance to free education
All these fees these families are paying per term, are just mismanaged by government
Boarding schools pupils will starve.