Thursday, March 28, 2024

Government pegs Boarding School Fees at K 1 000 per learner

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THE Ministry of Education said that learners who are in government boarding schools who are not vulnerable will be required to pay K1,000 boarding fees per term.

In a circular to all provincial education officers, all-district education board secretaries and all headteachers, permanent secretary technical services Joel Kamoko said identified vulnerable learners would have their boarding fees paid for through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) Secondary School Bursary Scheme.

“The scheme will apply to all learners in government and aided secondary schools who will meet the selection criteria. In this regard, the vulnerable beneficiary learners will be identified at community level in their respective constituencies and possibly at ward level,” he said.

Kamoko said the new dawn government was resolved to implement the education for all policy from early childhood, through primary, up to secondary school levels, starting from January 10, 2022, when institutions of learning open for term one.

“His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zambia, Mr Hakainde Hichilema has been clear and consistent in stating the new dawn government’s commitment to providing increased access to quality and equitable education to all the citizenry,” he said. “This was augmented by the Minister of Finance [Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane] during presentation of the 2022 budget speech on 29th October, 2021 where he announced that user fees will be abolished in all government schools from January, 2022.”

Kamoko said the provision of education for all from early childhood education, through primary up to secondary school would be implemented as all user fees at early childhood education and secondary school levels would be abolished as institutions of learning open for term one in 2022.

“The government will take the responsibility to pay tuition fees through a compensatory grant to all government schools offering early childhood and secondary education. Such a compensatory grant will be equal to the amount schools used to collect through user fees,” he said.

Kamoko said the government would also increase the traditional primary and secondary school grants by two-fold in a bid to uphold high quality education standards.

He said all Parent Teachers’ Association (PTA) fees would be abolished from early childhood education, through primary to secondary.
Kamoko said the schools would be compensated for the loss in revenue from the increased grants allocated, effective the 2022 school calendar and beyond.

He said the government would pay a subsidy for user fees pegged at K600 per pupil in all aided secondary schools.

“Further, the government will constructively engage the education secretaries for all aided schools to agree on an affordable user fee that they will charge per pupil in all aided secondary schools as they apply for their aided status,” he said.
Kamoko said examination fees for grade 12 pupils in all government and aided schools have been abolished.

He said the government would take up the responsibility for examination fees through a grant that would be disbursed directly to the Examinations Council of Zambia.

“However, it should be stated very clearly that candidates for the General Certificate of Education (G.C.E) and grade nine External Examinations will continue paying the examination fees,” he said.

Kamoko said Provincial Education Officers (PEOs) and District Education Board Secretaries (DEBS), respectively, would be expected to properly guide and ensure the immediate implementation of the new dawn government’s education for all policy as it takes effect during the 2022 school calendar year.

24 COMMENTS

  1. All of us are vulnerable. What method are you going to use to determine our status? Even now the bursaries at district level are awarded only to connected individuals.

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  2. Reality has caught up with Bally so early in his presidency. It’s a lesson to that aspire for public office, don’t isolate yourself and shout at others without really understanding which challenges they’re facing. Don’t be like football supporters that analyse matches when they’ve never even kicked the ball. Bally and Andrew Ndanga Kamanga are in the same WhatsApp group. Just like Zambia has failed to qualify to any major soccer tournament, Bally isn’t taking us anywhere. He’ll leave us with an IMF debt and prisons full of former leaders

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  3. Schools should’ve been free by now if Zambia had been developed by successive gov’ts.But dunderheads ruined Zambia.

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  4. Chipante pante govt, chimbwi no plan, headless chicken…you addressed your predecessors by these terms but these are now a perfect description of your new dawn because you don’t seem to know what to do. Swallow your pride and apologies. Zambians you employed a highly qualified employee but without experience. Please don’t scrap off the subsidies.

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  5. Kikikikikikijukija Hehehehehehe hohohohohoho kwekwekwekwe kwikwikwikwikwi kwokwokwokwokwo

    Make pronouncements recklessly think later and amend your thoughts. Cipante pante even at pronouncements. Trial and error. Extremely unclear policies.
    What happened to free education? What is this K1000? Boarding fees? Now it will apply to all boarding schools? Are ministers with h² and Mwanakatwe? Why didn’t Mwanakatwe pronounce this in his budget presentation? Is it an after thought. How free is this free education? Did you consult schools before announcing? Has the ImF reprimanded h² on this.

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  6. Kikikikikikijukija Hehehehehehe hohohohohoho kwekwekwekwe kwikwikwikwikwi kwokwokwokwokwo

    Make pronouncements recklessly think later and amend your thoughts. Cipante pante even at pronouncements. Trial and error. Extremely unclear policies.
    What happened to free education? What is this K1000? Boarding fees? K500 boarding fees; K500 School fees. Now it will apply to all boarding schools? Are ministers with h² and Mwanakatwe? Why didn’t Mwanakatwe pronounce this in his budget presentation? Is it an after thought. How free is this free education? Did you consult schools before announcing? Has the ImF reprimanded h² on this.

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  7. #4 I don’t know how old you are. But from colonial to the time I finished college I only paid a fee called SPORTS FEE. In fact in college I used to get pocket money every month and on time. Things changed when educated people took over running of government…. things like user fees etc

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  8. Don’t you think even GCE fees are too high think twice on this one mwebuteko twapapata the process of compelling the results is also something else

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  9. We are making progress, we have to start from some where as we move towards complete free education. The economy is so battered due to PF incompetency that it is absolutely understood that free education can not start immediately.

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  10. Hihihihihi hohohoho…time to start being real now….no more lies….lies have short legs…kikikikikiki ….lesson learn….don’t just over promise…don’t just blah blah blah blah for the sake of being voted into office…I think this should become an impeacheable offense……you can’t lie like this and get away with it

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  11. Looking at the current situation, the amount paid by primary school leaners isn’t so much. Many private nurseries and primary school are expensive but full to capacity. This setup is very confusing… where’s the line between fee paying and non fee paying?

  12. Asda@10, you have not made any progress. In fact you’re moving in reverse gear because you started with free everything but even before implementation you’ve back tracked after realising that your pronouncements were not feasible. Take time to analyse matters. So the CDF is equall across the board ? What happens to constituencies that have a big number of schools….am foreseeing those school buses being packed in the near future due to operational expenses.

  13. @ 12 Deja vu
    Don’t forget we dealing with a chipante pante President….he doesn’t know that lies have very short legs….in order to maintain a lie you have to keep on lying…so K3000 plus exam fees is considered free according to HH…and all Zambians are vulnerable….only Ministers sons and daughters can afford expensive schools…..things getting worse than when Lungu was President

  14. Don’t worry Mama Nalumango will on Tuesday in parliament explain properly about the K1,000.00 monthly fee. Very simple.

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  15. 1000 ,only ?!!! PF tried this and kids where eating on beans and cabbage everyday…i remember us parents complained that we are not taking our kids to suffer ku boarding..we didnt say we cannot afford to pay k2,500 for our kids to eat well?our kids were fed like prisoners!!! Im seeing this going back again

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  16. @ Deja Vu, my divergent view is not to generally fault the “educated” people who took over but failure to carry on or follow up on the policies left behind by the colonialists. Mind you, the colonialists that administered education were educated but then it’s like some of the “educated” Zambians who took over were not adequately prepared to run these institutions and personal interests or militant politics could have come into conflict with education policy administration. Compare with the general outlook in West African countries who followed on colonial policies concerning educational fees. My understanding is the New Dawn promised free tuition to mean no pupil would be kept out of class because other imposed fees by the school have not been settled!

  17. #17 FuManchu. I think we are speaking the same language. When I say educated I mean the MR KNOW IT ALL TYPE. People whole disregard ones using experience. People who are so carried away with theoretical experiment.

  18. Lets face the truth, maintaining boarding school facilities is very expensive to left to govt alone. There food, electricity, water and sanitation, security, stationery, transport and medicals etc. The UPND talked of going to provide this and that free for all but the table is full of needs than the resources available its better UPND have realized that things are easier said than done. We should try to force good to come out of the impossible things.

  19. I knew it was lie that things will change, prices reduced, free eduction upto University.. I knew it,, and you were nooo, . I KNEW IT.. I will 60yrs on 1st January and have lived long to see lies..

  20. Even the appreciation of the dollar,, it is not because of the new down gvnt,, it is because of copper prices on the global market,, fullstop.

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