The National Civil Society Organisation Coalition on School Health has called for the establishment of a School Health Budget Tracking and Accountability Dashboard, to help guarantee prudent utilisation of school health resources.
Chairperson for the Coalition, Luchembe Chilufya, has noted investments by the government and other stakeholders to promote the welfare of learners, such as the K500 Million allocation to the school feeding programme and K1, 000, 000 allocation to school health programme in the 2025 – 2026 national budget.
In a statement issued to ZANIS in Lusaka Mr Chilufya commended the government for the initiatives, but emphasised the need for effective tracking and monitoring of such resources, adding that allocation of resources alone does not guarantee impact.
He noted that the School Health Tracking Dashboard would therefore help provide a practical and transparent platform for tracking resources and implementation processes.
Mr Chilufya advised that the School Health Tracking Scorecard, would strengthen accountability and monitoring of school health services.
He also underscored the importance of community participation in the process, noting that the tool is expected to structure feedback between communities, parents, learners, service providers and other stakeholders.
“We further believe that stronger multi sectoral coordination between the Ministries of Education, Health, Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development and the Presidential Delivery Unit, remains essential if school health investments are to achieve their intended impact,” Mr Chilufya stated.
