A total of 13, 686 students across the country accessed Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training (TEVET) bursaries in the first quarter of 2026.
This is against a target of 1,500 students under the initiative, designed to support vulnerable but deserving students to pursue skills training in various sectors.
Co-Chairperson of Cluster Advisory Group two under the National Development Coordinating Committee, Brian Mwiinga disclosed this in an interview with the media in Lusaka.
Mr Mwiinga revealed that in an effort to enhance skills development in the country, a total of 40 Science, Technology, and Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) lecturers were recruited past the targeted 12, for the first quarter of 2026.
He added that a total of 496 public and private institutions benefited from the TEVET fund financing against a target of 6, in the same period.
He commended government for the achievement, noting that skills are critical in driving the development agenda complemented by the increased Constituency Development Fund (CDF) allocation.
Mr Mwiinga, who is also Social Policy Lead for the Civil Society for Poverty Reduction, noted that such initiatives will contribute to reducing poverty levels in the country.
“Overall when you look at the benefits of achieving these targets, firstly, they are within the framework of the Eighth National Development Plan and then when you look at it critically, we are talking about education. You cannot have meaningful development without investing in the education sector. So such investments give us comfort that we are going in the right direction,” he emphasized.
And in separate interviews, beneficiaries of the TEVET bursary, expressed gratitude to the government for the support.
Hope Sakala, a youth studying Electrical Technology at Lusaka Vocational and Training College (LVTC), explained that she had stayed home for five years due to lack of funds for her tertiary education.
Ms Sakala stated that the bursary has brought hope for a bright future not only for herself but her family as she intends to set up a business after acquiring the skill and employ her younger siblings as well as other youths.
“I really appreciate government because it was really hard for me. Maybe if they didn’t give me this bursary, I would have been out there, struggling, trying to raise some money,” she said.
Aaron Mushota, who is studying plumbing and pipe fitting at the same institution indicated that the bursary has provided financial relief to him, adding that he is now able to focus on his studies.
“The message I have for government is that I really appreciate this thing you are doing because it is helping many students, not just me but others who are also facing the same challenges that I faced,” he said.
