The Ministry of General Education has maintained that primary schools across the country should not charge user fees. The ministry added that pupils should not be asked to buy any requirements from schools.
And General Education Minister David Mabumba says the user fees for secondary schools remain at K200 per term, with no additional requirements. Mr. Mabumba further said that fees for colleges of education remain the same.
He, however, said if the schools want to get extra monies from pupils, they should first apply to the Ministry to seek guidance.
Mr. Mabumba said his ministry has continued to receive complaints on user fees because various schools are requesting pupils to buy various requirements such as paper, tissue and cobra.
Speaking during a media briefing, Mr Mabumba also disclosed that Government will this year upgrade 26 primary schools to secondary Schools in Lusaka, to enhance access to education.
He said the schools that will be upgraded will also be given additional infrastructure to support the upgrade.
And Mr. Mabumba said the country will this year open 15 Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematic Schools.
He noted that the PF Government has increased the number of teachers in various schools from about 65, 000 in 2011 to over 115,000 teachers.
Mr. Mabumba further noted that Government will restructure the Zambia Education Publication House (ZEPH) to make it efficient and enhance production of learning materials.
He added that the Ministry plans to implement the school-based assessment at the primary sub sector in grade 4 to enable performance of pupils at Grade 7.
He also stated that the Grade Seven Examinations will be reviewed to determine whether the country should continue with a non-failure examination.
Meanwhile, Mr. Mabumba said Grade Nine external Examinations have been abolished.
He, however, explained that those who failed in last year’s examination will be accorded an opportunity to repeat in the 2020 Academic year but will be given an external examination number.
And Examinations Council of Zambia (ECZ) Executive Director Michael Chilala said Grade 12 results are likely to be released in the first week of February.
Dr. Chilala said there has been no disturbance in the current academic year following the late marking of Grade 12 Examinations.
Kapa Mabumba, before you issue any of such statements please engage other leaders that include MPs. Since these changes were announced only an average of 25% parents are compliant, the rest have defaulted. MPs are under pressure because all schools are now knocking for CDF which hasn’t been released for the whole 2019 and only an installment was released for 2018. Support staff like sanitarians and watchmen have now been relieved because there’s no money to pay them. Soon pupils will be requested to clean toilets. Some schools are now rationing water. Last term teachers were requested to write end of term tests on the boards instead of printed question papers, something which happened over 20 years ago. Teachers are scared to speak because of intimidation. Schools have been upgraded…
My dream, I have a dream, free education to ALL , school feeding programs, free college, free Universities. Then will Zambia grow faster than all other African countries. How shall we pay for all that, do you ask. Easy STOPP ALL CORRUPTION, ALL INTERNATIONALE COMPANIES SHALL PAY A NORMAL TAX, WITHOUT REDUCING. Look on Glencore International mining.
Free education is “free” of quality!
The ministry need to come out with more comprehensive guidelines on the abolition of grade nine external exams
schools have been upgraded without the accompanying financial support to meet the conditions for recognition by regulatory authorities. They must build laboratories etc, but how do they do it Mr Mambumba?
Are private schools under any ministry? Private schools owners or managers are greedy , heartless and dont care about the learners but money. .Bad as the economy is, they still chase children for default on school fees.
We appeal to Government to build more schools or additional classrooms to mitigate this unchecked exploitation by private schools .
Education is everything
#Chiko free education : Free education is “free” of quality! Why should it not be quality ?? Look to Sweden, Finland Norway Denmark Germany Netherlands, Belgium, France, Portugal Italy good quality education and its for free. I believe Senegal also have free education and look on Ghana