A free education programme in Zambia has led to a huge increase in student enrollment. A lack of infrastructure, however, means that the quality of education remains low.
The Zambian government introduced free primary and secondary school education in 2021.Three years later, an additional two million students are filling classrooms across the country.
While the initiative is widely seen as a positive step towards a brighter future for young Zambians, a lack of simultaneous investment in infrastructure is threatening educational quality.
Congested classrooms, a lack of teachers, and a shortage of desks or textbooks means that pupils are not reaching key educational targets set by the government, according to the UN’s children agency, UNICEF.
While 87.9% of children are enrolled in primary school, net enrollment in secondary school is just 42.9% with a 67.5% transition rate from primary to secondary stages.
The overall increase in enrollment reflects a trend across sub-Saharan Africa, with more children in school than ever before, according to UNICEF.
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