48 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE, HOW MUCH HAVE WE ACHIEVED?

By Chrispin Sinyangwe

Education is the major benefactor to the development of any country. How equipped and developed it is, is essential for the sustainability of its education system. Zambia still faces difficulties in this sector. The lack of enough teachers, school materials, infrastructure and education malpractices continue to deteriorate the standards of education.

The Executive Director of Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) Grace Manyonga says Zambia’s education system is progressing, but a number of areas still face challenges. She expressed the fact that the pupil teacher ratio and pupil class ratio was unfair both in rural and urban areas.

She says access to education had increased but the quality had deteriorated with the growing demand of education. Ms Manyonga added on saying, rural areas lack enough teachers, which in turn leads to an unbalanced playing field for examination classes.

 She encouraged the move by the government to recruit 5000 teacher and emphasised that priority should be in rural areas. Ms Mayonga also expressed concern at the deplorable state in which schools in rural areas are in.

“As ZANEC we observed key sectors in education including early childhood education and adult learning which the government has pumped in fewer resources”, she says. Furthermore, Ms Manyonga said early childhood education is significant to the development of any child, and expressed happiness on the debate of early child centres being established in government school.

 “As the population increases there is need for more infrastructure to cater for early childhood and tertiary education ’she adds.

In conclusion Ms Manyonga says, “as we commemorate 48 years of independence it’s important that we examine what we have achieved in the education sector and strive to do more”.

And a 10 pupil from Libala High School who chose to remain anonymous expressed sadness at the poor education system in the country today. She said the lack of seriousness by teachers and the poor infrastructure were really affecting education for many children. She hopes the infrastructure improves following the budget allocation to education in the 2013 National Budget.  

Meanwhile, the Executive Director of Media Network Child Rights Development (MNCRD) Mr Henry Kabwe says government has policies aimed at addressing the educational challenges faced by the country.

Mr Kabwe says policies like the educating our future policy focused on how Zambian children were going to help develop the education sector. “The land mark policy almost being adopted for early childhood, care development and education will see an increase in the number of institutions offering early childhood care and may also encourage people to establish more early learning institutions”, he said.

He went on to say that infrastructure is been built but what still remains addressing the lack of teachers.

 Furthermore, Mr Kabwe says examination malpractice has contributed to the slow development in the education sector and also having incompetent people occupying important positions and having them fail to deliver.

He expressed concern in the way rural areas were still lagging behind in terms of infrastructure develop. He says the infrastructure and distance between the people and the schools were still rather far. He says there is need to come up with a plan to bridge the gap between children in rural areas and those in urban areas. Mr Kabwe said it should not always be the case that people in rural areas want to come to town but that development should be taken to rural areas, allowing them to develop their areas.

Mr Kabwe urged the government to keep remembering their pledge and count on civil society organisations for support. He says civil society organisations are not here to fight government but we are here to supplement their efforts.

If Zambia is to uphold Article 28 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child which states that every child has a right to education, major strides have to be taken not only to uphold the article but also to improve the quality of education. The Children’s News Agency with support from European Union.