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 views of the above article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Africa Speaks 4 Africa or its editorial team.