LINDA NYONDO, Lusaka
ZAMBIA National Education Coalition (ZANEC) Board chairperson Kabika Kakunta has called for increased funding to the education sector.
Mr Kakunta said during a dissemination meeting of the study on education gaps and domestic financing said that Zambians can only receive quality education if the education sector receives more funding.
“If the education system is not financed, then we will have a huge challenge. The education system has experienced challenges in effective financing,” he said.
Mr Kakunta said ZANEC is committed to contributing to quality education in Zambia.
He, however, said that the Ministry of Finance is critical in ensuring that money allocated to the Ministry of General Education is released.
Mr Kakunta said the study has come at the right time because it has accurate information on education and financing.
The report which revealed that government financing of the education sector is low and most of it is done by donors.
But Ministry of General Education Director of Planning, Joseph Nthele said the information in the report was inaccurate because donor support to the Ministry of Education was only 2 percent in 2015 and that it had reduced to 1.6 percent in 2016.
Mr Nthele said construction and financing of schools in Zambia has been done by Government including paying teachers; looking at how much is spent on all these things, one will realise that government funding to the sector is more than had been reported,’’ he said.