CTPD cites budget setbacks
By JOSSY CHAIMA CENTRE For Trade Policy and Development (CTPD) is concerned over the proposed low budgetary allocation to the well-being of children in the 2018 national budget.
Speaking during a media briefing in Kitwe yesterday CTPD Assistant Emmanuel Muma said the budgetary allocation for 2017 and 2018 was below the regional and internationally accepted standards.
Mr Muma said it was disheartening that government had further reduced the allocation to education by 0.4 percent.
He said government’s intention to only complete primary and secondary school infrastructure which was already under construction, and upgrading of basic schools into secondary schools, would lead reduce primary education’s capacity to enroll more children.
He said upgrading of basic schools to secondary level without constructing new primary ones had proved to be challenging as there were no classroom space to enroll more children.
"This has further implications that long distances to schools in rural areas will continue, thereby increasing the challenge of access to quality early, primary education which will also lead to lower education achievements due to reduced teachers learner contact hours" he said.
Mr Muma said though allocation to the health sector had increased by 0.6 percent in 2018, this did not meet the international spending requirement.
He said the health infrastructure targets were for completion works only which implied that access to health service and quality health care would remain a challenge.
He explained that the level of allocation to the two critical sectors remained lower for Zambia to meet the national and international aspirations for the 2030 agenda.
Mr Muma appealed to government to revise the expen- diture target under education, health and social protection programmes by realigning funds from other less pressing sectors.
He said government should ensure it increased allocations to maternity and children’s health, nutrition and reproductive health.
Mr Muma commended government on the proposed removal of the five years tax holiday incentive.
He said there was need to revise other agreements such as double taxation to curb revenue leakage and ensure more revenue from key economic sectors.