Prioritise education sector funding, govt advised
There is need for central government to prioritise funding to the education sector , says Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZNUT) Secretary General, Newman Bubala.
He said government should this year put into practice the proposed 24 percent budget allocation to the education sector
Mr Bubala told the Daily Nation in an interview that government needed to implement the suggested financial allocation under the country’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) four.
He said implementing SDG four would boost the quality of education in the country.
And Mr Bubala, reacting to reports that the Ministry of General Education had not yet disbursed grants to schools for learning materials, Mr Bubala said it was worrying that government had not yet released grants to the Ministry of Education for 2018 as this would negatively affect the learner’s performance and the quality of education countrywide.
Mr Bubala said the 17 percent budget allocation to the education sector was not sufficient therefore there was need for the yearly allocation to be revised.
He said the education sector was vast and demanding consequently, enough funds should be allocated to the sector if education standards in the country are to be maintained. ‘‘The education sector is the backbone of the country’s development, so adequate funding is needed, because overall the funding will affect the quality of education being provided and in turn the performance of the learners themselves,” Mr Bubala said.