Ministry of community development policy the basic

Ministry of Community Development Policy, the Basic Education Sub-sector Investment
Programme (BESSIP) Implementation Plan, the Education Sector Plan (2002 -2007) and the
Six National Development Plan (2011-2015).
This EFA review coincides with major educational reforms that include the introduction of a
new national curriculum in 2014, phasing out of basic education and introduction of a
two
-
tier system that offers academic and skills educational the secondary school level. On the
basis of the country’s performance thus far, the report sets the stage for Zambia’s educational
agenda for the next decennium. Looking back, the country’s experience with the expansion of
primary education is perhaps the most remarkable. Zambia’s success in expanding access is
the result of government determination to overcome intractable constraints to participation, a

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resolute effort by communities and civil society organisations to help out and the generosity
and commitment of cooperating partners. While Zambia has made significant progress on
access, improving quality remains a huge challenge. Measures of learning achievement
across the board show that children are underperforming particularly in foundational skills
such as reading and mathematics.
This document is informed by various reports done by actors in the education sector
including the Ministry of Education, Science, Vocational Training, and Early Education
(MESVTEE), civil society, Parliament and cooperating partners. The report is primarily
shaped by the commitments Zambia made in the 2005 EFA country framework.
The report begins with an overview of the status of education in Zambia that overall, show
that the education sector has seen improvements in most key indicators. The third section
tracks progress against the milestones for the six EFA goals. Highlighting the phenomenal
growth in participation at the primary level, the third section reports on government action in
all six EFA goal areas and show communities have played a pivotal role in expanding
learning opportunities. Conveying the outlook for the coming decade, the fourth section
addresses key issues for the post 2015 agenda. Key among these issues is the pursuit of
quality which will be a crucial measure of educational progress in the coming decade. The
report concludes by emphasizing the relevance of key measures accounting for Zambia’s
progress towards the achievement of the EFA goals. Notably, achievements of the EFA goals
and targets have been laudable in Zambia largely due to three factors: Overall government
commitment; Community participation and commitment; and sector support partners that
include the cooperating partners and civil society.
2. Status of Education in Zambia
According to the 2010 census of population and housing, Zambia’s population stands at
approximately 13.1 million while growing at a rate of 2.8 per cent per annum. Of this, 49.3
per cent (6,454,647) were males and 50.7 per cent (6,638,019) were females. In terms of
distribution, 60.5 per cent (7,923,289) were in rural areas and 39.5 per cent (5,169,377) in
urban areas. The 2010 census also estimates that 45.4 per cent of the population are aged