Education authorities urged to implement quality education

Muchinga Province Permanent Secretary, Tuesday Bwalya, has challenged education authorities in the area to ensure effective implementation of quality education. Dr Bwalya says it is important to ensure that key government policies in the sector such as free education, school…

Muchinga Province Permanent Secretary, Tuesday Bwalya, has challenged education authorities in the area to ensure effective implementation of quality education.

Dr Bwalya says it is important to ensure that key government policies in the sector such as free education, school feeding programmes and the provision of adequate desks in schools, are effectively implemented to enhance delivery of quality education.

He said this when he held a meeting with the Provincial Education Officer, District Education Board Secretaries and Education Standards Officers from across the Province.

He reminded them to adhere to the presidential directive of seeing no child sitting on the floor while learning as a starting point to achieve quality education.

Dr Bwalya emphasised the need for this directive to be followed saying he will be inspecting schools to see if this Presidential directive is being adhered to.

“I will be making impromptu visits to schools to check on availability of desks in schools, and check on how programmes such as the school feeding programme is being executed,” he said.

He also challenged authorities to use part of the grants they are receiving from government to implement the directive.

“I know that the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), is not enough to procure desks as it has so many components, but we can use the money we are receiving from the Ministry of Education to also budget for procurement of desks to supplement what CDF is offering,” he said.

Dr Bwalya has encouraged Education managers as implementers of Government policies to read and understand the UPND manifesto to ensure provision of quality education during the party’s five year mandate.

“The free education, quality education and school feeding programme should move in line with goals set in the UPND manifesto,” he said.

He stated that government has been providing funding to schools in good time adding that going forward the school grants will be revised.

And speaking during the same meeting, Muchinga Province Education Officer, Alexander Mulenga appreciated the engagement with the Permanent Secretary and implored on District Education Board Secretaries and Education Standards Officers to work hard and support the Government of the day.

Mr Mulenga said all raised concerns on sanitation in schools and school feeding programmes among others will be looked into.

“As Ministry of Education in Muchinga Province, we want to push for more school infrastructure and ensure schools have good sanitation,” he said