Construction Suspended On Mwense School

General Education Minister Dennis Wanchinga has been forced to suspend works at Loto Secondary School in Mwense, Luapula province, owing to the use of poor construction materials. 

Speaking during a visit to the construction site, Dr Wanchinga was made aware of the poor quality blocks being used to build the school, prompting him to suspend construction until better materials are procured.

The works are being overseen by the Zambia Education Enhancement Project (ZEEP), funded by the World Bank.

The minister has urged those in charge of procuring material to ensure better quality in the future. 

The disruption comes after a disastrous year for education across Zambia in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. 

Last month the National Action for Quality Education in Zambia (NAQEZ) declared 2020 a ‘dead year’ for non-examination classes, concluding that learners had been significantly let down by a failure to safely reopen schools.

NAQEZ advised the Ministry of General Education to allow pupils to progress to higher years but to adapt the curriculum to teach select subjects from the year which they missed because of the pandemic. 

General Education Minister Dennis Wanchinga