The Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) joins the rest of the continent in commemorating the Day of the African Child (DAC) observed annually on 16th June. This important day pays tribute to the courageous children from the 1976 Soweto Uprising while serving as a continental call to action on the rights and welfare of African children. It provides a moment of reflection, assessment, and recommitment to ensure that no child is left behind in Africa’s development agenda.
The theme of the 2025 DAC is “Planning and Budgeting for Children’s Rights: Progress Since 2010.” Indeed, it is important that enough resources are allocated in the national budget to ensure the realization of children’s rights, including the right to quality education. We therefore need to use this day to reflect what we have achieved in the realisation of children’s rights and what remains to be done.
As ZANEC, we acknowledge for example that Zambia has made notable progress in implementing legal and policy frameworks to protect and promote children’s rights. The introduction of free education; investment in school infrastructure; the enactment of the Children’s Code Act No. 12 Of 2022 and integration of gender equity in education policy are all steps in the right direction. However, the realisation of children’s rights remains uneven, particularly when it comes to access, quality and equity in education service delivery.
Foundational learning, in particular, is in crisis. Large numbers of learners continue to progress through the education system without acquiring basic literacy and numeracy skills. Challenges such as overcrowded classrooms, limited access to trained teachers, inadequate teaching and learning materials, and insufficient investment in early-grade education remain widespread. In rural areas, these challenges are worsened by poverty, long distances to school, poor sanitation, and child labour.
ZANEC believes that planning and budgeting must become more child-sensitive and equity-driven. Despite the government’s commendable efforts, education budgets still fall short of addressing the full scale of challenges faced by the most vulnerable children—including girls, children with disabilities, and those in remote or underserved communities.
Our Call to Action is therefore that government must;
- Prioritise increased public investment in foundational learning, especially for early childhood and lower primary education;
- Institutionalise child-responsive budgeting mechanisms within the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Finance to ensure resources reach the most disadvantaged;
- Strengthen teacher recruitment and deployment with a special focus on early-grade instruction and multilingual education;
- Expand and integrate child protection and school feeding programmes into education planning to address poverty-linked barriers to learning;
- Systematically involve children, communities, and civil society organisations in education planning, monitoring, and budget execution.
ZANEC reaffirms its commitment to advocating for children’s right to an inclusive, and equitable education system. The Day of the African Child reminds us that education is not only a right—it is the foundation of all other rights. It is therefore our collective responsibility to ensure that education systems work for all children, regardless of their background or circumstances.
Let us invest in our children today for a more just, educated, and prosperous Zambia tomorrow.
For/ZANEC
George Hamusunga
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
