Evaluating the Impact of Zambia's Free Education Policy on Access and Quality of Education: A Case Study of Lusaka District

Abstract

The African country of Zambia recently began offering free education to its citizens, making a significant attempt to remove finance as a factor limiting universal education for children in Zambia, especially in marginalized and low-income families. To assess the effect of this policy on the availability and quality of education in Zambia, the study measures enrolment, dropout, educational results, and school resources. Combining qualitative questionnaires filled out by students, teachers, and policymakers with quantitative data analysis, the authors observe a con-stantly enhanced enrollment rate, especially at the primary level, which testifies to increased access. However, student enrolment has increased sharply, resulting in overcrowding, height-ened competition for educational commodities, and difficulty maintaining instruction as schools struggle with limited physical facilities, teaching aids, and trained teachers. Further, the policy has a positive impact on gender parity by allowing more girls to be in school, but it lacks a balance in the demography of rural/urban access and quality education. To achieve quality improvements in the long term, however, this policy review finds that policymakers must pursue policies that address both access and quality over the long term by investing in teacher training, physical re-sources, infrastructure, infrastructure, and overall policy coherence. These research results will be helpful for policymakers and indicate that further changes are needed to bring the benefits of grant proposals into full effect for Zambian free education.