Minister of Education, Science and Technology Bright Msaka says government is prioritising the construction and rehabilitation of essential school infrastructure to improve the quality of education the country.
Responding to questions from members of Parliament (MPs) on the state of education facilities in their constituencies, he said the ministry is working to ensure that schools have core infrastructure such as classrooms, administration blocks, laboratories and information and communications technology (ICT) workspaces.
The questions were raised by Balaka Ngwangwa MP Jackson Bamusi and Zomba Ntonya MP Myson Jambo (Democratic Progressive Party- DPP), who cited stalled projects and inadequate learning spaces as factors undermining performance in their areas.
In his response, Msaka told Parliament that construction of laboratories at Nsala and Ulumba community day secondary schools is now at 75 percent and expected to be completed by the end of the 2025/26 financial year.
He said progress on the two projects is tied to funding disbursements under the World Bank-supported Equity with Quality and Learning at Secondary (Equals) project.
“The project will be completed shortly, dependent on disbursement of funds from the World Bank under the Equals project,” said Msaka.
He also raised concern about increasing cases of vandalism in schools, warning that it is eroding government’s efforts to expand access to quality education.
“It’s sad that students resort to destroying property because after that they have nowhere to learn,” he said. “The government is working and spending resources to build these facilities.”
Msaka said tougher measures may be needed to curb the malpractice, noting that adults involved in vandalism should be prosecuted while minors
