LUSAKA, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank on Monday announced that it has partnered with the Zambian government for a project that will see the construction of 82 secondary schools.
The schools will be constructed at a cost of 62 million U.S. dollars under a project called Zambia Education Enhancement Project (ZEEP) in seven of the southern African nation's 10 provinces.
Nalin Jena, World Bank Senior Education Specialist, said the bank wanted to see enhanced quality of education delivery specially in mathematics and science.
In remarks delivered when he led a delegation from the World Bank to the Ministry of General Education, the World Bank official said the bank will assist the ministry in improving its data storage system as the current one was inefficient.
According to him, human development was a key strategic pillar in the socio-economic development of any country, adding that the project was also meant to assist the country realize its strategic goals of the human development pillar in its Seventh National Development Plan.
Henry Tukombe, Ministry of General Education Permanent Secretary in charge of education services, said the quality of education was expected to improve with the implementation of the project which will also see 764 teachers trained.
Felix Phiri, Ministry of General Education in charge of administration, commended the World Bank for the support to the education sector, saying it resonates with the government's desire to take education to all parts of the country.
According to him, the project was in line with government's agenda of becoming a middle-income country by 2030, adding that the ministry will achieve a number of its goals through the project.
He has since assured the World Bank of prudent utilization of the funds for the project which will come to an end in 2022.
