MORE INFORMATION UNEARTHED ABOUT ABUSE OF FREE EDUCATION GRANTS

By Dr Aaron Chansa

On Sunday 15th February, 2026 ,#NAQEZ issued a press statement condemning the abuse of free education grants by some officers within the Ministry of Education.When this statement was done ,it appears we had underestimated the extent of the abuse .With more information obtained now from districts across the country,I can conclusively declare this matter as a national scandal .

Because of unwarranted and forced contributions,meetings , affiliations and outright stealing of funds,it would be unreasonable for anyone to expect the education sector in Zambia to improve.Instead of buying enough teaching / learning materials , it is very sad that schools are forced to make contributions to bogus activities .There are also some headteachers who are pocketing this grant, clearly .Without any doubt ,the damage being done through abuse of these grants is unforgivable.

As we continue receiving damning information about this matter ,the Headteachers Association of Zambia ( HAZ) is being mentioned in bad light .Most headteachers are bitterly complaining about the roles being played by this Association in the running of the Ministry and utilization of school grants.It will be critically important for the Ministry of Education- Zambia to seriously evaluate the existence of #HAZ in the Ministry of Education.

Seeing the importance of school grants,I expect the Minister of Education to provide guidance on how this abuse will be stopped.Because these are public funds , belonging to people of Zambia,I also expect the Auditor General and the Ministry of Finance to do extensive audits in Schools.More importantly ,I appeal to the President to say something about this abuse .His good intention about free education is under a cruel attack