NAQEZ WORRIED ABOUT THIS DEVELOPMENT

OVER 1,533 PUPILS IN ITEZHI TEZHI WITHOUT FORM ONE PLACES

More than 1,533 pupils who qualified to proceed to Grade 8 (Form One) in Itezhi-Tezhi District have failed to secure school places due to inadequate secondary school infrastructure, itezhi Tezhi Member of Parliament Twaambo Mutinta has disclosed.

Mr Twaambo Mutinta noted that despite massive investment in classroom infrastructure over the past two years, which has seen the construction of over 40 classroom blocks, itezhi tezhi district continues to face classroom space deficit particularly at secondary school level.

Mr Mutinta explained that Itezhi-Tezhi currently has only one functional boarding secondary school and three weekly day secondary schools, a situation he described as unsustainable given the district’s rapidly growing population.

“Itezhi tezhi being the district with the highest population annual growth rate of 4.8 percent in Southern Province , coupled with the implementation of free education, the demand for secondary school places has increased sharply, resulting in a critical shortage of school spaces,” the MP said.

Mr Mutinta has since urged the Ministry of Education to urgently construct at least two new secondary schools in the district, revealing that land has already been secured in Masasabi, Nanzhila, Muunga, and Nakabangwe to support the expansion.

Despite the challenges, the Member of Parliament said the district is making efforts to mitigate the crisis through the Constituency Development Fund (CDF), while appealing for increased government intervention to ensure every eligible child accesses secondary education.