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Improving Equitable Access to Quality Education

We work towards ensuring ZEEL and ZEEP AF align with the mandate given to them.

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The Zambia Education Programme (ZEP), is World Bank supported project by the Zambia Government to:

Increase Access to Education

The ZEPCU is dedicated to expanding educational opportunities for all children in Zambia. By implementing comprehensive policies and programs, we aim to ensure that every child, regardless of their socio-economic background or geographic location, has access to quality education. Through targeted interventions, contruction of schools for early childhood, and secondary school education, and partnerships with local and international stakeholders, we are breaking down barriers to education and striving towards universal enrollment and retention in schools.

Improve Quality Education

At the heart of ZEPCU’s mission is the commitment to enhance the quality of education across Zambia. We focus on developing a robust curriculum, fostering innovative teaching methods, and integrating technology in the classroom. Our initiatives are designed to cultivate critical thinking, creativity, and lifelong learning skills among students. By continuously monitoring and evaluating educational outcomes, we ensure that our strategies effectively meet the evolving needs of the education sector.

Improve Teacher Capacity

Recognising that teachers are pivotal to student success, ZEPCU prioritizes the professional development of educators. We provide ongoing training programs, resources, and support to enhance their pedagogical skills and subject matter expertise. By fostering a culture of continuous learning and professional excellence, we aim to equip teachers with the tools they need to inspire and educate the next generation of leaders in Zambia.

Provide Appropriate School Facilities

ZEPCU is committed to creating conducive learning environments by providing appropriate and adequate school facilities. We invest in the construction and renovation of classrooms, libraries, laboratories, and sanitation facilities to ensure safe and supportive spaces for students and teachers. Our focus on infrastructure development is essential to accommodating the growing student population and enhancing the overall educational experience in Zambia.

Our Vision

To be the leading coordination unit in Zambia, driving comprehensive educational enhancement and ensuring equitable access to quality education for all children.

Our Vision

To be the leading coordination unit in Zambia, driving comprehensive educational enhancement and ensuring equitable access to quality education for all children.

Our Mandate

ZEPCU oversees ZEEP and ZEEL projects to enhance education quality, increase access to safe schools, and promote early childhood education.

This programme is operationalised through two closely related projects; the Zambia Enhancing Early Learning (ZEEL), and the Zambia Education Enhancement Project Additional Finance (ZEEP AF).

The ZEEL project aims to improve equitable access to quality learning conditions in early childhood education in targeted areas. The project is implemented across the 45 most disadvantaged and underserved districts in Zambia, with a goal of building nationwide capacity for planning, delivering, and monitoring the quality of early childhood education (ECE). The Ministry of Education (MoEdu) is responsible for the overall implementation of the project.

The ZEEP AF project development objective (PDO) is to improve the quality of teaching and learning conditions in targeted primary and secondary schools. Specifically, ZEEP AF primarily supports four areas including;

Improving the Quality of Teaching and Learning Conditions in Language Arts, Science, and Mathematics

ZEPCU is committed to enhancing the quality of education in language arts, science, and mathematics for targeted primary and junior secondary schools. By providing specialized teacher training, developing innovative instructional materials, and integrating modern educational technologies, we aim to foster dynamic and effective learning environments. These initiatives empower students with critical thinking skills, deep subject knowledge, and a passion for lifelong learning, ensuring they are well-prepared for future academic and professional endeavors.

Increasing Access to Safe Secondary Schools

Ensuring that every student has access to safe and supportive secondary education is a key priority for ZEPCU. We invest in the construction of new secondary schools and the renovation of existing facilities to provide secure, inclusive, and conducive learning environments. This includes building new classrooms, laboratories, and sanitation facilities, as well as upgrading safety measures. By addressing the infrastructural needs of secondary schools, we aim to accommodate the growing number of students and provide them with the physical environment necessary for successful learning.

Strengthening Institutional Capacity for Education Service Delivery

ZEPCU recognizes the importance of robust institutional capacity in delivering quality education services. Our initiatives focus on enhancing the capabilities of educational institutions and local authorities through targeted training programs, improved data management systems, and the promotion of best practices in educational administration. By building a strong framework for education service delivery, we ensure that schools are well-managed, resources are efficiently utilized, and educational outcomes are continuously improved.

Project Management

Effective project management is crucial to the success of ZEPCU’s initiatives. We are dedicated to implementing rigorous project planning, execution, and monitoring processes to achieve our development objectives. By setting clear goals, adhering to timelines, and maintaining strict performance metrics, we ensure that our projects are delivered on time and within budget. Our emphasis on transparency, stakeholder engagement, and adaptive management practices guarantees that ZEPCU’s interventions are impactful, sustainable, and aligned with the needs of Zambia’s educational system.

To achieve the project development objectives of ZEEL and ZEEP AF therefore, the Zambia Education Programme Coordination Unit (ZEPCU), was established as an implementation agent responsible for the management, implementation, coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation, and communication of the ZEEP AF and ZEEL projects.

Under the two projects, a minimum of 440 Early Childhood Education (ECE) Hub Centres and satellite Centres are being constructed in 45 districts in all the ten provinces of Zambia with total funding of US$39.01million under ZEEL, while a total of 120 Secondary Schools are also being constructed in all the ten provinces in selected districts under ZEEP AF with financial support of US$120 million. These projects are running up December 2025.

Ultimately, the Ministry of Education (MoEdu) is responsible for overseeing early childhood education, primary education, secondary, colleges of teacher education and public universities.