THE Ministry of Education has clarified that all 1,533 pupils in Itezhi-Tezhi District who initially did not secure Form One places have now been successfully placed within the district.
In a statement, Ministry of Education Permanent Secretary for Educational Services Kelvin Mambwe said the outcome has been achieved through a combination of targeted administrative placement adjustments, optimal utilisation of existing secondary school capacity, the strategic upgrading of selected primary schools to accommodate Form One classes, and the introduction of double-session arrangements in identified hotspot areas, including Itezhi-Tezhi.
He said the measures will be implemented without disrupting learning for primary school pupils.
Dr Mambwe said the initial pressure experienced in Itezhi-Tezhi reflects a broader pattern in districts recording rapid population growth and improved transition rates following the implementation of free education.
“This trend represents expanded access and improved progression within the education system and was anticipated within national education planning frameworks,” he said.
Dr Mambwe said Government has continued to make substantial investments in education infrastructure.
“For example, in Itezhi-Tezhi District alone, over 40 classroom blocks have been constructed in the past two years, while additional secondary school expansion initiatives remain under active consideration in line with national infrastructure development priorities,” he said.
The Permanent Secretary assured the nation that the onboarding and implementation of more than 120 World Bank-funded school infrastructure projects this year will strengthen secondary school capacity across the country.
“As these projects come on stream, they will ease congestion, stabilise Form One placements and ensure sustainable access to secondary education, particularly in districts experiencing rapid enrolment growth. Challenges of this nature will progressively diminish and ultimately be eliminated,” he said.
Dr Mambwe also reiterated that Form One placement is a nationally coordinated exercise and that, where temporary pressure arises, appropriate administrative, infrastructural and pedagogical measures are applied in a structured manner to ensure uninterrupted learning at all levels.