The Commonwealth Students’ Association paid a courtesy call on the Honourable Minister of Education of the Republic of Zambia, His Excellency Hon. Douglas Munsaka Syakalima, in what proved to be a landmark engagement at the heart of Zambia’s educational governance.
During the meeting, the CSA took the opportunity to applaud the Government’s bold and commendable investments in education — most notably the recruitment of 30,000 new teachers, with an ambitious and encouraging plan to expand that figure to 45,000 in the coming months. This initiative was recognised as a significant step toward addressing teacher shortages and improving the quality of education delivery across the country.
Key challenges identified during the nationwide outreach were highlighted to the Minister, accompanied by concrete recommendations for improvement and policy development. The CSA reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to working alongside the Ministry as it drives meaningful reforms, strengthens educational infrastructure, and advances excellence at every level of the system.
The CSA delegation also presented a comprehensive report of findings gathered from school and university visits conducted across several provinces of Zambia, spanning every level of the education system — from early childhood education through to postgraduate studies. These firsthand observations provided a rich and grounded basis for dialogue, allowing the CSA to speak directly to the realities facing students, teachers, and institutions on the ground.
The engagement was described as both warm and productive, and the CSA extended its sincere appreciation to the Honourable Minister for the reception accorded to the delegation and for the open and constructive dialogue that took place.
