FREE education has opened classroom doors to millions of children. But as government through Finance Minister Dr Situmbeko Musokotwane  proposes to spend K38.24 billion on education in the 2027 National Budget, the question is whether those children are actually learning. The proposed allocation, representing 13.4 percent of the K284.8 billion national budget, is an increase from K33.04 billion in 2026. It remains below the 20 percent allocation that the National Union of Public and Private Educators of Zambia (NUPPEZ) says government should target. On Saturday, 7th November, NUPPEZ Executive President Charity Kampamba in a statement, welcomed the increase but said it was insufficient to meet the sector’s growing demands. The union also questioned the absence of a clearly identified...