• The 2023 national budget must consider broadening the skills development levy into an education levy.
• ZANEC expects the budget to remove harmful tax exemptions and incentives.
• Government must increase the budgetary allocation for tertiary education to ensure support towards more student scholarships.

Zambia National Education Coalition (ZANEC) says it expects that the 2023 national budget will consider broadening the skills development levy into an education levy that will provide dedicated funding for the education sector.
ZANEC Executive Director George Hamusunga said the organization also expects the national financial plan to remove harmful tax exemptions and incentives to ensure that multi-national corporations pay the prescribed statutory corporate tax of 30% instead of the 19% being realized currently.
Mr. Hamusunga stated that doing so can help the country realize additional revenue of US$406 million.
“We also look forward to the re-instatement of the Mineral Revenue Sharing Mechanism (MRSM) clause in the mines and minerals development Act and Policy. This will help increase revenue generation for the country which can be channelled to the education sector.”
“Renegotiate and restructure the debt by pursuing multiple solutions such as debt cancellation, debt swap and favourable repayment terms,” Mr. Hamusunga stated.
And on the expenditure side, Mr. Hamusunga said ZANEC expects the Ministry of Finance to increase the allocation from the current 10.4% to at least 15% of the national budget.
He further said government must increase the budgetary allocation for tertiary education to ensure support towards more student scholarships, payment of student meal allowances and infrastructure development.
“Prioritize the procurement of education inputs such as classrooms, laboratories, libraries, desks, toilets, teachers’ houses as well as teaching and learning materials at all levels from Early Childhood Education (ECE) to secondary education. This will help enhance the delivery of free education of good quality.”
“Creation of a budget line targeting gender transformative and inclusive quality education under the Ministry of Education to address teacher training for inclusive education, provision of assistive technologies, appropriate teaching and learning materials, and home-based education for learners with disabilities who cannot access regular schools,” he added.
He however pointed out that the Organization’s expectations on the 2023 national budget were also submitted to Ministry of Finance and National Planning in collaboration with ActionAid TaxEd Alliance and the National Action for Quality Education in Zambia (NAQEZ) in June 2022.
In the 2022 budget, government allocated K18. 1 Billion to the education sector, representing 10.4% of the National Budget. This is an increase by 32% in comparison to the subsequent allocation of K13. 8 Billion in 2021.
Finance Minister Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane is expected to present the 2023 national budget on Friday this week.