National Action for Quality Education in Zambia (NAQEZ), has proposed that ZESCO introduces a school friendly and sustainable electricity tariff for all schools in the country.

In a statement issued to Money FM News, NAQEZ Executive Director Aaron Chansa disclosed that, most public and private schools are struggling to afford electricity because they are financially crippled and the cost of power is too high for the institutions.

Mr. Chansa said currently, the cost of electricity is injurius to the provision of quality education in Zambia.

“Sadly, some of our schools are now running without electrical energy, this has severe educational consequences for the Country,” he said.

He has since urged the Minister of Energy, to prevail over ZESCO in order for the utility Company to immediately meet the Ministry of General Education over the matter.

“ZESCO cannot surely afford to be a public institution that makes it almost impossible for schools to afford this important commodity,” Mr. Chansa said.

The Executive Director further calls for the Minister of finance to consider setting aside a financial bailout package specifically for Private schools seeing Statistics are showing they have employed more than 30,000 teachers in Zambia

He said, it is troubling that most of these essential workers have not been receiving salaries since March, 2020.

“These institutions have lost income because most learners are at home and cannot pay school fees but our understanding is that the Minister of Finance and government have a social and moral responsibility to rescue these thousands of private school teachers and their suffering families,” he said in a statement.