Education System in Zambia

The education system in Zambia follows 7-5-4 structures. Duration of elementary school also called primary school is 7 years. Primary school comprises of 4 years of Lower Primary School and 3 Years of Upper Primary School. The duration of secondary education is 5 years; this comprises 2 years of Junior Secondary School and 3 years of Senior Secondary School. University education in Zambia takes 4 years to complete. A National Competitive Examination administered at the finish of grades 7, 9, and 12 determines the transfer from Lower to Higher education level.

Traditionally, primary and secondary educations were provided through separate institutions, however, this changed with the development of basic schools, which provides the first 9 years of schooling.  At present there are two parallel but related paths for educational progression after Grade 7: some pupils proceed into Grade 8 in a basic school, while others proceed into conventional secondary schools that run from Grade 8 to Grade 12. The medium of instruction in educational settings is English.

On 9 November 1964 Zambia joined UNESCO. The UNESCO office in Harare covers the country. Zambia also participates in UNESCO's Teacher Training Initiative for sub-Saharan Africa (TTISSA), a 10-year project aimed at restructuring national teacher policies in 46 sub-Saharan countries.

Higher Education in Zambia is available in various basic and latest scientific and technological disciplines through universities and institutes of higher learning. Besides providing classroom education, these institutes also offer education through distance learning mode. To more about institutes of higher learning in Zambia, click here.