Enrolment is low with figures actually decreasing. It also favours boys above girls and better-off children from urban areas. There are too few schools and existing buildings are dilapidated whilst staff pay is inadequate, morale is low, and learners are underachieving. The supply side of education is deficient because the Zambian government simply cannot pay for improvements. Zambia is heavily burdened with debt repayments.
Debt servicing regularly exceeds spending on education and social services combined.
Moreover, Zambia is severely constrained by the structural adjustment programme which demands sharp reductions in government spending. To obtain debt relief from the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, these stringent monetary conditions need to be met. It has been suggested that Zambia overspends on 'non-essential' areas, but the defence budget, for example, is less than half that of the education budget. But even better-off parents are reluctant to pay the fees because of the poor quality of education and the perception that it does not increase employment opportunities. Parents are also unwilling to pay for the education of female or disabled children.