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Education is one of the keys to development, however, due to the ineffectiveness of governments and low budgetary allocation to the sector, it has not been accorded its rightful place and has experienced setbacks which have affected the developmental agenda and impoverished as many children as possible that have missed the opportunity to go to school.However, for Zambian school children, their hopes have once again been rekindled with the free education policy of the current administration which targets children from primary to secondary level.The study therefore aimed at exploring the effects of free education policy on quality education at some selected secondary schools in Lusaka district, Zambia.The study engaged both the qualitative and quantitative methods and a descriptive research design that sampled head teachers, teachers and learners from the selected schools.Data was obtained from the respondents by means of interviews and questionnaires.Frequency tables, graphs, figures and pie-charts were used to analyze the qualitative data whereas quantitative data were analyzed by the use of the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (version 26) and Microsoft Excel (version 16).The findings indicated that the majority of the schools had PTR exceeding the government PTR standards of between 35: 1 and 40:1 pupil per class.Out of the total number teachers that took part in the study, 15 (84.3%) of the respondents indicated that their classes were overcrowded.Further, teachers' views and perception on the effects of a free education policy on quality education has offered valuable insights into the practical implications of such policies.Findings also indicated that school administrators in Zambia face significant challenges in implementing free education policy.The study therefore recommends a multi-faceted approach involving adequate funding, teacher recruitment and retention strategies, infrastructure development, robust monitoring systems and active community engagement.By addressing these challenges and working together, stakeholders can pave the way for a more inclusive and equitable education system in Zambia, ensuring that all children have access to quality education and the opportunity to thrive.
A Fri, study studied this question.