The National Union of Public and Private Educators of Zambia has welcomed government’s decision to end automatic progression from Grade 7 to Grade 8, calling it a step towards better quality education in Zambia.

NUPPEZ President Victor Muyumba said the decision will help restore academic standards and improve the quality of school leavers. The union had argued for years that competitive cut-off points at Grade 7 reward effort, ease overcrowding, and send only prepared pupils on to secondary school.

We support free education, but we must also protect quality.

NUPPEZ asked the Ministry of Education to put real support in place for pupils who do not make the threshold, including working referral routes into TEVETA and community skills training.