Working Paper

Resource Mobalisation and Fundraising in Basic Schools: A Case Study of Copperbelt and North-Western Province

“Like many other countries, Zambia removed a major barrier to access to primary education when it abolished user fees for Grades 1–7 in 2002. The resulting fall in basic schools’ income, however, has not been relieved by adequate government resources trickling down through the complex school funding system. In an attempt to address their funding problems, some schools have adopted fundraising ventures as a way of supplementing government resources. The successes and practicability of implementation of such ventures remain to be seen. Planning, executing and managing fundraising activities requires a lot of time and effort, which can come at the expense of quality service delivery. Further, rural schools feel that fundraising is futile as they are surrounded by poor communities who can barely afford even the minimal amounts involved in fundraising activities.”