Government says it will no longer use quota system when allocating public secondary school places to students.
The Ministry of Education said this in a statement on Tuesday signed by Secretary for Education, Science and Technology Justin Saidi and Secretary General of the Livingstonia Synod Levi Nyondo.
Saidi said the Ministry and the Synod held a series of consultative meeting where it was agreed that places to national secondary school shall be allocated based on merit across the country regardless of proximity and economic cost.
“This now means that use of quota policy in selecting students to secondary schools falls away,” the Ministry said.
The parties agreed during their consultations that equitable access policy will be used in favour of girls and vulnerable students.
They further agreed that Form One places in district boarding, district day and community secondary schools will be allocated to students within the district where the school is located.
According to Saidi, the resolutions will first be implemented during the 2019 second selection.
Meanwhile, the government has pledged to review all relevant policies to ensure equal access to education for all, including the allocation of university places.
The Synod is expected to monitor the process.
The review comes after anti-quota activists held protests in the Northern Region last month to push for the abolishment of the quota system.
