Government has expressed concern over the slow progress on the construction of Early Childhood Education (ECE) hubs in Chinsali District.

Permanent Secretary for Special Duties at Cabinet Office, Wisdom Bwalya, says works on the ECE projects in the district are below the expected level of progress.

The projects are being constructed at a cost of K1.9 and K1.5 million consecutively.

Speaking when he inspected both Mishishi and Mwaba Primary Schools’ ECE hub projects in Chinsali today, Mr Bwalya said works on the World Bank-funded projects are moving at a very slow pace.

He stated that failure to meet this target could affect funding from the Global Partnership for Education under the Zambia Enhancing Early Learning (ZEEL) project.

“I wish to mention that from all the ECE projects monitored so far in Eastern and Northern Provinces, these ones here in Muchinga are moving at a very slow pace, and this is worrying to government because we want these projects to be completed on time,” he added.

And Muchinga Province Permanent Secretary Tuesday Bwalya who accompanied his counterpart, said ECE centres are of vital importance to the education sector.