The Ministry of Education says over 11,600 children with Special Education Needs and Disabilities (LSEND) are accessing Early Childhood Education (ECE) services in the country as of 2024.

Ministry of Education Early Childhood Education Director, Charm Kalimbika says out of the over 11,600 6149 are boys while 5466 are girls.

Speaking in an interview with ZANIS, Mr Kalimbika revealed that the enrollment in Early Childhood Education (ECE) has seen a remarkable increase of learners from about 336,434 in 2021 to 651,791 in 2024.

He stated that the growth has been attributed to the government’s introduction of the free education policy, which has resulted in increased enrollment due to the establishment of ECE centres in government primary schools.

He added that currently, out of the 11,464 government Primary schools in the country, 6,590 have introduced ECE centres.