In Zambia, national data from UNESCO and the World Bank indicates that thousands of primary schools face severe classroom shortages, with national student-to-classroom ratios often exceeding 60 to 1 in urban and peri-urban centers ¹. To cope with massive enrollments, many public schools rely on multi-shift systems, splitting the school day into brief rotations so different grade levels can share limited physical rooms ². While this allows schools to keep their doors open, it significantly reduces total instructional hours and creates crowded, high-stress learning environments for young students ³.
At one bustling local primary school in Zambia, over 2,300 students are enrolled from primary through upper grades, yet the campus has only 12 usable classrooms. To manage this massive student body, administrators are forced to run daily shift schedules, squeezing multiple cohorts in and out of classrooms throughout the day. Grade 7 students—who are at a crucial turning point as they prepare for national examinations and the transition into secondary education—are split across three crowded classes, constantly competing for physical space, desk seating, and focused time with teachers. The rapid pace and spatial strain of the shift system make it exceptionally difficult for teachers to maintain an optimal academic environment during these pivotal final years of primary school.
Alongside local builders, school faculty, and community leaders, HXP Builders will construct a brand-new classroom block designed specifically for the school’s Grade 7 students. Moving these three Grade 7 classes into their own permanent, dedicated rooms provides them with bright, well-ventilated spaces for full-day learning and intensive exam preparation. Beyond directly empowering these older students, expanding the campus’s physical infrastructure relieves pressure on the entire 12-classroom facility, helping reduce shift constraints and improving learning conditions for all 2,300 children across the school.
Sources
¹ UNESCO Institute for Statistics – Zambia Education and Literacy Country Profile
² World Bank Group – Zambia Education Sector Public Expenditure Review & Infrastructure Assessment
³ UNICEF Zambia – Education Factsheet: Access, Quality, and Classroom Infrastructure
⁴ Ministry of Education, Zambia – National Educational Policy and School Infrastructure Guidelines