This report presents the major findings of the 2002 Zambia DHS EdData Survey (ZDES). The 2002 ZDES is the first education survey of its kind to be conducted in Zambia. The primary objective of the 2002 ZDES is to provide up-to-date household-based information on education among children of primary school age in order to inform the development, monitoring, and evaluation of education programmes in Zambia. The survey focuses on the factors influencing household decisions about children s school attendance. These data supplement the school data collected by the Ministry of Education by focusing on attendance and exploring the costs of schooling (monetary and non-monetary) and parent/guardian attitudes about schooling.
The survey provides data on topics such as the age of children s first school attendance, and dropout; reasons for overage first-time enrolment in school, never enrolling in school, and dropout; and frequency of and reasons for pupil absenteeism. It also collects information on household expenditures on schooling and other contributions to schooling; distances and travel times to school; and parent/ guardian perceptions of school quality and the benefits and disadvantages of schooling. In addition, the 2002 ZDES provides critical information on the nutritional status and basic literacy and numeracy among young school-age children.