This report presents an analysis of howeffectively the current policies of Zambia engage theprivate sector in basic (primary and secondary) education.The analysis draws on the engaging the private sector (EPS)framework, a product of the World Bank’s systems approachfor better education results (SABER). SABER-EPS research inZambia has found that despite impressive gains inenrollment, education quality remains a serious concern, asdoes equity - especially beyond the primary level. Schoolproviders in Zambia include private schools, communityschools, and grant-aided schools. Non-government schoolsaccount for a sizable share of education service provisionin the country. Based on a review of existing policies,SABER-EPS offers the following recommendations for Zambia toenhance its engagement with the non-state sector ineducation and to meet the challenges of access, quality, andequity: strengthen system accountability measures; considera needs-based inspection system where underperformingschools receive greater scrutiny and support; and increasethe information available to parents on school quality,including via school report cards. The report provides anoverview of SABER-EPS, followed by a description of thebasic education system in Zambia, with a focus on thenon-state sector and government policies related to theprivate provision of education. The report then benchmarksZambia’s policy environment utilizing the SABER-EPSframework and finally offers policy options to enhancelearning for all children in primary and secondary school.