Zambia's Education minister Michael Kaingu has said the government will only roll out computers in schools nationally once these institutions are connected to the national grid.

Yesterday, the Zambia National Union of Teachers (ZANUT) said authorities cancelled mandatory ICT examinations because of failure to procure and distribute computers.

Reacting to the accusation, the minister said the cancellation was as a result of failure on the part of the Rural Electrification Authority (REA) to connect most schools to power on time.

In an interview with ITWeb Africa Kaingu said most schools have not yet been connected to the national grid and this made it difficult for the government to equip the institutions with computers.

Kaingu said the Zambian government contracted REA to connect schools to the national grid and solar system in order to power ICT equipment.

"We are hoping that next year everything will be in order so that examinations can go ahead. The underlying factor here is power problems in schools, especially in rural areas and not because the government has failed to buy computers," Kaingu said.

Asked whether the government had rushed into implementing the ICT examinations, Kaingu said it has now come to the attention of authorities that somehow, the programme was rushed because things are not yet in order.

About two months ago, another union, the Secondary School Teachers Union of Zambia (SSTUZ) warned the Zambian government that the move to rush the implementation of the compulsory ICT examinations could be disastrous because the Southern African country was not ready as most schools lacked ICT equipment and power from the national grid.

Pupils in grade seven, nine and twelve will start sitting for their final examinations next month - excluding ICT.