Zambia’s cabinet has approved legislation to make the government’s free education policy legally binding and will send the bill to parliament for endorsement, President Hakainde Hichilema said on Tuesday.
Speaking at a school in Lusaka, Hichilema said the measure would reinforce the policy introduced by his administration, which has already brought more than 2.5 million children back into classrooms.
“Cabinet approved it yesterday [Monday] and it will go to parliament for legislation to make free education legal. I believe parliament will approve the bill without reservation,” he said, adding that the law would take effect once signed by him.
The free education initiative, launched shortly after Hichilema took office in 2021, has been accompanied by large-scale recruitment of teachers, provision of desks and the rollout of a school feeding programme.
The president described these efforts as investments in Zambia’s future, noting that countries which developed rapidly first invested in education.
Hichilema said the policy was already yielding results, with higher enrolment rates and the introduction of a competence-based curriculum designed to identify talent and skills at an early age.
He noted that education was the “best equaliser” and a foundation for national progress.
Zambia’s push to enshrine free education into law marks a significant step in securing the policy’s continuity, ensuring that future generations benefit from guaranteed access to schooling regardless of political changes.
It also comes as Hichilema’s United Party for National Development party is seeking re-election in polls scheduled for August this year.
JN/APA