Zambia’s free education policy is set to become law after parliament approved the Education (Amendment) Bill, a step that will legally guarantee free schooling for all learners in public institutions from early childhood up to secondary level.
The legislation formalises a policy first introduced in 2021 under President Hakainde Hichilema, which removed user fees and led to a surge in enrolment across the country.
Education Minister Douglas Siakalima said the Bill marks a major milestone in Zambia’s reform agenda, noting that while the free education policy had expanded access and improved equity, it remained an administrative directive vulnerable to uneven enforcement.
He said some public schools continued to charge unlawful fees, and the absence of legal mechanisms made it difficult for families to seek redress.
Siakalima told lawmakers that elevating free education to a statutory right was necessary to ensure consistency, accountability and long‑term sustainability.
He said the law will protect vulnerable learners, provide certainty for institutions and administrators, and entrench the principle that no Zambian child should be denied schooling due to cost.
Since the policy’s rollout, more than 2.5 million children have returned to classrooms and over 41,000 teachers have been recruited.
JN/APA