FREE EDUCATION BILL BECOMES LAW AS PRESIDENT HICHILEMA MARKS 64TH BIRTHDAY
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Media, Thabo Kawana, has described the signing of the Free Education Bill into law as a historic milestone that coincides with President Hakainde Hichilema’s 64th birthday.
In a statement, Mr. Kawana reflected on the President’s journey from humble beginnings in Hachipona village in Monze District to becoming Zambia’s seventh Republican President.
He said President Hichilema was born in 1962, the same year Northern Rhodesia held elections that paved the way for Zambia’s independence under leaders such as Kenneth Kaunda and Harry Mwaanga Nkumbula.
Mr. Kawana stated that the President grew up in a rural setting, attending school barefoot and herding cattle after classes.
He noted that Hichilema excelled academically, earning a scholarship to the University of Zambia before furthering his studies abroad through the government-sponsored education system that existed at the time.
According to Mr. Kawana, the President’s educational journey inspired him to restore free education if he ever had the opportunity to serve the nation.
He said the President viewed education as both an equalizer and an investment in the country’s future.
Mr. Kawana said that after being elected President in 2021 with an unprecedented margin of over one million votes, Hichilema fulfilled that commitment by reintroducing free education, meal allowances for students in higher learning institutions and school feeding programmes.
He added that government had also expanded classroom infrastructure, recruited more teachers and improved learning conditions in schools.
Highlighting the impact of the policy, Mr. Kawana said, “Over 2.6 million children” had returned to school nationwide, while Zambia recorded “a record pass rate of 80% at Grade 12 in 2025.”
He further declared that June 4, 2026, would be remembered as the day “FREE EDUCATION IS NOW LAW,” adding that the development would benefit both present and future generations of Zambians.