FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
2Oth February, 2024
Contact: UPND Media Director, Ruth D Heaton 0976503165/0975704808
Email: info@upndzambia.org
REMOVING FREE EDUCATION POLICY IS A STEP IN REVERSE FOR ZAMBIA’S FUTURE
As the United Party for National Development, whose vision is to make life better for the people of Zambia, we cannot remain silent, knowing too well the adverse effect former President Edgar Lungu’s declaration to nullify the free education policy has on the country’s future.
This also goes with the fact that, President Hakainde Hichilema promised free Education to the people of Zambia once elected into office.
We have examined his declaration and taken a position because it will shatter the dreams that families have for their children, irrespective of their economic status. With the former president’s declaration, parents will not be able to afford school fees for their children’s education, and this will lead to generational poverty. Thereby affecting the country’s future.
We cannot ignore the fact that the implementation of the free education policy by the UPND New Dawn Administration, has witnessed an increase in school enrollment, with over two million new learners accessing education. This proves that the majority of children in the country ,could not access cannot education. Thus, the implementation of this policy, promises the country a productive, skilled labor force able to move the country’s economic and social development forward.
Aside from the implementation of the free education policy, we would like to thank President Hakainde Hichilema for the implementation of the decentralization policy, that has today led to communities providing desks for schools and increasing classroom blocks through the Community Development Fund. This has correlated well with the increase in enrollment in schools.
Our beloved president, to show commitment to free education, your government has enrolled more than 34,000 teachers to correlate with the growing demand for education. Former President Edgar Lungu needs to know that education is not an expenditure, as he says, but an investment in the people who are the country’s most valuable resource.
The former president’s declaration to remove the free education policy will undo the progress of the skilled, inclusive, and educated society President Hakainde is building. This will also reduce the crime rate and increase the number of street children. This is too significant to be ignored.
We appeal to the nation at large to support and sustain free education policy because it has given every child and youth across the country every opportunity to learn, train, and fulfill their dreams, let alone contribute to their country’s development.
We say no to moving the country in reverse.
Zambia Forward
@UPND Media Team
For further information please contact
Ruth Dante Heaton
Media Director
UPND Media Team
upndhq@gmail.com
What wud any sane person expect from “A Lungu Dununa Reverse”? All his actions from time of taking over power indicate a person who doenst respect education. Himself threw away education as a lawyer to become criminal stealing from widows. At Mulungushi he threw away norms of democratic election methods to use ” Arms and Legs” to vote for him. In power he foresook intelligent educated pipo to embrace violent street cadres to carry out his ill conceived works. It is not surprising that he can talk in reverse about education in our country, pronouncing he wud cancell free education, coma amudaala aba, cant see he is decampaigning himself. No wonder Zambians chucked you out of office
You have cracked my ribs!
Only a chikala like lungu would say this
He must have been high on Jameson’s
Visionless pr1ck
When all your children are in expensive private schools. Let’s respect Zambians. They’re not fools. Even an idiot can tell you that education has value and comes at a cost.
Ati an ‘idiot’ can tell you…..correct the same pfidiot that says K1.6m is more than K30.6m