06/09/2026
THE GREATEST GIFT A LEADER CAN GIVE A PEOPLE IS EDUCATION
Tomorrow, Monday, thousands of Zambian parents will wake up and prepare their children for school.
Ordinarily, this would be a season of anxiety for many families. School opening often meant asking: Where will I find the money for school fees? How will I keep my child in school? Which child should I sacrifice if I cannot afford all of them?
But this Monday is different.
Parents will send their children to public schools without carrying the burden of school fees. Free education, from Early Childhood Education through secondary school, has now been secured in law.
That is not a small achievement. It is a profound social intervention.
There is perhaps no more powerful expression of love for a people than removing the financial barriers that stand between a child and education.
A leader can give someone a meal, and that meal may last for a day. A government can provide temporary assistance, and that assistance may solve an immediate problem. But when you educate a child, you give that child something that can last a lifetime.
Education gives a person the ability to think, to work, to create, to question, to innovate and to participate meaningfully in the development of their country.
This is why I believe that an insistence on an educated citizenry is one of the greatest forms of love any leadership can demonstrate towards its people.
The impact is already significant. Government reports indicate that more than 2.6 million additional learners have accessed education since the introduction of the Free Education Policy, while the 2026 education budget provides K2.4 billion specifically for the Free Education Programme.
And the vision cannot end at the school gate.
For the young person who may not proceed directly to university, there are also opportunities through Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training. Government says that thousands of young people have received skills-development support, with further training planned in 2026. TEVET bursaries are specifically available to vulnerable students who cannot afford user fees for skills training.
This is important because Zambia does not only need graduates; Zambia needs skilled citizens. We need electricians, builders, mechanics, farmers, technicians, entrepreneurs, nurses, teachers, engineers, accountants, innovators and many other skilled professionals.
Handouts can provide temporary relief. An educated and skilled citizenry creates lasting capacity.
That is why we must appreciate the deeper meaning of what is happening.
When a poor mother sends her child to school without having to find school fees, she has been given more than financial relief. She has been given breathing space. When a child from a vulnerable household gets an opportunity to learn, the entire trajectory of that child's life can change.
And when millions of children are given that opportunity, the trajectory of a nation can change.
As Zambians, we should therefore protect, support and continuously improve free education. Free access must go hand in hand with quality teaching, adequate infrastructure, learning materials, motivated teachers and strong accountability. This can be done using another critical component, the enhanced CDF.
Because ultimately, the greatest wealth of Zambia is not what lies beneath our soil. It is what we develop in the minds of our people.
Tomorrow, parents will take their children to school.
Let us appreciate what that means.
A child walking into a classroom is not merely going to learn how to read, write or calculate. That child is being prepared to become a citizen, a worker, an entrepreneur, a professional, a parent and, perhaps one day, a leader.
That is an investment in Zambia's future.
And for me, that is why education remains one of the most important measures of how much a nation truly loves its people.
Let our children learn.
Let them dream.
Let them acquire skills.
Let them build Zambia.
Kennedy Chileshe
Executive Director
Jubilee Leaders Network
