PTUZ urges Zimbabwe to follow Zambia law on free education
PTUZ urges Zimbabwe to follow Zambia law on free education
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The Progressive Teachers Union of Zimbabwe (PTUZ) has called on the Government of Zimbabwe to consider reforms similar to those recently adopted in Zambia, where new legislation has made free education a legal right and widened protections for citizens.
In Zambia, President Hakainde Hichilema has signed the Education Amendment Act of 2026, which formalises a free education policy that has been in place since 2021. Under the law, no child can be denied a place at a public school because of failure to pay fees.
PTUZ president Takavafira Zhou said Zimbabwe should draw lessons from the developments across the border and move towards making education free and compulsory for all children.
“The Education Act now guarantees free education in schools in Zambia, strengthening the policy introduced in 2022 by President Hakainde Hichilema into a legal right,” Zhou said.
“In Zimbabwe, free and compulsory education for children in schools has been elusive since 1980, while access to higher and tertiary education is fast becoming a preserve of the rich.”
“If Zambia did it, Zimbabwe can also do it. We therefore need to draw lessons from Zambia and implement free and compulsory education in Zimbabwe.”
The PTUZ comments come as Zambia also moves to strengthen social protection through pension reforms. Hichilema signed four pension-related laws which, according to reports cited by PTUZ, are intended to improve minimum pension payments, allow partial lump-sum withdrawals for about 30,000 retirees, and enhance pension savings for more than 1.2 million members of the National Pension Scheme Authority (NAPSA).
Zhou said Zimbabwe could benefit from taking “a cue from Zambia” on responsible governance. “Taking a cue from Zambia will go a long way towards responsible governance and act as a bulwark against the pursuit of egocentrism and hegemonic power,” he said.
Hichilema signed five Bills into law: the Education Amendment Bill 2026, the National Pension Scheme Bill 2026, the Public Service Pensions Bill 2026, the Pensions Scheme Regulation Amendment Bill 2026, and the Local Authorities Superannuation Bill 2026.
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