Africa-Press – Zambia. President Hakainde Hichilema started promising free education way back in 2014. He has been promising free education from primary to tertiary ever since. It has been the most repeated promise by HH and because of that people were expecting the promise to be fulfilled on day one.
It is a reason why less than two months of Hakainde presidency, some people have started saying the president is moving too slow and others are saying he is a liar.
Nevertheless, HH should continue to lobby for patience like he has been doing for the past few weeks. He should not try to use technical language to dodge the promise.
During a live radio program on Phoenix FM on Wednesday, which is part of his interaction with the public, president Hakainde denied having promised free education.
“Let us use a right way, education for all.” President Hakainde corrected after being asked a question when should Zambians expect free education.
The moderator asked a follow-up question, so there is no free education? President Hakainde answered there is a component of free education in there. He used a technical language to explain. Not sure if anyone was able to grasp a point.
If free education promise has been a slip of a tongue, he should be honest and say so. Technical language will make things worse. Zambians are too smart to confuse them by using a technical language. The president says his campaign didn’t make promises but commitments. On free education promised he says education for all.
The fact is that Zambia has always been education for all country. Under UNIP education was for all. It appeared to be for a few because of lack of schools. Primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, and universities were not enough for everyone.
With the previous government of the Patriotic Front (PF), though much more education institutions were needed, education was for all as well. It is money or financial limitation that made education for a few and is a reason why Zambians were excited for the change.
Poverty and HIV Aids are leaving many families under single parent or no parent at all. Most children are out of school because no one is there to pay their school fees.
United Party for National Development (UPND) free education promise was resonating well with these families and that is why on August 12 majority of the vote was from the youth.
They voted for president Hakainde and the UPND. Hoping that if president Hakainde, Bally as they call him wins they will have opportunity to go back to school and finish their education. Changing a statement from free education to education for all implies that the 2.8 million Zambians were cheated.
