• Free education is a preserve of the 8 million poor and vulnerable children.
• Education in Zambia is a two tie system provided by public and private institutions.
• Taking their children to the private schools will make private schools also to flourish.

Itezhi Tezhi Member of Parliament says free education is a preserve of the 8 million poor and vulnerable children who never had an opportunity to access education in the previous governments.
Twaambo Mutinta welcomed the decision by some parents in Chipata district, Eastern Province, to withdraw their children from public schools as they are capable of paying school fees at private learning institutions.
Mr. Mutinta, who is also Parliamentary Committee Chairperson on Education Science and Technology, said education in Zambia is a two tie system provided by public and private institutions and the step taken by capable parents will help to promote growth of private schools.
“Taking their children to the private schools is a good step because it will make private schools also to flourish, have income and be able to employ the teachers that were not absorbed in the government recent recruitment,” Mr. Mutinta said.
He noted that demand for free education attracts supply, therefore government’s focus after the unprecedented recruitment of over 30,000 teachers is the mass construction of classroom space, as well as provision of desks, teaching and learning materials which is ongoing under Constituency Development Fund (CDF) across the country accounting for over 70 percent from the capital projects.
“Education provision is a process, in the UPND Government it started with the unprecedented recruitment of 30, 496 teachers and the next steps are ensuring that now there is quality education and it’s a process.”
“Under the Constituency Development, over 60 percent of the investment in capital projects has gone towards the education sector in the provision of desks, classroom blocks and also the provision of houses for the teachers. We strongly fee this with time, it will be able to see to it that the most vulnerable children are served and they access decent education,” he explained.
The law maker urged parents to remain patient and believe in the free education policy, vision and political will from the Head of State.
Some parents in Chipata district, Eastern Province are reportedly withdrawing their children from public schools and enrolling them to private schools due to overcrowding and lack of proper infrastructure resulting from the free education policy which has seen high enrollment levels in public schools across the country.