The students from the different schools in Southern Province have asked the Zambian government to implement a mandatory education law. The students want to ensure that all the students in the country can get access to educational opportunities.
They have asked the government to implement a law that will make education mandatory for every child. This way, the parents and guardians of the children will be compelled to send their wards to school.
The situation will help the students who are unable to go to schools due to their financial situation or parental mindset. Many student aged children within Zambia are engaged in vices like child labour under pressure from their families.
Girl children also face the threat of child/early marriages. These aspects contribute heavily to bleak future a substancial group of students. The students made these demands during a joint Press Address delivered by learners at Choma’s Niza Trust School on Monday Afternoon.
During the press address, the students applauded the government for programs like the Constituency Development Fund-CDF. They acknowledged that the programme supports education avenues in the district.
The learners also called on the government to address issues such as child labour and child marriages which restrict access to education. The students asked the government to allocate more than 20% of the 2025 National Budget to the Education sector.
The demands of the students make it apparent that the students are worried about the access to education for their downtrodden and vulnerable peers.
The project Coordinator under the National Child Rights Forum, Dickson Mwansa, disclosed that his organisation extended their support to the students. The support came in commemoration of the Day of the African Child.
Mwansa stated that the views that were expressed by the pupils also represent children from various government schools who were consulted on issues that the government should put in place to ensure children’s access to education is not denied.
This year’s theme for the Day of the African Child is “Education for All Children in Africa, Time to Act Is Now.”