Education sector reacts to President Hichilema’s inauguration speech

The National Union of Public and Private Educators of Zambia (NUPPEZ) has formally expressed its strong support for the government's renewed commitment to transforming the nation's educational landscape. Speaking through its leadership, the union welcomed recent policy outlines highlighting expanded investments in human capital, structural development, and systemic reforms designed to make learning accessible to every Zambian child. Education has remained a core pillar of the New Dawn administration, anchored by the flagship free education policy introduced at the primary and secondary levels. Stakeholders within the sector note that successive budget allocations have consistently prioritized school infrastructure development, including the construction of secondary schools and localized classroom blocks financed through enhanced Constituency Development Funds (CDF). NUPPEZ specifically highlighted the massive recruitment drives that have absorbed tens of thousands of professional educators into the public service over recent years. Union representatives noted that these measures have significantly alleviated teacher-to-pupil ratios, mitigating historic staff shortages that previously encumbered rural and urban schools alike. By addressing both personnel deficits and physical space constraints, the government is viewed as taking tangible steps toward institutionalizing sustainable educational equity. Beyond infrastructural and administrative milestones, union officials have also thrown their weight behind legislative efforts seeking to enshrine free education as a legal right. Such a statutory framework is expected to safeguard progressive educational gains against future administrative shifts, ensuring long-term continuity and mandatory funding obligations regardless of political transitions. As the country looks toward the future of its human resource development, educators continue to emphasize the critical synergy required between central authorities, labor