President Hichilema Signs Free Education and Pension Reform Bills into Law at State House

President Hakainde Hichilema holds up the freshly signed Education (Amendment) Act alongside schoolchildren at a State House ceremony on 4 June 2026, marking the legislative entrenchment of Zambia's free education policy. Flanking the President are pupils in school uniform, several holding their own copies of the signed legislation — a symbolic gesture underscoring that the laws belong to the children of Zambia. Signs held by pupils read "Different Abilities, Equal Opportunities" and "School Feeding Programme in Schools", reflecting the breadth of the education reforms. At the same ceremony, President Hichilema assented to four additional bills overhauling Zambia's pension system. The signing transforms the free education policy — which since January 2022 has seen 2.6 million children return to school — from a government commitment into a permanent legal guarantee.