ZAMBIA ELECTIONS AND THE PROMISE OF FREE EDUCATION
By Bruce Chooma A heated debate on the feasibility of free education has ensued on the Zambian political arena ahead of the 11 th August general elections. Education is one of the key campaign issues given the high illiteracy levels in Zambia. According to UNICEF, though Zambia made commendable progress in increasing access to education and gender parity, more than a quarter million children are out of school and 47% of those enrolled in school do not complete the primary cycle. Zambia’s leading opposition political party, the United Party for National Development UPND, has promised to deliver universal free education from primary to university level by 2018 if voted into office this August. They have set the year 2018 as the target for the realization of this aspiration. But other contenders in the race including the ruling Patriotic Front have argued that provision of free education to all Zambians was an unrealistic promise given the state of the country’s economy and the