MAKE USE OF FREE EDUCATION

THE introduction of free education by the new dawn government has provided an opportunity to parents to send children to school without worrying about where to find money for fees.

As the adage goes, education is an equalizer and this is what the free education policy has done for those vulnerable children.

This new dawn initiative is an opportunity which most vulnerable families have embraced or should embrace if they have not yet done so.

Instead of parents and guardians forcing children into illegal early marriages, they should send them to school, where there is no expense expected of them.

And in this vein, we agree with Chief Shaibila of Mkushi District that early marriage denies girls a chance to excel in life. It robs the child of an oppor tunity to have a foundation anchored on education with prospects of a brighter future.

The chief has rightly warned that he would not tolerate any parent forcing their children out of school and into marriage.

Such parents will be visited by the law with all the consequences that this entails.

Chief Shaibila of the Lala speaking people in Mkushi district has said early marriages would not be tolerated in the chiefdom as it denies girls chance to excel in life .

Chief Shaibila was speaking to farmers during the Masansa Block and Commercial Show held at Matuku primary school grounds.

The chief has joined other traditional leaders such as Chiefs Chanje and Madmawe in the Eastern prov ince, who have introduced punitive actions against perpetrators of early marriages. Erring parents or guardians are punished and reported to police.

We know for instance, that in one case, a girl that was married off by the parents, was retrieved from the marriage. However, this did not end there. The husband was reported to police together with the parents for this illegal marriage. The case is still in court.

As a result, most parents in Chief Madzimawe’s chiefdom are wary of indulging in such activities or trying to remove their girl children from school for purposes of marriage. The fear of being sent to pris on stops them from forcing children into marriages.

This is the message that all parents and guardians who want to make money by forcing children into early marriage, should get.

Now that education has been made free, there is no excuse for any parent or guardian not to send their children to school.

Even without uniforms, children are allowed to go to school. From Grade one to 12, pupils are not paying anything other those in boarding school. Even those in boarding schools, the fees are covered through funding from the Constituency Development Fund.

Parents and guardians just need to apply by filling the appropriate forms to get the CDF scholarship for their children.

President Hakainde Hichilema assured recently that there will be more schools and increased num ber of classrooms to absorb the increased enrol ment as a response to free education.

Therefore, what is important for now, is to ensure children of appropriate age, are enrolled in school to take advantage of the free education .