12/06/2026
PRESIDENT Hakainde Hichilema Education Policy leaves no one behind! Ms Likukela, of Zambia Township in Choma, is the oldest learner enrolled in the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) programme at Chuundu Secondary School, where about 86 learners are currently pursuing their education.
WHILE the Free Education Policy, now enshrined in law through the Education (Amendment) Act, 2026, is widely celebrated for giving children access to schooling, 57-year-old Patricia Likukela is proving that it is also creating opportunities for adults eager to fulfil long-held educational aspirations.
Ms Likukela, of Zambia Township in Choma, is the oldest learner enrolled in the Open and Distance Learning (ODL) programme at Chuundu Secondary School, where about 86 learners are currently pursuing their education.
She says she dropped out of school in Form One in 1985 but recently decided to return to the classroom to improve her literacy and numeracy skills.
“I am an entrepreneur and I am interested in venturing into farming. I realised that I need to know how to read, write and calculate if I am to run a business effectively,” she says.
DAILY MAIL
