President Hakainde Hichilema has taken up the position of Champion of Foundational Learning in Africa at the request of the Association of Development of Education in Africa.
This historic decision marks him as the first-ever champion of Foundational Learning on the continent which presents a significant stride towards improving education across the continent.
Addressing the media this morning, Education Minister Douglas Syakalima says Foundational Learning in Africa is confronted with several challenges such as limited access to education due to poverty, inadequate funding, poor infrastructure, teacher shortages and low quality of education.
Mr Syakalima says these challenges underscore the crucial need for a champion of foundational learning to advocate for addressing them.
The Minister stressed that having President Hichilema as the champion of foundational learning on the continent will help to advocate for policies and programmes that support early childhood development and improve the quality of early grade primary education.