Govt warns against early marriages, vows legal action on offenders

Luapula Province Deputy Permanent Secretary Evans Sikabbubba says Government will not tolerate parents, guardians or marriage facilitators denying children an education through early marriages.

Sikabbubba said the Free Education Policy had removed barriers that once kept thousands of learners out of school.

Speaking during a community engagement in Chienge District on Friday, Sikabbubba warned that stern action would be taken against anyone involved in marrying off underage girls instead of allowing them to remain in school.

“Any guardian or parent who is going to deny children an opportunity to go to school and marry off an underage girl will face the law together with anyone facilitating the illegality,” he said.

Sikabbubba urged community members acting as go-betweens in marriage arrangements to verify the ages of both parties before participating, saying protecting the future of the girl child was a shared responsibility.

He further challenged young people in Chienge to take advantage of Government’s investment in education by remaining focused on school and preparing themselves to become future leaders.

“Since the introduction of free education in 2022, more than 2.3 million learners have returned to school countrywide, with Luapula Province accounting for over 100,000 learners,” Sikabbubba stated.

He said Government had also expanded the School Feeding Programme to all 116 districts, reportedly benefiting over 4 million learners, while continuing teacher recruitment, infrastructure development and other education reforms aimed at building an educated and skilled nation.

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