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The Ministry of Education has ordered all private schools that opened on January 5, 2026 to immediately close and reopen on January 12, 2026, in line with the official school calendar, warning that failure to comply may lead to the revocation of operating licences.
Permanent Secretary for Education Services, Kelvin Mambwe, said the Ministry had received numerous reports indicating that some private schools had opened earlier than the approved date for Term One.
In a statement issued in Lusaka on Thursday, Mambwe said Standards Officers had been deployed to monitor compliance with the Ministry’s directives.
He reminded school proprietors that the Ministry was the custodian of all educational institutions and is mandated to regulate their operations through appropriate regulations.
“In accordance with the provisions of the Education Act No. 23 of 2011, Section 100 (1) (a), (b), (c), (d), and (e), the Minister determines the annual academic calendar, the duration of any academic year, and the terms of an academic year for educational institutions,” Mambwe said.
He stressed that all schools must strictly adhere to the Ministry-issued calendar, except for international schools and institutions with written authority permitting them to operate a curriculum different from the Zambian Curriculum, as provided under Section 101 (3) of the Act.
Mambwe described the premature opening of schools on January 5 as “very unfortunate”, noting that the schools involved had demonstrated a complete disregard for the Ministry’s regulations.
“The Ministry values the partnership with the private sector in the provision of quality education and looks forward to good collaboration in this regard,” he said.
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