A quieter news day, dominated by policy rollouts and diplomacy rather than political confrontation: government has confirmed the long-trailed A-level reform, the Vice-President has hosted a major health donor, and the President has been touring Southern Province on what his office calls a working holiday. Here is what the reporting says — and where it falls short.
Main Stories
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Zambia to introduce A-level education under 2023 curriculum framework
Education Minister Harry Kamboni announced that Advanced Level classes begin in February 2027, with secondary education restructured into Forms 1-4 (O-Level) and Forms 5-6 (A-Level), offering 12 pathways from natural sciences to hospitality and sports. Eligible applicants include Grade 12 graduates from 2024, 2025 and 2026, with selection and placement set for December 25-31, 2026, and university progression from 2029. The critical gap: government is still "assessing schools" for readiness — qualified teachers, laboratories, facilities and materials are all unresolved, yet the intake date is fixed. Watch for the procurement and teacher-training details that must land before February. -
‘Remain loyal, respectful,’ HH tells leaders
Speaking at his farm in Choma during a 10-day Southern Province working holiday, President Hichilema told UPND elected leaders and appointees not to forget the party structures that built the party, and announced a major public engagement in Choma on Friday. He also said the planned Choma public university would serve all Zambians, not just Southern Province. Note the framing: this is the third such "service and humility" message in roughly a month, following the Mandevu thank-you rally five days ago and earlier calls for public servants to put citizens first. The pattern is consistent, but the reporting gives no specifics on which leaders prompted the loyalty warning or what, if anything, has gone wrong in the structures. -
VP Nalumango meets Susan Thompson Buffett Foundation delegation
Vice-President W.K. Mutale Nalumango received a delegation led by Dr Tewodros Bekele, praising the foundation's support for maternal and child health and tying the partnership to the National Health Strategic Plan and the Lusaka Agenda. She assured the foundation that support would be put to "good and intended use," with emphasis on transparency and accountability. The article offers no figures — no funding amounts, no programme timelines, no results data — so the accountability pledge is asserted rather than demonstrated. -
New UNHCR representative presents credentials
Zephania Mburuki Amuiri has formally begun as UNHCR representative for Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe, presenting letters of credence to Foreign Affairs Minister Mulambo Haimbe. The timing is notable: Zambia marks 60 years of hosting refugees in 2026, a record the article rightly highlights. The reporting is largely institutional — no comment on current refugee numbers, camp conditions or funding shortfalls, which are the questions that actually test the "durable solutions" language.
Other Notable Stories
Education:
- The A-Level rollout is covered in both Mwebantu and ZNBC; ZNBC adds that current Grade 12 candidates will indicate pathways through their schools while previous graduates apply via DEBS offices, and that selected boarding schools may host learners from surrounding districts. Both reports repeat the same readiness caveat — schools are still being assessed.
Health & Development:
- The Buffett Foundation partnership and the UNHCR credentials ceremony both fall under the same theme: Zambia's reliance on external partners for health and refugee services. Watch for whether the Lusaka Agenda's "one coordinated national plan" principle survives the next round of donor funding decisions.
Governance & Party Politics:
- The President's Choma visit is framed as a working holiday mixing public engagements with project tours — a format that blurs the line between official duties and party outreach, as the loyalty message to UPND structures makes plain.
Key Takeaways & Watchpoints
- A-Level readiness: February 2027 is the promised intake date, but teacher availability, laboratory capacity and learning materials remain under assessment. Watch for a government statement on school readiness before December's selection window (December 25-31, 2026) — if it does not come, the first cohort may be placed into unprepared institutions.
- Health partnership accountability: VP Nalumango promised transparency and tangible results from Buffett Foundation support. Watch for published funding figures and maternal/child health outcome data tied to the National Health Strategic Plan, rather than assurances alone.
- The Choma engagement and the loyalty message: Friday's public engagement will be the first test of whether the President's call for leaders to respect party structures is matched by any visible disciplinary action — or remains rhetoric.