The Challenges of Rural Education in Zambia
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53555/ssh.v7i8.1835Keywords:
Keywords: Education, Rural Education, Rural Schools, Rural, Urban, Human Rights.Abstract
Education is a basic human right that is recognized globally and documented in many educational policies even among sub-Saharan African countries and Zambia inclusive. This basically implies that education is a right for each individual. It is also a means for enhancing the well-being and quality of life for the entire society. This being the case, education must be available to all people to enable them survive and develop to their maximum potential. This paper was compelled by the frequent reports coming from the Zambian rural areas and other prominent scholars & institutions on the neglect of rural areas in terms of social and economic services provision. Using a desk study, the researcher’s interest was to look through literature on the experiences of different areas in their provision of education to the rural areas. A focus on education is important because it is an important instrument for the existence and full functioning of society. Am able to confirm that majority of the rural citizens in the Zambian rural areas are denied access to education due to a myriad of challenges. It was established that many factors contribute to the challenges of rural education in most of the poor and rural areas of Zambia. These range from social, economic to cultural and geographical dispositions of an area. After synthesizing different province experiences, I summarized the challenges into two categories: 1). Factors that contribute to the lack of qualified teaching staff in rural areas; and 2). Factors that make it difficult for learners and teachers to attend rural schools. I concluded that it is incumbent upon government, being the custodian of public interest to ensure that every citizen is given access to quality education regardless of their location in Zambia, be it urban or rural.
Downloads
References
Africa 24 Media (2011). Education in rural Africa. Retrieved on 12/08/2021 from http//.www.africa.24.media.com.
Alexander NA (2002). Race, poverty and the student curriculum: Implications for Standards. policy. American Education Research Journal, 39(3):675. Accessed 12 June 2021.
Agbor, J. (2012). Poverty, inequality and Africa`s education crisis. Brookings, 20 September.https://www.brookings.edu/opinions/poverty-inequality-and-africas education-crisis/ Date of access: 10 August 2021.
Allen, K. (2014). Poor quality education trapping children in poverty. Save the children, 9 January.https://www.savethechildren.org.za/article/poor-quality-education trapping children-poverty. Date of access: 10 August 2021.
Austin E.C. (2018). Exploring effects of active parental mediation of television content. Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media, 38,145-160.
Avila, M. and Gasperini, L. (2015). Analysis of the situation-MDGs, EFA goals and rural people in sub-Saharan Africa: Challenges and implications for ERP.
Akyeampong, K. & Keith, L. (2002). From student teachers to newly qualified teachers in Ghana: Insights into becoming a teacher. International Journal of Education Development, 22, (3-4): 339-52.
Alspaugh W. (2016). The relationship of school and community characteristics to hi school drop-out rates. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 71(3):184–188.
Banda, D. (2017). Education for all and the African knowledge systems: The case of the Chewa people of Zambia. Herstellung: Lamber Publishing.
Baskoff A. (2015). The Sociology of urban regions (2nd Ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
Beauchamp, G.A. (2017). Curriculum theory. Wilmette Illinois: The Kagg Press.
Brende, B. (2015). Why education is the key to development. World economic forum,7 July.https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2015/07/why-education-is-the-key-to b development/ Date of access: 6 August 2020.
Baleghizadeh S. & Gordani Y. (2012). Motivation and quality of work life among secondary school EFL teachers. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, (7):30–42.
Brown D.L & Swanson L.E (eds.) (2003). Challenges for rural America in the twenty-first century. University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press.
Chakanika, W.W., Sichula, K.N., & Luchembe, M. (Eds) (2016). University Extension Education in Zambia: A Reader. Lusaka: UNZA Press.
Chonjo, J.G. and Galabawa, J.C. and Gepson, A. (2017). Development of education in Tanzania- Crisis and Opportunities. Mwanza: Kuleana Center for Children Rights.
Chikumbi, M., Gondwe, C., and Maleta, M. (2017b). African Education and Industry. What Linkages? Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
CEI-Global (2014). 15 facts on education in developing countries. https://aceiglobal.blog/2014/03/06/15-facts-on-education-in-developing- countries/.Date of access: 6 August 2017.
Central Statistics Office. (2010). Educational Statistical Bulletin. Lusaka: Zambia.
Central Statistical Office. (2010). Zambia demographic health survey 2009 Lusaka: Central Statistical Office.
Dakar Conference (2000). The Dakar Frame work for Action. Education for All: Meeting Our Collective Commitments. Dakar: Senegal.
Freire, P. (1985). The politics of education: Culture, power, and liberation: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Gater, R. & Isaacs, D. (2012). Spending on school infrastructure does matter. Ground Up, 25 May. https://www.groundup.org.za/article/spending-school- infrastructure does matter/. Date of access: 10 August, 2021.
Government of the Republic of Zambia (2016). Constitution of the Government of the Republic of Zambia. Lusaka: Government Printers.
Harmon, H.L. & Weeks, S.G. (2011). Rural Education: Overview; international context. State University.com: Education Encyclopedia.
Hedges J. (2012). The importance of posting and interaction with the education bureaucracy in becoming a teacher in Ghana. International Journal of Educational Development, 22:353–366.
Heeralal PJH (2014). Preparing pre-service teachers to teach in rural schools. Mediterranean Journal of Social Sciences, 5(20):1795–1799.
IFAD (2001). Rural poverty: The challenge of rural poverty. Oxford: IFAD.
Jourbert, J. (2007). Influences of poverty on rural education: South Africa and Africa. A paper read at the Social Sciences Conference in 2008.
Klapper T. (2017). The effects of mass communication. Lusaka: Government Printers.
Lembani D.K. (2019). Perceptions on Adult Literacy Disparities. A Doctoral Dissertation. Department of Education, Lusaka: ZAOU Press.
McEwan PJ (1999). Recruitment of rural teachers in developing countries: An economic analysis. Teaching and Teacher Education, 15(8):849–859. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(99)00025-6.
Meijer, W. A. J. (2016). General education, cultural diversity and identity. Studies in Philosophy and Education, 15, 113-120.
Michael D. and Stephen G. (2017). Education and national development: Comparative perspective. Oxford, Pergamon Press.
Ministry of Community Development and Social Welfare (2015). Functional literacy training manual. Lusaka. Government Printers.
Ministry of General Education (1996). Education Our Future. Policy Document. Lusaka; Zambia.
Ministry of General Education (2014). Report on the status of adult literacy in Zambia. Policy on adult education. Lusaka. Government Printers.
Ministry of General Education (2012). Report on the Implementation of the Belem Framework for Action. Presented at the Adult Literacy Stakeholders Meeting, April 17th to 18th, 2012. Lusaka: Government Printers.
Monk D.H. (2017). Recruiting and retaining high quality teaching in rural areas. The Future of Children, 17(1):155–174.
Msila V. (2010). Rural school principals’ quest for effectiveness: Lessons from the field. Journal of Education, 48:169–189.
Mwansa, D.M. (2016). Community perspectives on literacy. Lusaka: Zambian Open University.
Msimuko, A.K. (1987). Traditional Education in Pre-colonial Zambia. No.29, 1987, 232.
Mulkeen A. (2005). Teachers for rural schools: A challenge for Africa (Working paper).
Mulkeen, A. & Chen, D. (2008). Teachers for rural schools: Experiences in Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Tanzania and Uganda. Africa Human Development Series. Washington D.C: The World Bank.
Maslow, A. H. (1943). A theory of human motivation. Psychological review, 50(4), 370.
Mwanakatwe J.M. (1968). The growth of education in Zambia since independence. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Nelson Mandela Foundation (2005). Emerging voices: A report on education in South African Rural communities. Houghton: HSRC and EPC.
Nyerere, J.K. (1967). Education for self-reliance. Dar es Salaam: Oxford University Press.
Ordonez, V. (2011). Rural education: Changing environments; emerging challenges, policy perspective and option. Shangai: UNESCO.
Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa. (2013). Zambia – effective delivery of public education services. Retrieved from osisa.org/other/education/Zambia/Zambia effective-delivery-public education-services.
People’s Action Forum (2013). Adult literacy. Presented at the Adult Literacy Stakeholders Meeting, April 17th to 18th, 2013. Lusaka: Multimedia.
People’s Action Forum (2014). People’s Action Forum Strategic Plan, 2014- 2018. Lusaka, Zambia. Lusaka: Multimedia.
Rogers, A. (2007). Non-formal education: Flexible schooling or participatory education? (Vol. 15). Springer Science & Business Media.
Samoff, J. (2017). “Education for All” in Africa but education systems that serve few well. Perspective. Educ 19 (1), 5-27.
Siegel, S. (2018). Education and cultural transmission/transformation. Philosophical reflections on the historian's task. Pedagogical Historical, 32 (sup1), 25-46.
Sibalwa, D., (2016). Psychology of adult education. Lusaka: ZAOU.
Shibeshi, A. (2006). Education for rural people in Africa. Rome: FAO and UNESCO.
Snelson, P.D. (1974). Educational development in Northern Rhodesia, 1883-1945 (2nd ed). Lusaka: National Educational Company of Zambia.
Starr K & White S. (2008). The small rural school principalship: Key challenges and cross school responses. Journal of Research in Rural Education, 23(5):1–12.
UNESCO (2005). Education for All. Global Monitoring Report: The quality imperative. EFA global monitoring report. Paris: UNESCO.
UNESCO (2006). Education For All monitoring report: Literacy for life. Paris: UNESCO.
UNESCO (2009). UNESCO World Conference on ESD2009. Bonn: Federal Ministry of Education and Research.
UNICEF (2017). Overview: education and adolescent development. UNICEF South Africa. https://www.unicef.org/south africa/education_344.html. Date of access: 10 August 2021.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2021 International Journal For Research In Social Science And Humanities | ISSN: 2208-2697
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
In consideration of the journal, Green Publication taking action in reviewing and editing our manuscript, the authors undersigned hereby transfer, assign, or otherwise convey all copyright ownership to the Editorial Office of the Green Publication in the event that such work is published in the journal. Such conveyance covers any product that may derive from the published journal, whether print or electronic. Green Publication shall have the right to register copyright to the Article in its name as claimant, whether separately
or as part of the journal issue or other medium in which the Article is included.
By signing this Agreement, the author(s), and in the case of a Work Made For Hire, the employer, jointly and severally represent and warrant that the Article is original with the author(s) and does not infringe any copyright or violate any other right of any third parties, and that the Article has not been published elsewhere, and is not being considered for publication elsewhere in any form, except as provided herein. Each author’s signature should appear below. The signing author(s) (and, in
