IMPLEMENTATION OF THE FREE EDUCATION POLICY IN PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN KAFUE DISTRICT: IS IT A COMPROMISE ON QUALITY OF EDUCATION IN ZAMBIA?

作者：Christine Mwanza, Darious Silukuni · 发表于：European Journal of Education Studies · 年份：2020 · DOI：10.46827/ejes.v7i9.3269 · 被引用次数：6 · 研究领域：Poverty, Education, and Child Welfare

<p>In this study, researchers investigated the implementation of Free Primary Education Policy in selected primary schools of Kafue district of Zambia. The study’s objective was to determine the possible conflicts that had arose between learners’ access to education and supply of quality education. As a descriptive survey, the study population consisted of one hundred and twenty (120) teachers, twenty-four (24) head teachers one (2) Ministry of General Education (MoGE) officials. The teachers responded to a questionnaire while the head teachers and MoGE officials were interviewed using structured interview schedules. An observation checklist was used to record the schools’ enrolments, equipment and facilities that were available. Data was analyzed thematically as themes and sub themes emerged from the data. Finding showed that there were high enrolments in Kafue primary schools, an indication that many learners had free access to education but this led to a number of challenges such as: inadequate educational supplies, low staffing levels, inadequate classrooms and desks. Teachers were being overworked and were unable to attend to individual needs of pupils. They also could not manage to give adequate homework and remedial work due to large classes. Consequently, the Zambian government seems to have failed to meet the needs of primary schools in Kafue due to the surge in enrolments. Scholars in this study recommended that the Ministry of General Education should evaluat...