Radio Broadcast Communication by the Ministry of Education for Basic School Teacher`s Professional development: A case Study of Lusaka District

Abstract

This case study examines how the Ministry of Education employs communication strategies using radio broadcasts to support professional development for teachers. The study sought to establish whether radio broadcast outreach programme is effectively being used to spread information and new innovations in the teaching profession. A sample size of 100 teachers teaching at 10 selected schools participated in the study. A probability random sampling technique was used and 10 Basic schools were randomly selected. Besides, the researcher conducted in depth interviews to Ministry of Education officials at the District resource centre, Education Broadcasting Services and EDC/QUEST project. The quantitative data was put into constituent parts to answer the research question using the statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) for analysis. The general indication in the study was that most respondents do not listen to the Education radio broadcasts. Additionally, the broadcast time slots of the broadcasts were not convenient to the intended target. The study revealed that most respondents spent more time listening to the radio at night between 20:00 hours and 22:00 hours. The night time was most preferred because most people were free and were out of the work places. The findings further established that the programme design and communication strategy are satisfactory but concluded that there was need for regular evaluation of the programme and that most teachers were not in favour of the name of the radio programme.