The effects of chinamwali initiation schools on girl child education: a case of selected public primary schools of Katete district, Zambia.
Date
2020
Authors
Daka, Harrison
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Malcolm Moffat Multidisciplinary Journal of Research and Education
Abstract
Chinamwali initiation school for girls has been a subject of
concern within the community in Katete district. While the
Chewa people of Katete celebrate chinamwali as a transition
from childhood to adulthood, some aspects of this traditional
ceremony such as sex education given to the initiates are thought
to have a negative impact on the education of girls. Based on
these concerns, the study purposed to find out the effects of
chinamwali on girl child education in selected public primary
schools of Katete district, Zambia. The study adopted the
descriptive research design and was guided by the Invitational
Learning theory by William Watson Purkey. The population
under study consisted of 8 teachers, 20 parents and 20 girls,
the District Education Board Secretary (DEBS), the Chief and 2
Anamkungwi. Purposive sampling technique was used to select
public primary schools and parents while random sampling
technique was used to select teachers. The girls were selected
using the snowball sampling technique. The researcher used
questionnaire with close and open-ended questions and the
interview guide. Descriptive analysis was used for the closeended questions and thematic analysis was used for the openended questions and the interview guide. The results indicated
that chinamwali initiation schools affected the education of
primary school girls in terms of: school attendance, pupil’s
behaviour, pupil’s participation in class, early pregnancies
and marriages, school dropouts and HIV and AIDS during and
after seclusion. From the findings, the researchers concluded
that the training girls received during chinamwali initiation
ceremony was more relevant to adulthood life but it affected
137 Malcolm Moffat Multidisciplinary Journal of Research and Education, Vol. 1. No.1. 2020. ISSN: 2706-6029
their academic lives negatively. The recommendations were that
the girls should not be taught about adult life at a young age
and that chinamwali should be done during school holidays and
only for a short period of time such as a week. The government
also needs to educate youths on the risks of early pregnancies,
early marriages and HIV and AIDS through some traditional
practices.
Key words: Initiation Schools, Formal Education, Girls Education,
Seclusion
Description
Journal Article
Keywords
Initiation rites--Zambia