Financing of private selected secondary schools in Kitwe district.

Abstract

Despite the policy shift in secondary education in Zambia from public provision to promoting private secondary schooling in response to the exponential growth in secondary school enrolment, , funding has emerged as a major constraint to this policy aspiration. The purpose of this study was to assess the financing of private secondary school education in Kitwe district. A descriptive survey research design was employed in this research. The study targeted 3 schools out of a sample of private secondary schools in Kitwe district. A purposeful sampling technique was used. An interview schedule was used to collect data from the schools in addition to an observation schedule and document analysis. The major findings of the study seem to suggest that the income sources in private secondary schools were not only inadequate in providing learning resources to enhance quality of education, but also unreliable in providing resources to Private secondary schools. The implications of these findings were that, as long as the funding issues are not adequately addressed, the quality of learning will continuously be affected. Currently private secondary schools are experiencing reduced enrolment which has triggered reduced income since these schools are highly dependent on fees from students. It is therefore recommended that; to enhance quality in private secondary schools, several sources be harnessed and the existing ones to be strengthened.