Perspectives of managers on how girl re-entry policy should be managed to deter reentered girls from falling pregnant again : a case of some selected secondary schools in Lusaka district.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the views of head teachers, guidance and counselling teachers and district guidance and counselling coordinators on how girl re-entry policy should be managed in secondary schools in Lusaka district. The girl’s re-entry policy was introduced with the view of helping a girl child who had been a victim of dropping from school due to pregnancy while the boy child continued with school which contributed to inequality on the attainment of education between boys and girls. The policy is in line with the world education framework “Education for All” and Zambia’s national document, “Educating our Future”. The study used phenomenological research design of qualitative research approach with a sample of thirty five (35) participants of which 17 were head teachers and 17 school guidance and counselling coordinators and a district guidance and counselling coordinator. The findings of the study on the views of managers on how the policy should be managed seemed to suggest that most of the respondents were not satisfied with the way the policy is managed. The managers seem to have suggested that they are of the view that the achievements of the policy surpasses the failures and that the policy came at the right time to help a girl child continue her education. The further study found that the policy document lack clear directions and that it does not stipulate the times that a girl can be re-entered. The study recommended that the government should evaluate the policy and addresses the loopholes found in the policy and that the government should ensure that copies of the policy document are distributed in schools. The study further recommended that policy should be interpreted in detail to the community as well as teachers and top implementers and also there should be an established link between health facilities and schools were they can termly do inspections on school girls. Finally there is need to promote training or workshops on guidance and counselling in schools. Key words: Re-entry, Teenage-mothers, counselling, policy.