Effectiveness of girls’ education programmes in senior secondary schools of Zambia: a case of Churches Health Association of Zambia (CHAZ) interventions in Senanga district.

Abstract

The study sought to assess the effectiveness of girls’ education empowerment program in senior secondary schools in Senanga district in Western Province of Zambia. Following a qualitative approach with descriptive statistics AGAPE project was assessed on its key indicators. A total 220 beneficiaries of the programme being studied were systematically selected and 18 key informants were purposively recruited to the study respectively. Data was collected using structured questionnaires for pupils and open-ended interview guide with key informants. SPSS was used to analyse quantitative data, while qualitative data was analysed using thematic analysis. Ethical clearance was sought from Kwame Nkrumah University Ethics Committee in Zambia. The findings show that the key factors affecting girls’ access to education established in this study are; financial barriers, gender perceptions, distance to school and menstrual and sexual harassment. The study has revealed that CHAZ interventions in supporting girls’ education had modest positive impacts on sexual and reproductive health knowledge, reduced truancy and improved academic performance among girls. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education in collaboration with the Ministry of Community Development and Social Services come up with policies that support increased education support to girls. The Government of the Republic of Zambia together with its stakeholders should increase efforts to ensure that vulnerable communities especially in the rural areas are educated on the importance of girls' education. The Government and all stakeholders need to provide and strengthen the provision of bursaries to vulnerable, orphaned and girl children in schools. There’s also need for deliberate policies for the effectively implementation of Comprehensive Sexuality Education as a standalone in schools, unlike the way it is taught in carrier subjects.