Education Administration and Policy Studies
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- ItemRelevance of selected social science degree programs on skills development and graduate employability in Zambia(The Journal of Teaching and Learning for Graduate Employability, 2021) Kapambwe Mwelwa, Lebeloane, Lazarus D.M, Mawela, Ailwei S.A pragmatic approach was used to explore the extent to which four selected social science degree programs were relevant for the skill needs of the job market in Zambia. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 162 participants using interviews and questionnaires. The SPSS version 24 and Atlas. Ti Version 8 were used to analyse and interpret data within the framework of the Capability Approach. The findings reveal that the relevance of each of the four social science degree programs depend on how key stakeholders in higher education and the labour market perceive them and that graduate employability was affected by factors such as the need and importance of social sciences to the labour market; employer and student perceptions of employability skills in the degree programs; demand for the programs; graduate work readiness, and the availability of graduate job prospects. It could be concluded that although all four social science degree programs were important, their relevance to the needs of Zambia’s labour market varied from program to program.
- ItemEffectiveness of internships as pedagogical practices in promoting employability skills amongst graduating students in selected social science degree programmes in Zambia.(International Journal of Educational Methodology, 2021) Mwelwa, Kapambwe & Mawela, Ailwei S.To explore their role in enhancing graduate employability, the study investigated the effectiveness of student internships as pedagogical practices in promoting employability skills amongst graduating students in four Social Science Degree programmes of selected universities in Zambia. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 162 participants through the questionnaires and interview guides using a mixed-methods approach. The participants included different actors in the labour industry as critical informants; graduating students taking Social Science Degree Programmes; Lecturers, and Employers. The quantitative and qualitative data were analysed using the SPSS version 24 and Atlas. Ti. Version 8, respectively. This study employed the Human Capability Approach and Human Capital theories. Findings indicated that although internship practices were considered an essential component in the social science degree programmes for skills development, their effectiveness in promoting employability skills amongst graduating students varied from one programme to the other. The findings have implications on how universities and the labour industry could work together to design and implement internship experiences for students in social science degree programmes that are more effective in promoting the acquisition of employability skills in Zambia.
- ItemEffects of free education policy on the provision of primary and secondary education in Zambia.(East African Journal of Education and Social Sciences, 2023) Mwelwa, Kapambwe; Bwalya, Tuesday; Chibwili, EdwardThe study sought to establish the effects of the Free Education Policy on learner enrollment, school infrastructure, financing and the quality of teaching and learning in community primary and secondary public schools in Zambia. The study participants included the District Education Board Secretaries, head teachers, class teachers, learners and parents from 10 provinces, selected using probability and non-probability sampling techniques. Quantitative data was collected from teachers through a structured questionnaire. In addition, qualitative data was collected from the District Education Board Secretaries, learners and parents through in-depth interviews and Focus Group Discussion guides. Quantitative data was processed, cleaned and analyzed using the SPSS 23.0 to produce descriptive statistics. Qualitative data was transcribed, sorted and analyzed along with survey data to establish emergent trends. The study found that the implementation of the Free Education Policy had increased school enrollments and government funding. The increase in the number of learners in schools has put pressure on the already overstretched educational resources like teachers, desks, textbooks, toilets and laboratory facilities, indirectly affecting the quality of education. The study suggests that Zambia's Free Education Policy implementation can be strengthened by prioritizing desks, textbooks, sanitary facilities, teacher deployment, modern classroom construction, especially in rural areas, and enacting sustainable financing legislation. The study, within the lens of the Capability Approach, has practical implications on how the implementation of the Free Education Policy can be strengthened in Zambia.
- ItemExploring and investigating corruption in successive governments, Lusaka district: a reflexivity approach in the United Party for National Development (UPND) New Dawn Government.(International journal of advanced multidiscplinary research and studies, 2024) Phiri, Chidongo; Daka Harrison; Munkoyo, Delina Nanjekana; Mwale, Masauso; Machacha, Eliphas.This study aimed to explore and investigate corruption in successive governments with specific reference on the UPND New Dawn Government in Lusaka District, Zambia, reflexively. To do so, the study explored, investigated and identified various factors that facilitate corruption such as: The power of political beliefs system, poverty, inequality, weak institutions, ineffective anti-corruption measures, cultural and social capital and great latitude of impunity among public officials. Key informants also emphasized the lack of transparency and weak oversight institutions as factors facilitating the contributing to an increase on corruption. These findings resonated with Treisman's (2000) [77] and Phiri’s (2017) [62] researches, which identified the role of social and economic heterogeneity, specifically ethnic fractionalization and prestation. Further, the study highlighted the complex dynamics at play in the context of political and cultural corruption, poverty, and the ineffectiveness of anti-corruption measures. The study noted the lack of a clear legal framework to combat corruption, whistleblower protection, enhanced oversight, and independent anti-corruption agencies. Challenges in the fight against corruption included a lack of funding and resources, political interference, whistleblower vulnerability, and limited education and awareness. These challenges were in line with the findings of Maiga (2023) [40], highlighting the negative impact of corruption on human capital development. Culturally, corruption led to the normalization of unethical behavior, erosion of trust, and an impact on social cohesion. These findings underlay the far-reaching effects of corruption on society and underscore the importance of addressing this issue comprehensively. Methodologically, the study used a mixed research technique, even though the larger part of it was explorative approach thus, involving interviews, focused group discussions, storytelling and observations. The study used a sample of 100 respondents who were selected using purposive sampling technique. Core to the sampling of 100 respondents is the reflexivity approach which is about acknowledging our positionality in the research. This reflexive qualitative research, meant as researchers, we were part of the study process, and our prior experiences, assumptions and beliefs influenced the research process and findings. Reflexivity in this study meant to establish rigour, similar to the processes of defining measurement tools for validity in quantitative research. Therefore, the reflexivity research design combined both qualitative and quantitative methods, involving content analysis for qualitative data and simple statistical quantification to present quantitative data. Nevertheless, the bulk part of this research method was anchored on qualitative methods. Quantitative technique was used to justify the extent of UPND’S corruption since other methods have proven inconsistent to prove it. The study's findings uncovered an increase in the presence of corruption in the New Dawn Government, despite campaign promises to reduce it in a transparency and accountable manner. This study was anchored on how Bourdieu views individuals as actors playing a “game of life” that is both structured and unstructured by the exchange of forms of capital (economic and socio-cultural). Of course, the game has rules, but many are unwritten, and can also be a matter of contention amongst players. The game theory was used to determine the level of accomplices for the corruption crime, were there is not enough evidence for a felony conviction. The argument was that perpetrators of corruption take the actions simply as a game and not a felony, hence its increase and persistence by the actors in the UPND government. In conclusion, the study revealed that while there are measures in place to combat corruption in the UPND New Dawn Government, challenges persist. Addressing these challenges and promoting a culture of transparency and accountability is essential because corruption undermines economic development, erodes cultural values and social cohesion. It is recommended that efforts to combat corruption include strengthening oversight institutions, promoting ethical leadership, and simplifying legal processes. Public awareness campaigns and measures to reduce poverty and inequality should be prioritized. Keywords: Corruption, Reflexivity, Game Theory, Prestations, Cultural and Social Capital
- ItemThe provision of free education and its sustainability: the Zambian scenario.(International journal of advanced multidiscplinary research and studies, 2024) Bwembya, Ireen and Daka, Harrison.The Free Education Provision in Zambia and its sustainability study was enthused from the monitoring activities and experience the researchers had in the implementation of Free Education Policy. The Ministry of Education has been charged with the responsibility to provide Quality, Lifelong, Education for All which is accessible, inclusive and relevant to individual, National and Global needs and Value systems (MoE, 1996) [8]. In actualising this vision and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4 -2030, the Ministry has been implementing different measures to ensure education is accessible to all school going children and the entire Citizenry at large. Education fees (Tuition, Examinations and PTA) have been a huge barrier to accessing education especially to the vulnerable in society, thus, the New Dawn Government has scrapped off all the education fees from Early Childhood to Secondary levels in all Public School to ensure stable socio - economic development of the nation. Most of literature on free education by other researchers has focussed on the impact and effects of free education however, this study focussed on how the Free Education can be sustained through sufficient sustainable flow of funds to schools for quality education provision in Zambia. Mixed method design was employed to gather the data from Education administrators and school administrators across six districts of Lusaka Province. The research findings show that Free Education policy has received positive response as could be seen from the enormous increase in enrolment levels after its implementation in 2022. However, the positive response to free education policy has come with many challenges ranging from inadequate classroom space and toilets for proper sanitation, inadequate water supply, inadequate specialised rooms and insufficient teaching and learning materials and equipment, increased teacher- pupil ratio just to mention but a few. The research shows that the government has already started addressing the challenges through the completion of incomplete 115 secondary schools as well as commencement of 120 new schools across the country, mass deployment of 30,496 teachers in 2022, increase in budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Education in 2024 from 13.9% in 2023 to 15.4% in 2024, increased CDF allocation from K28.3 Million in 2023 to K30.6 Million in 2024 which has a component of the Education which addresses the needs of the vulnerable learners and approval of ZEPH Board members’ to ensure teaching and learning materials are provided. All these milestones showed sufficient funds are required to for sustainable quality provision of Free Education for ALL. The study informs all the stake holders of education on the need for creating a National Education Scheme and prudent use of and proper accountability of Free Education funds for quality education provision in Zambia. Keywords: Free Education, Sustainability, Accountability, Quality Education, Education Policy