Analysing the communication strategies the government is using in implementing the re-entry policy in Zambia’s education system : a case study of Chongwe district.
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Date
2025
Authors
Nkonde, Fridah
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The University of Zambia
Abstract
Zambia's Re-entry Policy was introduced in 1997 to allow girls who become pregnant to return to school after giving birth. The policy's goal is to prevent young mothers from being excluded from education and to prevent girls from dropping out of school after giving birth. Despite the policy
being introduced 27 years ago, many young girls have continued to drop out of school due to challenges encountered in their pursuit for education. The purpose of this study is to analyse the communication strategies the Government of the Republic of Zambia is using in implementing the Re-entry Policy in Chongwe district of Lusaka Province. This study used the qualitative approach to analyse the communication strategies the government
is using to implement the Re-entry Policy in Zambia’s education system. Purposive and random sampling were both used in this study to help the researcher rely on her own judgement when identifying and selecting the individuals, cases, or events that can provide the best information to
achieve the study’s objectives. In this study, the sample consisted of three (3) Head Teachers, three (3) Guidance and Counselling Teachers, three (3) Teachers, three (3) teen mothers and three (3) parents or guardians of the teen mothers. The sample also consisted of twenty (20) pupils of which ten (10) were girls and the other ten (10) were boys. The total number of participants in the study was thirty-five (35) participants all picked from the selected five Primary and Secondary schools in Chongwe district and from the community. The findings indicate that the Government had not employed specific communication strategies targeting the implementation of the re-entry policy in the country. The findings were also clear on
the fact that despite the introduction of the Re-entry Policy, there were no clear messages delivered through appropriate platforms tailored for diverse audiences on the Re-entry Policy. On the part of the Guidance and Counselling Teachers, the findings indicate that most teachers were not getting
proper guidance from the Ministry of Health concerning means and ways of communicating the policy to the pupils. This study recommends that the Government, through the Ministry of Education should embark on awareness raising activities on the Re-entry Policy using Television, Radio, Newspapers, and various Social Media Platforms.
Description
Thesis of Master’s degree of Communication for Development (MCD).