The impact of St Paul's Mulungushi secondary school upon the local people around the s
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Date
2011-06-08
Authors
Mwenya, Chileshe
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Abstract
This study, on the Impact of Marist Education upon the local people around St Paul's Mulungushi Secondary School was conducted at St Paul's Secondary School in Kapiri Mposhi District in Central Province of Zambia. The study concentrated on analysing the impact Marist Education has had upon the local people around the school. The aim of undertaking the study was to explore the contribution made by the presence of the Marist Brothers and St Paul's Secondary School which was opened in 1960 on the status of the local people.
The objectives were to explore and evaluate the impact St Paul's Mulungushi Marist education has since 1960 when the school was opened, on the economic, political, social, ecological and educational levels of people living around it.
In this study, qualitative research design was used. The method combined approaches which provided the researcher an opportunity of using techniques such as, document analysis and interviews. Informants included teachers, parents, Ministry of Education Officials, Catholic Church representatives, current and former pupils of St Paul's Mulungushi Secondary School.
The study revealed that local people have benefited from the school by slowly opening up enrolling local boys first and then girls. This has given locals chances to receive formal education. Additionally, the school facilitated in the opening of a Rural Heath Centre so that local people may receive medication and other health related services without travelling to distant places. Furthermore, the school has been offering employment to local people to work as drivers, cooks, teachers, nurses and builders. The main work of evangelisation has continued to be done through the school and a considerable number of people have been converted to Catholicism. Social services including offering of transport to patients and donating nails, materials and food to bereaved families have been part of the school activities offered to the local people. In order to promote self reliance and food security, the school has been teaching local people alternative methods of farming such as crop rotation. These benefits are discussed as economic, financial, human, spiritual, social and ecological capital development in the main work.
It was felt that boarding facilities would give both day boys and girls enough time to study instead of doing household chores or spending a lot of time looking for food, attending funerals or working on the farms when at home instead of studying.
The study recommended that boarding facilities should be open to all day pupils regardless of sex to enhance their chances of fair participation in both academic and extra curricular activities. Local languages and local literature should be taught in the school to build a strong cultural identity of pupils. Furthermore, life long learning skills should be introduced for adult members of the society to help them acquire the skills of reading and writing. This may in turn increase their chances of positive participation in the economic, political and social issues affecting their daily lives.
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Community and Schools--Zambia