Access of female primary school teachers to in-service training colleges : The case of Chongwe district
This report brings out the findings of the study on how academic and professional qualifications, positively or negatively affected the social status of primary school teachers. The investigator specifically looked at the female primary school teachers who made up the larger population of the primary school teachers, and yet, were lesser represented, not only at educational management levels, but also, at retraining levels, that is, at in-service institutions. In this vein, the aim of the report was to show the extent to which the female primary school teachers were not able to access in-service training which was a vital stage of their academic and professional advancement. In order to come up with the much needed data that was to assist in high-lighting the access levels,qualitative and quantitative methods of data collection were used. The catchment area -Chongwe District, was divided into 6 (six) zones in which questionnaires and interviews were administered to a randomly sampled population of 120 female primary school teachers - 20 respondents per zone. From the collected data, the causes of the gender imbalance in the in-service teachers' colleges (with the female teachers lesser represented) have been discussed. It will be noticed that some of the causes were a making of the government, through the Ministry of Education and its functionaries. The other causes emanated from the general beliefs of the Zambian society and in particular those of the immediate communities that were visited. Others were from the peer groups, the spouses and their relatives, the financial handicap of teachers, on to ignorance and negative attitude by the female primary school teachers themselves. Having discussed the inhibiting factors on the access to in-service training of female primary school teachers, the author presented some recommendations to counter the above factors. The report brings out deliberate indications that the Ministry of Education should, from its national headquarters, closely monitor and supervise its functionaries so that the laid down policies are efficiently and effectively implemented.Apart from society in general, the individual female primary school teachers themselves should adjust to suit social change, part of which, are the modern education trends. In the report, the researcher indicated that change of attitude at national, community and individual levels towards women in general and primary school teachers in particular,could enhance the realization of co-equal access and participation in education.The report concludes with a view that access to in-service training by female primary school teachers would promote academic achievement by the pupils, offer professional motivation to these teachers; and widen their acceptability and social status in the societies they are found.
Teachers -- In-service training -- Chongwe, Teachers -- Training of -- Chongwe
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